Marijuana Legalization Measure Introduced in Oregon
-
February 26, 2013
Legislation has been introduced in Oregon by the House Committee on Revenue that would legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana.House Bill 3371 would establish a regulatory system, similar to the one in place in the state for alcohol, for the cultivation, production, and sale of cannabis to adults over 21. Adults would be allowed to possess up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes, in addition to purchasing it from regulated retail outlets. You can read the full text of the legislation here.
If you needed any further proof that elections have consequences, we now have a total of seven legalization bills pending in state legislatures, whereas we rarely had even one in previous years. The voters in Colorado and Washington set the ball of legalization rolling down hill and it seems unlikely to slow down anytime soon.
If you live in Oregon, please click here to quickly and easily contact your elected officials in support of this legislation. If you don’t live in Oregon, click here and see if there is any pending marijuana law reform legislation in your state.
OREGON: CLICK HERE TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE BILL 3371
In November 2012, two states legalized marijuana. Help us win the rest. Consider making a donation to support NORML’s advocacy work today.
62 Responses to “Marijuana Legalization Measure Introduced in Oregon”
Leave a Reply
Dude, you sound like a total greed head. What of the innocent people incarcerated? What of the sick, suffering needlessly? What of all the lives wasted, money wasted, tax dollars wasted on courts and jails for all of these people? What of their ruined lives, with the ridiculous brand as a felon for an ounce bag of weed? Is correcting all of that in the interest of government?
I certainly believe that it is.
“..as an economist I believe this bill is doomed. The main incentive for local governments to legalize marijuana is to collect tax revenue. The bill states that adults are allowed to grow up to six plants in their homes. In allowing adults to do so, this eliminates a portion of the market from purchasing the good and reduces tax revenue for state. Also, the federal governments primary concern is “leakage” from states legalizing marijuana. Allowing adults to grow their own product will only add to the federal governments concern of “leakage” due to the inibilty for the state to regulate the industry. “
mark 7:15-23
mark 12:31
Love your neighbor people.
That is sad many folks are not in here promoting this necessary piece of legislation. Find your Oregon state reps and contact them.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/
I also would like to thank NORML for giving us this forum for exchanging information about the important issues. The best way to show your appreciation is to become a member. This site needs money to stay alive and how much great information how all of you gleaned from it? Become a member, continue to spread facts, and together let’s end prohibition state by state.
This is a suspect answer from my state rep. It reads to me like he is not in favor of regulation&taxation.
Your thoughts?
Dear Nathaniel,
Thank you for writing to my office about House Bill 3371, to tax, regulate, and legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults. This bill has been introduced by the Revenue committee, and has been referred to the House Judiciary committee with a subsequent referral to the Revenue committee.
It is clear to me that our current policy of marijuana prohibition is flawed, and evidence suggests we need to rethink our approach on this subject. The tremendous financial cost of maintaining this policy has far outweighed any gains made, and its enforcement has disproportionately harmed many low-income and minority communities.
Some have proposed that our state could regulate marijuana in much the same way that we regulate alcohol. A strong regulatory framework could allow for legal production, distribution, sale, taxation, and use of marijuana for adult recreational use, while also providing strict oversight to prohibit use by minors. Revenue from taxes could help to fund treatment services for those struggling with addiction, and law enforcement agencies could focus their energy on preventing more serious, violent crimes.
The proposed solution in this bill would require some refining in order to be effectual and ultimately may not be the best way to address this problem. I will be sure to take your thoughts on this matter into careful consideration should this bill come before me for a vote.
If you wish to track the progress of this bill, you can type in the bill number at this Web address http://www.leg.state.or.us/searchmeas.html and it will pull up the bill and all related actions.
Again, thank you for your email. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if either my staff or I can be of assistance in the future.
Respectfully,
Paul
Paul Holvey
Oregon State Representative
District 8 – Eugene / Veneta
Capitol Office:
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, H-277
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1408
Email: rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
Nathaniel, it sounds like he is very much in favor of it, but feels this law needs some work.
However, he doesn’t mention what needs work and it seems pretty darn comprehensive to me, so I’m not sure what the “issues” he has with it, if any, might be…?
I think he leaves it open ended like this so people can feel more comfortable expressing their opinions to him. So everyone should contact him (Paul Holvey) and his co-workers and tell them to support this bill.
Vote for the bill, Paul!
Stop incarcerating people for a mild sedative growing plant.
Gawd.
It does seem like a bit much to ask employers to tolerate stoned employees; and I’m all for legalization. I do like that the bit about refusing to hire users is prohibited; but while many people can use it on their own time and not let it interfere at work, I do believe it can interfere at many workplaces.
My suggestion is this: If you have representatives and/or senators who are not supporting this, don’t get mad. Get them on the record as to if they support the basic idea, and what they don’t like about this measure, of they don’t support it. You can use this as an opportunity to educate them about surveys in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet finding no correlation between pot use and cancer; and pointing out how much less of a risk on driving it is vs. alcohol for people to be spending their money on. Also, if it is a gateway drug, it is also a “way out of hard drugs” drug; and legalization will take serious $$$ out of organized crime, and overcrowded prisons. Then, when a similar law comes up, minus one or two problematic phrases, be sure to remind representatives etc. of their previous statements of support for the measure.
Any mis-use of weed would or should fall under the same perameters as alcohol or any other controlled substance. If someone drives, work or otherwise take part in an activity where the substance would interfere with safety then by all means bust the prick. The majority of users, like myself, will stay and play at home while they feel good. And snack. Time to come out of the dark ages. The State could use the revenue.
The problem is that these legislators are approaching the problem as wrongly as one can. I find it hard to believe that anything would be worse than the current laws. As the saying goes, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Try something. If it doesn’t work, then improve it. But don’t let an unmitigated disaster continue because you can’t find the perfect solution. That’s just stupid. States need to experiment with policies to figure to what works and what doesn’t.
4/2/13 Public Hearing and Possible Work Session scheduled. Now that is real progress. I am kind of jumping out of my seat a bit just writing this =) We have a real shot to turn the tide here and make leaps and bounds against this ridiculous fight against a plant.
Freedom isn’t free, it cost folks like you and me, and if you don’t throw in your buck’0′five who will?
I have put in my buck’0′five…have you? Write your reps today and support this bill.
OREGON ALERT: The House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on April 2. The committee did not issue a recommendation on the measure, but sent HB 3371 to the House Revenue Committee for further consideration. Committee Chairman Representative Jeff Barker stated, “This bill is going to be moved to Revenue, where it’ll have the substantial policy debate. There’s no sense having everybody spend all day today or longer here talking about it when it’ll actually be dealt with down there.”
It is imperative that your Representative hears from you in support of this measure, particularly the members of the House Revenue Committee. Click here to quickly and easily contact your elected officials and to get the direct contact info for members of the Revenue Committee.
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046//p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=9854