For the last two years, Oregonians in favor of marijuana for recreational use have had to stare glumly across the border at Washington State, where it’s legal, after a ballot initiative to legalize the stuff failed in 2012. But if at first you don’t succeed… You know where this is going.
A proposal that wants to legalize, tax and regulate recreational marijuana in Oregon has qualified for the November ballot, reports Reuters. A similar measure was rejected by voters two years ago, making Colorado and Washington the only states that currently allow recreational pot.
“This is a moment we’ve been waiting for, that we’ve worked months to get to,” said a spokesman for the campaign in favor of the Oregon initiative.
Supporters of the initiative submitted 88,584 valid signatures from voters to get it on the ballot, according to the elections division of the Oregon secretary of state’s office, which more than the 87,213 required to qualify.
“Every signature represents an Oregonian who believes it’s time for a new approach to marijuana,” the campaign spokesman said. “We’ve been trying the black market approach for 40 years and it’s not working.”
But opponents in the national anti-marijuana group Smart Approaches to Marijuana said the issues cropping up in Colorado and Washington — like reports of children eating marijuana-laced baked goods — will move to Oregon, along with the pressure of Big Marijuana (which is apparently a thing?).
“Despite already having the most lax marijuana laws next to Colorado and Washington, big money, special interests from D.C. are now descending onto Oregon in order to create the next Big Tobacco of our time,” the co-founder of the group said in response to the new ballot initiative.
Oregon recreational pot initiative qualifies for November ballot [Reuters]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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