Cannabis Sep 3, 2014 at 4:00 pm

Pay Attention to Washington's Difficulties with Legal Weed. Oregon Might Be Next.

Comments

1
Here are some excellent details described well by a person that knows what they are talking about... "Oregon: Vote Yes on Measure 91" by Paul Stanford of the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp http://hemp.org/news/content/yes-oregon-me…
2
@Dirk VanderHart, you wrote: "But there's also nothing in Measure 91 saying lawmakers can't merge retail marijuana sales with the state's existing medical market, as Colorado has done with success." I think that statement may be incorrect. Here's something...

Section 4(7) clearly states that the measure doesn't change the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, as it "does not amend or affect in any way the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act". Section 6(2) states again that the measure doesn't impact the OMMP and that the OLCC is to keep its hands off the medical program. Check: http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2014/053text.pd…
3
Hi Myst: Chat with chief petitioner Anthony Johnson, who I suspect from your comments here and elsewhere you know, about this. I did.
4
Okay, Dirk. Thanks. I'll do that. What did he say? Are you implying that he confirmed that statement with you, or just that you talked with him?

I may simply misunderstand what is being said about "merging sales". It looks like Measure 91 and the OMMA would prohibit that. Do you see what I'm saying?
5
I don't think we'll see these same problems in Oregon. It's different here, in almost every way. The measure is totally different. Much of the details have been addressed in the 36 pages of text in I53/M91. It's a completely different taxing structure, for example. In OR the (moderate) tax created by the measure would be applied just once. In WA the (high) tax is applied three times. Washington also has sales taxes added, in addition to those other ones. Oregon does not. Also, recreational cannabis business start-up costs--such as licensing--would be way lower in Oregon as compared to Washington. Licenses were distributed by lottery in WA, but wouldn't be in OR. Oregon already has an official medicinal dispensary system in operation (like Colorado), but Washington did not. Etc... I could keep going. I'm concerned with the thought of people basing their vote too much off of what is going on in Washington--especially considering how different the systems would be. Please vote yes.
6
$6 to $8 legal recreational grams--$145 ounces--with New Approach OREGON. Read High Times: http://www.hightimes.com/read/legal-oregon… And/Or, ECONorthwest: http://www.econw.com/news-and-events/orego…
7
I'm not saying they're not different, Myst, but I think you're wrong to suggest they're "totally" different. Taxing, as you point out, is far less onerous. But nothing in Measure 91 precludes a lottery for licenses, the OLCC has fully as much leeway as the WSLCB did in most ways, which is why we're saying people need to keep a weather eye if this thing passes. And I'm not even sure licensing costs are different, as Paul Stanford suggests in the essay you link to. Pretty sure both measures call for a $250 application fee and a $1,000 fee to actually be licensed.

And, yes, I spoke with Anthony about merging the medical and recreational systems. His take is that nothing precludes Oregon from folding the recreational market in with the medical as happened in Colorado (many people actually see that as the reason for CO's relative success)
8
Oregon Measure 91 [also known as Initiative 53] allows for unregistered and untaxed home growing of cannabis for recreational use (and protects registered and untaxed home growing for medical use.) See: Section 6 (a) through (f) for Homegrow http://oregonvotes.org/irr/2014/053text.pd… That is a huge difference! In Oregon, with passage of this measure, we will have recreational homegrow rights! Washington does not have that, yet (but people are working on it.)
9
I think that you may be correct, Dirk, about the licensing costs in WA and OR not being that different. I was actually thinking of what I saw for Colorado, on that specific point. The fact that processors and producers can't be retailers in Washington is still a big difference from Oregon with respect to licensing. Here's a nifty infographic that compares measures: Colorado Amendment 64 (2012), Washington Initiative 502 (2012), Oregon Measure 91 (2014), Alaska Ballot Question 2 (2014), Washington DC Initiative 71 (2014) http://www.internationalcbc.com/blog/compa…
10
Dirk, is the recreational market really "folded in" with the medical market in Colorado?? I'm pretty sure that they are quite separate. This is easy to verify. I think there might just be an issue and need for clarity on what you mean by that.

I think that what you might be getting at--something that is true/verifiable--is that in Colorado many medical dispensaries smoothly *transitioned* into being recreational outlets. This could happen in Oregon, as well. This is not exactly a "merging/folding" of *systems* though. The systems are still distinct and separate. It's just that in Colorado, and conceivably Oregon, the transition of an establishment's status from one system to the other can be accomplished with relative ease. This is not possible in Washington because there is simply not an official/similar medical marijuana dispensary system.

Drug policy of Colorado http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_o… "There are two sets of policies in Colorado relating to cannabis use, those for medicinal use and for recreational use."

Colorado Official Web Portal: Marijuana Retailers & Home Growers:
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/marijuana…
11
I appreciate that the article highlights *sungrown* cannabis. It appears to be much better for the environment. It's certainly worthy of awareness and consideration, by everyone.
12
How about simple, outright, legalization? Cannabis in non-toxic. There is absolutely no reason for it to be either illegal, taxed, or regulated. Everybody simply ought to be just growing their own, anyway. If there is one decent aspect to the law in Colorado, it's that anybody and everybody is not infringed for growing their own.
13
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Measure 91:
* allows employers to terminate employment via random marijuana drug tests.
* does not allow marijuana bars or any public consumption.
* allows landlords to prevent tenants from growing marijuana plants.
* allows out of state investors and the State of Oregon to take a cut of marijuana sales.

I understand being able to legally grow and sell marijuana are good things for growers and dealers. But I don't see this measure doing much for recreational/occasional users.
14
Timothy, in response to your first three *points, that's the way it is now. Voting "no" keeps things that way. But voting "yes" begins the process of addressing that via societal normalization.

Voting "no" does not magically (or in any way) create a new "perfect" measure two years from now. Also, the history of recreational cannabis legalization measures in Oregon shows that each time one fails the next one is more restrictive. They've failed three times at the ballot and countless times by not getting enough signatures.

The history of medical marijuana in Oregon and most elsewhere is that the first measure is overly restrictive but approved by the majority (the vast majority of whom do not use cannabis) but then the legislature and/or communities modify it to become more permissive.

Changing "employment at will" (for the employer) and "property rights" (for the landlord) is arguably beyond the scope of a pioneering legalization measure. If you try to do and get too much at once... you get nothing.

Marijuana bars ("coffee shops" aka "coughing shops") are one of the things that I am very excited about coming to fruition in Portland--especially after having lived in Amsterdam. We have to "plant the seeds" first. Yes on 91.
15
Timothy, you "don't see this measure doing much for recreational/occasional users"??

Check this out:

"Oregon had one of the highest rates of pot possession arrests as a percent of all arrests, according to reporter Christopher Ingraham's number-crunching of the FBI's uniform crime data for 2012."

http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.…

We can end this. Vote yes.
16
I agree with everything you're saying. Licenses to allow marijuana cafe bars will be great to have someday! And obviously making purchase and possession legal now will be fantastic and will drastically lower costs and improve the lives of those that would otherwise be affected by criminal prosecution. I support Measure 91.

I just hope to clarify that marijuana is not being completely legalized in Oregon by this measure if our average person can still lose their job or housing for marijuana consumption (on their personal time), or for home growing. These are big holes in the legislation that I don't view as things that would have gone too far had they been addressed differently.
17
I'd like a law that simply states "steroid-addled pigs cannot throw you in a cage and the justice system cannot ruin your life for using weed, because there's no reason for that."
18
Orygun waz the first state to decriminalize Cannabis. There was no reeferendum, or any protest demonstrations, rather a grass roots movement of freaks and heads just toking whenever and wherever they felt was stoney. The fucking Pigs simply had to surrender to save face, so the legislature, not to look impotent, changed the law as if they were the ones to be granting permission. Fucking bullshit, man. It was People Power, pure and simple.

It was President Bill Clinton who never inhaled that recriminalized weed at the Federal level, at a time when Disco died, and burnt out cokeheads no longer smoked dope.

Today, what we have with this crackdown in Orygun, is sour fucking grapes.

Use it or lose it, babies.
19
Somalia is Somalia because of the behavior of the Somali people. Even if you transport Somalis to St. Paul, Minnesota they will act just like they do in Somalia and that is to act with wanton disregard for others.
20
That dumbshit, Somali kid was framed by the FBI who terrorized Portlanders on Thanksgiving weekend, and the PPD was in on the gag.
21
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22
hookswilliam420 is obviously lameoid DEA.

Cannabis is not a drug; it's an herb. The FDA has no business regulating herbs. If anybody want's to take drugs without a doctors prescription, they have the right to be as foolhardy as they so chose to be. Go to Canada and buy generic Empirin Compound over the counter for cheap.
23
Marijuana is not a gateway drug. The criminalization of Cannabis, however, creates a limited supply which is sold on the Black Market. When supply runs out, some dealers unscrupulously become pushers, offering drugs for sale when they are out of herb.
24
Some of us are planning to create a more sustainable business model and keep consumer prices realistic. We are looking for other people who want to prevevnt this farm based gouging from happening. oregonmarijuanafarm.com
25
Keeping consumer prices realistic isn't the same as being real.

Be real.

Cannabis is a legal gift from God. Stop prosecuting innocent consumers and growers. A free market will determine what a fair price actually is. Most people won't want to grow their own, anyway.
26
Measure 91, Section 4 (7) specifically exempts OMMP from its provisions. Washington's I502 did not.
Colorado has separate agencies supervising social and medical.
Talk of rolling social into medical has no basis in either 91 or OMMA.
27
Colorado model > Washington model. Keep that in mind as you draft your model, Oregon.
28
Colorado allows individual cultivation of 6 Cannabis plants, 3 of which may be mature. That would allow for at least 7 crops per year. G13 can produce 5 pounds per plant, so figure about 100 pounds per year. Trouble is, the law states that an individual can only possess 1 ounce. What are we talking about here, Bonsai plants?
29
See, as long as growers try to compete in controlling the market with the regulators, the resulting narrow legislation always leaves opportunity for police and prosecutors to abuse consumers.

DUI as another example:
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/ca…

The only acceptable action is to completely eliminate the prohibition, regulation, and taxation of Cannabis.

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