Salem, OR: A statewide proposal that seeks to allow for the regulated sale of cannabis to those over age 21 will appear on the November electoral ballot.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Secretary of State's office on Friday confirmed thatproponents of The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) had collected sufficient signatures from registered voters to qualify the initiative for the 2012 ballot.
If
passed by voters this fall, OCTA (Measure 80) would allow for the
state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults. OCTA
campaign proponents estimate that retail sales of cannabis would yield
approximately $140 million annually, 90 percent of which would be
directed toward the state's general fund.
The cultivation or possession of cannabis for non-commercial purposes would not be subject to state licensing or taxation.
The
measure also seeks to allow for the sale of cannabis for therapeutic
purposes to qualified patients "at cost" and allows for the production
of industrial hemp. Oregon voters in 1998 approved legislation by voter initiative legalizing the use, possession, and cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
A June 2012 survey of 686 Oregon voters conducted by the firm Public Policy Polling reported that Oregonian's were divided on the issue. Forty-three percent of
respondents said that they supported legalizing marijuana, while 46
percent of respondents opposed the idea. Men, self-identified Democrats
and Independents endorsed legalization, while women and self-identified
Republicans opposed it.
Voters
in at least four other states - Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, and
Washington - will also be deciding on marijuana-specific ballot measures
this November. In Massachusetts, voters will decide on Question 3, a
statewide proposalthat
seeks to allow for the possession and state-licensed distribution of
cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Montana voters will decide on Initiative Referendum 124, which seeks to repeal amendments enacted by lawmakers in 2011 to restrict the state's 2004, voter approved medical cannabis law. Colorado voters will decide onAmendment 64,
which would immediately allow for the possession of up to one ounce of
marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by those
persons age 21 and over. Longer-term, the measure seeks to establish
regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of
marijuana by licensed retailers. In Washington, voters will decide on Initiative 502, which seeks to legalize and to regulate the production and sale of limited amounts of marijuana for adults.
SO WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY TO THAT, HON. DOUG SINGH AND ( HIC! ) INTELLECTUAL LEADERS OF OUR GOVERNM
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