Pubdate: Wed, 05 Nov 2014
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2014 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Authors: Noelle Crombie and Jeff Mapes

Oregon Election Results 2014

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA PASSES IN OREGON

Oregon voters said yes to marijuana Tuesday, making the state the 
third to allow the possession and sale of cannabis for recreational 
rather than strictly medical use.

The crowd at the Southeast Portland club Holocene, where Yes on 91 
held its victory party, erupted into rowdy cheers upon learning 
Measure 91 had passed. Someone in the audience yelled "Legal 
cannabis, baby," as longtime legalization advocate Anthony Johnson 
took the stage. He called the vote "decades in the making."

"We have ended a painful, discriminatory, harmful policy that has 
terrible consequences for our state," Johnson said. "We replaced it 
with a policy that is smarter, more humane. ... It's a policy whose 
time has come."

The closely watched vote on Measure 91 represents a major victory for 
state and national marijuana legalization advocates. They viewed 
Oregon, already home to a robust medical marijuana program, as part 
of a key second wave of states to legalize cannabis for recreational use.

Oregon joins Washington state and Colorado, the first states to 
legalize pot for recreational use in 2012. Earlier in the night, 
Washington, D.C., voters approved a measure allowing residents to 
possess and grow -- but not sell -- marijuana. Alaska voters were 
also considering legalization Tuesday.

Oregon's Measure 91 took elements from both the Washington and 
Colorado laws and was primarily financed by out-of-state donors and 
groups seeking national reform of drug laws. The Yes on 91 campaign 
collected about $4 million, compared to less than $200,000 raised by 
the No on 91 effort.

Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis, who opposed marijuana 
legalization, called the race a "David vs. Goliath." He said 
Oregonians aren't likely to see much of a difference when it comes to 
law enforcement, which already views marijuana as a low priority.

"Marijuana was very low on the priority list in Oregon," he said. 
"And now it will essentially be totally crossed off."

The measure, which will not take effect until July 1, 2015, allows 
adults 21 and older to possess 1 ounce in public and up to 8 ounces 
at home, as well as a variety of other marijuana-infused products.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission will get the job of regulating 
marijuana production and sales. Tax revenue generated by marijuana 
will go to public schools; mental health and addiction services; law 
enforcement; and the Oregon Health Authority. Using marijuana in 
public or while driving will be prohibited. Current medical marijuana 
laws won't change.

Oregon voters rejected marijuana legalization two years ago, and 
sponsors of Measure 91 hoped this year's version would be seen as 
having more regulatory controls than what was on the ballot in 2012.

Unlike the 2012 marijuana initiative, which failed by six percentage 
points, Measure 91 had a large advertising budget that featured, 
among others, a retired judge, a retired deputy sheriff and a former 
top drug addictions official for the state. The campaign deliberately 
stayed away from any hints of the marijuana culture, even using 
colors in their signs that avoided any hint of green.

Opponents seized on the wide array of marijuana products -- ranging 
from pot-laced gummy bears to sugary sodas containing the drug  for 
sale in Colorado that they said were aimed at enticing youthful consumers.

The measure is "about creating a big marijuana industry," said Mandi 
Puckett, a drug education worker who headed the No on 91 campaign.

According to incomplete returns, Measure 91 benefited from 
overwhelming support in Multnomah County, home to about 20 percent of 
expected voters statewide.

Ethan Nadelmann, whose organization Drug Policy Alliance was a major 
funder of the Oregon measure, called the win "fantastic news," 
particularly since it came during a year when a presidential election 
wasn't on the ballot.

Conventional wisdom suggested waiting until 2016, but Nadelmann's 
group pushed ahead this year despite concerns about low voter turnout.

"It's just a fantastic victory, all the more so because it's in a 
non-presidential election year," Nadelmann said. "I think it bodes 
very well for 2016 and the years beyond."

Kevin Sabet, a high-profile opponent of marijuana legalization who 
traveled to Oregon twice this year with an anti-pot message, said the 
Measure 91 results mean cannabis opponents need to get even more 
serious in 2016.

"We are going to redouble our efforts," he said. "We can now get very 
serious with potential donors and supporters about how important 2016 is."

He said opponents will continue to press their case as Oregon drafts 
rules for the recreational pot industry.

"Even in Oregon the conversation is not over," he said. "We are going 
to make sure we are watching the marijuana industry and make sure 
they don't get everything they want. This conversation about 
marijuana is just beginning. It's certainly not ending."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom