Legalizing pot: Oregon looks at the pros and cons of Measure 80

Ballot Measure 80 attempts to navigate the Oregon political waters and legalize marijuana use for all adults.

This voting season, Oregon voters will be able to determine if marijuana use will be legal for residents who are 21 and older. The new measure is also known as the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA).

The latest campaign for legalization puts a lot of emphasis on the idea of regulation and taxation. The idea is to replicate craft beer and wine industries that are successful in Oregon.

Janet Campbell, head of the MHCC political science department, said, “People are kind of excited because it’s going to be taxed, so it will probably raise (state) revenue. But the market is going to set the price, so it’s hard to estimate what those taxes are going to look like.”

In November 1998, Oregon voters passed a law legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Oregon allows the most use and cultivation of the cannabis plant compared with other states that have legalized medicinal marijuana.

According to oregonmeasure80.org, backers hope to achieve several goals by passing the measure. As described by the Oregon voter’s pamphlet, one goal is to reduce costs of marijuana law enforcement under current law. Resources would be redirected to curb illegal use by minors and to fund education and research on uses of cannabis and hemp.

Supporters also propose shifting law enforcement focus to heavier drugs and other crimes.

Pat Casey, MHCC history instructor, said the campaign has some merit but will face resistance.

Supporters say that law enforcement should focus on things other than marijuana “and this is one way to get that to happen,” Casey said. “But, as always, the argument really is that the people who oppose this, I think, do not believe that marijuana is a safe drug. And the people who want it, I suspect, are going to argue that ‘Yes, this is safe’, and will probably have evidence to back that up.”

Measure 80 backers claim the marijuana industry will create jobs and taxation of the product could help fuel the Oregon economy (90 percent of taxes levied would go directly to the state’s general fund).

If the measure wins approval, Oregon adults could cultivate their own marijuana or purchase it from a legally licensed store, much like a state-sanctioned liquor store.

As to the impact of widespread availability and use of marijuana, Campbell said, “In countries that have sort of legalized it, use rates haven’t gone up but there are all sorts of cultural things associated with that. “He predicts a different outcome in Oregon, however. “American culture is kind of unique like that; we are sort of bingers,” he said.

Medicinal marijuana use would continue to be legal and laws would remain unchanged. With larger availability, there may be chance of increased traffic violations, including driving under the influence.

Casey addressed this by saying, “It just seems logical if marijuana use goes up because of this, that would be more people using, and a percentage of them will go too far.”

Meantime, federal laws still ban recreational use and authorities may step in to stop expanded production and distribution, Casey points out.

“That’s the question I have, how these (proponents) figure state law is going to get the feds to come along and fall in line. You can’t expect that,” Casey said.

Campbell agrees that serious conflict over enforcement would arise. “When you start legalizing growing and selling operations, there’s tension there” between state and federal authorities, she said.

Under the proposed law, open marijuana use would remain illegal. Adults could only use marijuana in private, which could include “pot shops” that would also have to obtain licenses or some kind of state regulation.

Campbell said pressure also might build from relaxed marijuana laws outside the U.S., but doesn’t see that happening soon. “When you have a series of countries starting to talk about it, it might get there. But I think that we have a ways to go, countrywide,” she said.

Should Measure 80 go down in defeat, Casey is among those who speculate another legalization effort would arise, before long. “It might be that this is an idea whose time has come,” he said.