Measure 80 - Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 2012

Vote YES on Measure 80 - the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act.

The full text of the proposed law is here. 

Congratulations to everyone who signed of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 2012!

On July 6th the organizers finished turning in over 165,000 petition signatures.  This is nearly double the signatures needed to qualify the petition to be placed on the November 2012 ballot.  The Pacific Green Party endorsed the petition and many signatures were gathered by members of the Green Party.

Pacific Greens endorse Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 2012

Attendees at the June 2011 Pacific Green Party convention unanimously endorsed the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act initiative, and since then we have gathered signatures as part of our voter registration drive.

Oregon Cannabis Tax Act

The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 is a citizen’s initiative campaign to regulate marijuana and restore hemp. Just as ending alcohol prohibition and regulating that market has protected society, regulating marijuana will help wipe out crime. Drug cartels and gangs will lose significant funding when we regulate marijuana and take the criminal element out this market.

Restoring hemp, made from the seeds and stems of the marijuana plant for fuel, fiber and food, will put Oregon on the cutting edge of exciting new sustainable green industries and create untold multitudes of new jobs.

For all the details, visit their website. Basically, the initiative sets up a system of state-licensed stores from which people 21 and over could buy marijuana. A state commission would set the prices and license farmers to grow marijuana for sale.  

The Oregon Department of Revenue would collect the tax revenues from sales. The estimated $200 million annual funding would be allocated: 90% to the state's general fund, while 7% would be set aside for drug treatment programs and the remaining 3 percent would be divided up between drug education programs and agricultural commissions promoting hemp cultivation.