opinion
An Opinion:
june18
2015
Ready or Not, Here Comes Legal Marijuana
By Scott Laird
On July 1, 2015 marijuana
becomes legal in the state of Oregon,
whether the general public, law
enforcement or state regulators are
ready or not.
In November of 2014
Oregonians approved Measure 91 by an
overwhelming 56 to 44 percent margin,
legalizing the sale, possession, use and
cultivation of recreational marijuana
by adults. Oregon becomes just the
fourth state to end the prohibition of
marijuana, after Colorado, Alaska and
our northern neighbor, Washington.
Oregon was also one of the first
states to approve the use of medical
marijuana way back in 1998, setting
the stage for the more widely accepted
use of marijuana in general, and
helping pave the way for the even more
progressive passage of Measure 91.
While the recreational use of
marijuana is actually fairly prevalent
in our culture, and the legalization
may not lead to major visible changes,
the shift socially and culturally could
be huge. Change is always hard,
especially changes backed by laws
that make previously illegal actions
legal. This is a big transition and will
likely be difficult for some people to
accept.
So, with legalization just
around the corner, here’s what
Oregonians should know about changes
to marijuana laws:
• Under Measure 91 people 21 and older
are allowed to possess up to one ounce
of marijuana in a public place and up
to eight ounces in their home. The law
also allows someone to grow up to four
marijuana plants per household.
• In addition, anyone 21 and older can
possess up to one pound of edible solids,
72 ounces of marijuana-infused liquid,
and one ounce of marijuana extract.
• Even after July 1, unless you’re an
Oregon medical marijuana patient,
there’s still no way to legally purchase
marijuana. The new law gives the
Oregon Liquor Control Commission
until January 1, 2016 to draft rules and
implement regulations for production,
processing and selling marijuana.
• The law says persons 21 or older can
give away an ounce to someone else
who is 21 or older.
• Marijuana consumption can only
occur in private and is not allowed in
public places.
• Measure 91 does not affect Oregon’s
medical marijuana laws. Only
cardholders in the medical marijuana
program may buy marijuana from state
licensed dispensaries.
• It also does not change Oregon
employment law. Employers can
continue to mandate drug testing and
require employees to follow policies
for a drug-free workplace.
• It will still be illegal to drive under the
influence of marijuana or to be publicly
intoxicated.
• Under federal law, you are not legally
allowed to transport marijuana across
state lines. You are also not allowed to
send it through the mail.
In addition to the legal
questions, culturally the legalization
of recreational marijuana raises several
issues.
The City of Vernonia, along
with many other small towns across
the state, have wrestled with how
they might, or might not, regulate
distribution of both medical marijuana
and the upcoming retail sales. Many
people don’t want to see a marijuana
shop on Bridge Street, with open sales.
Others think keeping it out in the open
where it can be observed and controlled
makes the best sense.
The Vernonia City Council
had placed a moratorium on medical
marijuana dispensaries that expired
on May 1; at their June 1 meeting
they declined to place any additional
restrictions beyond the state’s rule that
does not allow them to be sited within
1000 feet of a school. The Council also
told staff to reword the city business
license, which had previously contained
wording prohibiting businesses in
violation of federal law. In other words
the City Council is following the lead of
the voters they represent and we could
potentially see a medical marijuana
dispensary in downtown in the very
near future.
Meanwhile, state law makers
continue to debate how they will allow
and tax retail sales. In most recent
news, the state Marijuana Committee
says they are considering a proposal
that would allow recreational users to
purchase limited amounts of marijuana
at medical marijuana dispensaries
starting October 1 of this year. They
are also discussing a 20% sales tax
on retail sales. Those discussions are
continuing as of this writing. The
OLCC says it won’t be ready to allow
retail establishments to open until the
second half of 2016.
Many marijuana advocates
see legalization as a much needed
step towards the end of the “War
on Drugs” which for years has
imprisoned nonviolent offenders with
long sentences nationwide. This long
running battle is seen by many as a
waste of time and resources that has
ruined lives and wrecked families,
for what some consider a harmless
and natural herb. Many people say
it should be regulated and taxed, like
alcohol or cigarettes and become a
revenue generator for the state, which
is exactly what Oregon is moving
towards.
Several countries around the
world have either outright legalized
drug possession, have decriminalized
it, or are moving towards that goal
with mixed but mostly positive results.
Most notable is Portugal along with
several Central and South American
countries including Costa Rica and
Ecuador.
Allowing adults to make life
decisions for themselves makes sense
but also comes with consequences.
As many gun owners like to say,
“Freedom is not free.” Like other
freedoms that Oregonians enjoy, the
freedom to consume marijuana will
have some costs.
Many Oregonians already
use marijuana, probably many more
than we might suspect. Since the
state voted in favor of legalization,
there appears to be a willingness of
people to talk openly about their past
and current pot consumption. The
stigma has been removed and people
seem much more open discussing a
topic that had previously been taboo
in certain situations.
Although marijuana use will
be legal only for adults over the age of
21, the message that legalization sends
to our youth should be a concern for all
of us. While adults now have the choice
to smoke pot legally in their homes and
carry it on their person without fear
of penalty, I have to wonder about the
impact this could have on children.
Will access to marijuana increase
and will the desire to experiment
become more tempting? Marijuana
use among middle and high school
students is already higher than it should
be. Marijuana use is know to impair
brain development in children. A local
high school student recently posted
on Facebook her concerns about how
legalized marijuana could negatively
impact her generation and I think this is
a legitimate concern.
I have a theory about marijuana
3
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Chip Bubl
Tobie Finzel
Karen Kain
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Photography
Scott Laird
Karen Kain
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use. Some people who use marijuana
are wound just a little tighter than most
people and smoking pot brings them
down to a normal level, where they are
able to function pretty well on a daily
basis. For other people, just a few hits
slows them down and makes them
effectively dumber. Some people enjoy
the way pot transforms their thinking
and expands their mind. In other words,
it effects people differently.
While regular marijuana
use can lead to apathy, laziness, and
unproductiveness, so can over eating,
alcohol consumption, watching too
much television or playing too many
video games. Many people safely
use marijuana as a way to relax and
recreate. It’s now just one more vice
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