Cannabis petition calls for change in state laws

Oregon Cannabis Tax Act gains signatures to legalize private cannabis cultivation, possession

Two Oregon Cannabis Tax Act initiative petitions are circulating the state in an effort to legalize the private cultivation and possession of cannabis. 

Initiative 21 and 22 — conglomerated into one petition — must earn 87,213 valid signatures before it can be added to the November general state election ballot.

Initiative 21 would legalize the personal production and consumption of cannabis, while Initiative 22 would establish regulation and tax guidelines. Possession would be limited to 24 ounces or plants per person.

“Twenty-four ounces is not an arbitrary number,” said Jersey Deutsch in an OCTA media release. “If anything, the limits in place under Colorado and Washington law are unnecessarily low, and possibly detrimental for medical users who make their own medicine at home.” 

Deutsch serves as the campaign director of the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, one of the petition’s official sponsors.

Current Oregon law prohibits the private cultivation, production or delivery of marijuana in any form. Legal penalties range from a $650 fine to a 20-year jail sentence.

Exceptions to these fines and penalties include carriers of medical marijuana identification cards issued by the state. Cardholders are allowed to grow or possess certain amounts of cannabis for medical purposes.

Kayla Dunham, owner of Corvallis dispensary The Agrestic, makes a living off the special medical exemption — yet she ardently supports the recent initiatives, which would legalize recreational use.

“I don’t have any objections at all,” Dunham said. “(Petition and bill writers) have used a keen eye in making sure the medical marijuana program goes virtually untouched, because they’ve had trouble with that in Washington and Colorado.”

Both Washington and Colorado recently legalized the recreational use of marijuana. 

Should the petition gain enough signatures, it will be placed onto November’s general election ballot for state citizens to cast their votes.

Tori Hittner

Higher education reporter

managing@dailybarometer.com

Source

Cannabis petition calls for change in state laws