Tomorrow Oregon voters will decide if marijuana prohibition will end in Oregon, or if it will continue. High voter turnout will determine Oregon Measure 91’s fate. If you are still on the fence about the initiative, below are no less than 91 reasons to vote ‘yes’ on Oregon Measure 91, courtesy of the campaign:
1. Once every 39 minutes someone is arrested or cited for marijuana in Oregon.
2. Current marijuana laws unfairly target people of color in Oregon. African-Americans are 2.1-times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite no difference in levels of use among the races
5. Oregon spent over $50 million enforcing marijuana possession laws in 2010.
10. The Oregonian says we “should support outright legalization.”
11. Colorado’s Rollout of Legal Marijuana Is Succeeding according to the Brookings Institution
12. Revenue is up in Washington state.
13. The Register-Guard agrees that “prohibition keeps drug dealers in business — dealers who have no compunction against selling pot and other drugs to children, selling products of dubious purity and feeding profits to organized criminal enterprises.”
14. King County Sheriff John Urquhart says in Washington “our new approach is working.”
15. 30 experienced law enforcement officials are backing Measure 91.
16. The East Oregonian says “The opportunity to incorporate a policy that is similar — but better — than those in Colorado and Washington will be in front of voters in November… we support the passage of Measure 91.”
18. Criminalizing marijuana is more destructive than using it: criminal sanctions split families, take jobs, ruin homes, cost taxpayers too much money and put people in jail, where they learn how to commit dangerous crimes.
19. Marijuana will be harder for minors to access. Police sting operations in Colorado found zero stores willing to sell to minors.
20. 90% of marijuana possession incidents involve less than 1 ounce of marijuana
22. The number of marijuana possession arrests in Oregon has more than doubled since 1991
23. Travel guru Rick Steves urges you to vote yes on 91 because he has seen other countries succeed in controlling marijuana by taking the “crime out of the equation.”
24. Currently $0 in state money is available for drug prevention programs. Measure 91 provides tax revenue for drug education and addiction programs.
25. The Medford Mail-Tribune says Oregonians should vote Yes on Measure.
28. Teachers and School Volunteers support Measure 91.
29. A Portland grandmother supports Measure 91 because our current system isn’t working and we need to replace it with one that does.
30. According to Dr. Richard Bayer, M.D., FACP regulation works better than marijuana prohibition.
31. After regulation only adults over 21 will be able to purchase marijuana.
37. Illegal marijuana operations hurt the environment by growing on public lands, in national and state parks, or in wilderness areas – far from where they believe they’ll be caught. Growing large plots of marijuana, or any crop, in fragile natural areas is damaging to habitat and to the local ecosystem.
38. Some grows operate on private land, like this one in in Linn County, putting employees of private companies at risk of coming across these dangerous people.
39. Firefighters and EMTs are voting yes.
40. The unmonitored fertilization and pesticide use at illegal marijuana grows can create contaminated run-off that poisons local water sources.
41. Indoor marijuana growing can require significant amounts of electricity for lighting.
42. Indoor illegal growers don’t have access to energy conservation techniques or equipment.
43. Illegal indoor growers won’t go ask for help with solar panels, power-saving equipment, and have no incentive to do so, and they waste our energy supply in the process.
44. Measure 91 is endorsed by the ORegon League of Conservation Voters
45. If Measure 91 passes, marijuana will only be grown by licensed, regulated, inspected and audited growers who won’t need to hide in the wilderness and continue illegal growing that hurts our natural areas.
46. We can drastically reduce the number of marijuana arrests and citations made by police, and shift police and sheriff’s efforts to cracking down on illegal growing operations that should be licensed and regulated.
47. For those with a license to legally grow marijuana, energy audits and conservation measures can be required by state regulators.
48. Incentives can be provided for better use of natural resources for powering marijuana as a crop.
50. It will be harder for kids to get access to marijuana, in the current system drug dealers don’t ask for ID, under Measure 91, licensed sellers will only sell to adults over 21..
51. Right now, illegal drug dealers sell marijuana and they don’t ask for ID.
52. Measure 91 will create a regulated market where edibles are in childproof containers and only sold in licensed stores to adults over 21.
53. Measure 91 allows for honest dialogue about the uses and potential uses for marijuana.
55. Oregon will be a leader in moving forward antiquated marijuana policy across the nation.
56. Measure 91 will lower arrest and citation rates in Oregon, Oregon police arrest and cite 13,000 people per year.
59. Fewer people will have their lives ruined by arrests and citations for small amounts of marijuana, improving their chances of getting housing, loans and jobs.
60. Cartels will be hobbled if Measure 91 passes, they will have to compete with a legitimate market and quickly lose their footing in the United States.
61. After Measure 91 passes, police will be able to focus on more serious crimes.
62. Rick Steves can explain it in 45 seconds.
63. It takes at least 10 minutes to arrest or cite someone for marijuana. That’s two years straight of police time spent over the last decade.
64. People of color are 100% more likely to be arrested for marijuana despite little difference in rate of use.
65. The Skanner has endorsed Measure 91 saying that “the so-called War on Drugs has failed to stem [marijuana use] and has filled our jails and prisons with low-level offenders – all at taxpayer expense – this measure might be the best chance we have to restore some sanity to the system. Legalize it, regulate it like alcohol, and create a new revenue stream for the state. We vote YES.”
68. Measure 91 will retain the current medical marijuana program.
69. Inge Fryklund, Retired Prosecutor & Military Advisor from Bend, Oregon supports Measure 91
70. Richard Harris, Former Director of Oregon Addiction and Mental Health Services is voting Yes on 91
71. Pete Tutmark, Retired Oregon Police Officer is voting Yes on 91
72. Susan Kelly, a mother from Coburg, Oregon is voting Yes on Measure 91
73. Judge Richard W. Riggs, Retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice, is voting yes on 91
74. Tara Sulzen, Conservation Leader and Executive Director at The Bus Project is voting Yes on 91
75. Reverend Dave Bean, Retired United Methodist Minister is voting Yes on 91
76. Kris Olson, Former Chief Federal Prosecutor for Oregon is voting Yes on 91
77. Because hundreds of Oregonians have added their names to the Wall of Support and are Voting Yes on 91
79. City Club of Portland said “the social costs of the current system are too high [and that] crime can be reduced through regulated legalization.”
80. It’s the first time senior organizations have endorsed a marijuana measure in Oregon: theOregon State Council for Retired Citizens and Oregon Alliance for Retired Americansurge yes votes.
81. Labor organizations support Measure 91:United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, AFSCME Local 328, and AFSCME Local 88 are all urging a YES vote on Measure 91.
82. The Corvallis Gazette-Times says “Oregon would be well-served by the passage of Measure 91, which would allow the regulated cultivation, sale and possession of marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and older.”
83. ACLU Oregon says that “Legalizing, regulating and taxing the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 and older will bring a new approach to our drug laws, making them more fair, more compassionate, and smarter at reducing drug dependency and improving public health and safety. We urge a YES vote.”
84. National Association of Social Workers, Oregon Chapter says “[we] strongly supports Measure 91’s public health approach to marijuana regulation.”
85. The Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition support Measure 91.
86. The Partnership for Safety and Justice said, “No one should go to jail for marijuana. Too many people have been punished, and too many of them have been youth and people of color.” And are urging a YES vote no Measure 91.
87. In Colorado monthly revenues for marijuana taxes, licenses and fees continue to increase each month.
88. OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon stated, “Decades of marijuana criminalization have harmed communities across the country, as well as here in Oregon. Measure 91 will restore a moral, rational and just approach to social norms.”
89. Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), The Rural Organizing Project and the Western States Center urge you to VOTE YES.
90. Treating marijuana use as a crime has failed.
91. Measure 91 is the better approach.
