Oregon may legalize cannabis this year

I was looking at the Cannabis Culture website when this article caught my eye.

Oregon Marijuana Legalization Bill Filed

I stopped and checked the date of the article, I figured it was talking about last year, Measure 80. 

No, it is not. It turns out this is happening right now. 

Last monday, February 25, House Bill 3371, the Control, Regulation and Taxation of Cannabis Act was introduced by the House Committee on Revenue. 

As of Friday, March 1, it had yet to be assigned to a committee and was at the Speaker's desk.


This bill would legalize marijuana possession and create a state-regulated system of legal marijuana commerce. Possession of up to six plants and 24 ounces of marijuana "on the premises" of non-commercial home grows would be legal in Oregon.

The bill itself does not set any other possession limits and the Oregon Health Authority would regulate this.

Tax would be set at $35 an ounce with various state agencies regulating, controlling and taxing the commerce. This bill also includes edibles and industrial hemp would be legalized.


I felt surprised at first, but then I thought about it more. It makes sense. 

Measure 80 got 47% of the vote and if you read in the voter's pamphlet about the measure, the wording of the measure itself indicated to me that the state was definitely thinking it would pass.

Here is a link to this bill.


It could be a very interesting year. Aside from the bill introduced here in Oregon, there are similar bills in seven other states so far this year, that are pending or have been introduced. 
Then there is the federal bill that has been introduced, which will make cannabis legal on a federal level.

Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013

This bill is currently being introduced to US congress by the Democratic Rep. Jared Polis, from Colorado. It would decriminalize marijuana on a federal level, with it being regulated the same as alcohol is.

Each state would still be able to decide whether or not to decriminalize it, so it would still be illegal to ship marijuana into a state where it remains illegal.


For a look at this bill, go to this link.

However, don't celebrate yet.

There was another bill introduced to congress by former Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts in July 2011. It basically read the same and we know that didn't pass. It died in the house. But we can always cross our fingers and hope.



There is a change in other countries thoughts on their own drug policies as well. Prohibition and the whole "war on drugs" is not working and they are trying to find other ways to deal with these issues that are in every level of their societies.

In South America, several countries are debating, reviewing and in general questioning the drug policies that have for the most part failed.

In Guatemala, the President Otto Perez Molina is trying to find alternatives to the war on drugs and prohibition. He wishes to start a debate over drug regulations, with an eye toward drug policy reform.

Columbia is setting up an Advisory Commission on Drug Policy, with their first annual meeting held this year. In this meeting, they will look at and discuss the effect and impact of the various strategies on drugs that Columbia has implemented in the past ten years. Using this information, they will make recommendations for a new anti-drug strategy.

During this month, a national debate has been launched in Uruguay, about the marijuana legalization project. This project was introduced in June 2012 to legalize marijuana in Columbia, under state control. Uruguay's President Mujica slowed down the project to allow more time for people to educate themselves, learn, discuss and hold debates before this is voted upon.

For more information on this, please check out this article.