‘Yes On 80’ Campaign Statement On Oregon Medical Marijuana Raids: Prohibition Is The Problem. Regulation Is The Solution
“This morning, Washington County sheriffs’ officers raided a medical-marijuana facility in Tigard, the Human Collective. This is just the latest in an increasing number of raids on medical-marijuana operations across Oregon. These raids are symptomatic of a larger problem: marijuana prohibition is a failure, and it’s time to repeal it.
“The effects of prohibition are as destructive as they are wasteful: until marijuana prohibition is repealed, medical marijuana will always be at best a gray market, where business owners are caught in the web of confusing and often contradictory federal, state and local laws. Law-enforcement agencies will remain entangled in the same web, unclear on which laws to enforce and how to enforce them.
“Prohibition continues to force states, cities and counties to waste precious, limited public-safety resources on marijuana-related offenses, rather than on dangerous drugs like meth and heroin, and on dangerous criminals. In a time when public-sector budgets are being cut, sheriffs’ offices are cutting deputies in record numbers, and jails are shuttering cells, the priority for Oregon should be on encouraging new tax revenues and prioritizing public-safety spending. Regulating marijuana will accomplish these priorities.
“We strongly condemn the failure of the war on marijuana and call on all Oregonians to vote yes on Measure 80, which will bolster Oregon’s economy, repeal prohibition, regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older, and re-introduce agricultural hemp into Oregon’s sustainable economy.”
To learn more about Measure 80, visit www.Vote80.org.
