It has become very clear that the cannabis community has become a mainstream in both American politics and culture. With poll after poll demonstrating a growing majority of voters supporting marijuana law reform, along with an ever-increasing number of politicians and influential people calling for an end to cannabis prohibition, the cannabis law reform community has started to flex some muscle. Of course, legalizing and regulating marijuana in Washington and Colorado demonstrated great political might and that momentum is carrying into other states.
An example of the cannabis community utilizing this new found power was demonstrated when concerned citizens in Oregon, and really across the nation, questioned the use of federal tax dollars to campaign against a state-wide ballot measure to regulate, legalize and tax marijuana. Despite the fact that an anti-marijuana summit, bringing in Kevin Sabet, the “quarterback” of the anti-marijuana legalization movement, to speak alongside the most prominent pro-prohibition advocate in the state, was merely an “educational” event, not many people bought that story. The sponsor of the two-day summit eventually agreed to cancel the event.
From The Oregonian:
A nonprofit group has canceled an October anti-drug summit in Madras — which was to feature a prominent opponent of marijuana legalization — after complaints were raised by sponsors of the ballot measure that would permit recreational use of the drug.
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(Kevin) Sabet was also scheduled to appear in 12 other Oregon cities as part of an ”Oregon Marijuana Education Tour” following the summit. Sabet had said that, at the request of organizers, he would not talk about the ballot measure at either the Madras event or on the tour.
Rick Treleaven, the executive director of BestCare Treatment Practices and the organizer of the Madras summit, said he decided to cancel the summit because he “could see from an outside perspective that it could look like a conflict.”
Kevin Sabet is still scheduled to go on a multi-city tour with other sponsors around the state. Why are those sponsors still agreeing to use taxpayer dollars to meddle in a local election? Hopefully, they will also agree that such a misuse of tax dollars is in the best interest of their local communities and will agree to cancel or reschedule their events as well.
