By Roy Kaufmann, Marijuana Policy Project
Last week, a bill to regulate marijuana like alcohol was introduced in the Oregon Legislature! This new bill – HB 3371 – presents an incredible opportunity to educate our legislators about a simple, scientifically proven fact: marijuana is safer – in every sense of the word – than alcohol. Therefore, it makes no sense to punish adults for using marijuana instead of the more harmful substance, alcohol.
Contact your representative now to ask him or her to support HB 3371.
Even as we live in a state with vibrant beer, wine, and liquor industries, the reality is that alcohol can be very dangerous – dangerous to a person’s health, dangerous to a community’s public health, and dangerous to public safety.
Depending on who’s drinking it and how much, booze frequently leads to fistfights inside and outside bars, hangovers, serious addiction, domestic disturbances and violence, trouble with the cops, and, in cases of extreme consumption, trips to the emergency room.
By contrast, responsible adult use of marijuana poses little to no danger to individual or societal health and safety. (Ask any cop when the last time was that he or she responded to a violent scene where marijuana was the substance of choice, versus the last time he or she responded to an alcohol-fueled scene.)
But right now, too many Oregonians still believe that marijuana is at least as dangerous as alcohol. Only through peer-to-peer conversations will we be able to undo decades of misinformation and provide the facts to Oregonians.
If you’re as serious about ending marijuana prohibition as we know you are, take these three simple steps now:
1) Forward this email to your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Share it with your friends, classmates, and colleagues.
2) Contact your representative to ask him or her to support HB 3371.
3) Join us on Facebook and Twitter, and help us spread the word.
More and more Oregonians are waking up to the fact that marijuana is objectively safer than alcohol. With your help, we can grow those numbers and lay the groundwork for the legalization of marijuana for adults in Oregon.
I look forward to working alongside you in this important fight to repeal marijuana prohibition and bring rational, sensible marijuana policy to Oregon.
