Connect with us

Both The New York Times & Oregonian Have Officially Endorsed Measure 91

 The New York Times, as well as Oregon’s largest newspaper– the Oregonian– have officially endorsed Measure 91 – a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis in Oregon.  On  A

Published

on

 

The New York Times, as well as Oregon’s largest newspaper– the Oregonian– have officially endorsed Measure 91 – a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis in Oregon.  

On  Aug. 23, 2014, the Oregonian wrote an editorial piece titled “It’s time to legalize recreational marijuana: Editorial endorsement” in which they stated, “Measure 91, far from revolutionary, would simply allow Oregon adults to obtain something they may obtain now, but without having to stroll through a “medical” loophole or drive over a bridge to a neighboring state. The measure would be worth supporting for reasons of honesty and convenience alone, but it also would raise millions of dollars per year for schools and other purposes. For that reason, it deserves support even from those who aren’t normally high on taxes.” 

The New York Times voiced their support on the matter by saying, “Decades of arresting people for buying, selling and using marijuana have hurt more than helped society”. Reaping support from such a high-profile publication like the New York Times just shows how important this bill really is and how important Oregon is to the cannabis movement in America. 

Apart from the Oregonian and New York Times, Measure 91 has garnered the backing of former US attorney Kris Olson, former Oregon supreme court justice Bill Riggs, Cascade Policy Institute, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 88, Northwest Oregon Labor Council, United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, New Approach Oregon and Drug Policy Action of Oregon. 

New Approach Oregon has been quite vocal on the state’s existing policy, stating that “The current, failed approach also supports and increases profits for the criminal black market, including violent drug cartels waging a drug war on our southern border”. They also argue that every cannabis arrest takes a fiscal toll on the state and detracts from law enforcement resources that could be better spent fighting violent crime and theft. 

However, there are still opponents of Measure 91, most notably pharmaceutical companies who derive large revenues from prescription painkillers that mimic the effect of cannabis. 

But it really doesn’t matter how many organizations or politicians support Measure 91 – the most important group of supporters are Oregonians themselves, who will vote on the bill to legalize recreational cannabis come Nov. 4. 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *