OCTA: An Eco-Feminist Perspective

Eco-feminism connects two seemingly disparate causes: environmental and social justice. Change the way humans interact with our environment and ultimately change the way we interact with each other. Solutions that simple in theory are often hard to come across in practice.

Often, but not impossible, for 2010 does have an eco-feminist solution to some of our current woes: The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA).

OCTA ends the prohibition on cannabis and hemp, nullifies the declaration that a plant, a natural organism that existed long before humans, is illegal, wrong and should not exist on our planet. It’s one small step in ending environmental oppression. And therefore, one small step towards social justice.

The passage of OCTA has farther-reaching implications than we can even imagine right now. It lays the groundwork for this work to begin nationwide, and even globally. It begins to shift public opinion about people’s relationship with our environment from domination to commensalism.

Cannabis has been used for millennia for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and hemp is one of the strongest and most versatile materials in the world. The entire plant is useful: the outer husk for canvas, the inner fibers for paper, the seeds for an Omega-3 and -6 enriched protein source and the plant oil is an excellent source of biodiesel.

In fact, one acre of growing hemp produces the same amount of oxygen as carbon dioxide as that acre is burned – it burns clean. Hemp also naturally turns over soil nutrients, meaning farmers don’t have to let fields rest for a year before replanting.

OCTA’s passage is more than just legalizing adult cannabis use. It will transform Oregon for the better. It will lay the groundwork to transform the nation for the better. And it’s the foundation of a better, more just future for all.