Drafted by: Kyndall Mason, , 503.927.0225 (04-07-10)

(Portland, OR) - The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) is kicking off its signature-gathering effort at the OR NORML meeting at 700 NE Dekum this Saturday, April 10 at 10:00am. Petitions have just been approved for circulation by the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, and OCTA expects over 300 in attendance to be among the first to sign the petition for this monumental ballot measure.

Co-Chief Petitioner Madeline Martinez, Executive Director of OR NORML – a statewide chapter of a national organization working to legalize adult cannabis use – says that “OCTA will transform Oregon. We can capture at least $140 million for the General Fund annually to better our state for all Oregonians. That’s schools, roads, health care and many other public projects. Supporting OCTA is a no-brainer.”

OCTA will generate that $140 million by taxing commercial cannabis sales to adults 21 years of age and older. And $61.5 million will be saved annually as law enforcement’s attention can focus on dangerous and often violent crimes.

In addition to the revenue generated for the General Fund, the potential of industrial hemp for Oregon's economy is limitless as it will turn Oregon into a national leader in ecological innovation and sustainable jobs. “The entire hemp plant is useful, from its seeds which create a food source to its oil which can be made into bio-diesel to its stalks which can be woven into fabrics or turned into paper – hemp is the future, not just for Oregon, but for a sustainable planet,” says Paul Stanford, OCTA's other Co-Chief Petitioner and founder of the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF), an organization which helps provide medical marijuana patients access to medicine.

The campaign will collect 125,000 signatures by July 2nd, 2010. This is a well-organized movement and the campaign has hired Democracy Resources, a Portland-based signature-gathering firm with a proven track record of success, to make sure the petition makes the ballot. The campaign has already raised more than half of the money needed to fund a paid signature gathering effort.

Along with the kick-off event on Saturday, the campaign will be traveling around Oregon between April 16th and April 24th with activist and artist John Trudell for a benefit concert series. The concerts will help OCTA with the signature-gathering effort and locations include Ashland, Corvallis, Eugene, Grants Pass, Portland and Redmond.

For more information on the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, as well as to make a donation and get involved, please visit cannabistaxact.org. Information can also be found at the OR NORML (www.ornorml.org) and THCF (www.thc-foundation.org/) websites.