I DON'T USE MARIJUANA, WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS?
Even if you don't use cannabis, the odds are good that you know someone who does. Last year, over 800,000 Americans were arrested for simple possession. Your tax dollars are spent to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate them while prison overcrowding and early release of property crimes offenders are at an all-time high. Prohibition hurts Oregon communities by diverting police resources from violence, thefts and child abuse.
HOW WOULD THIS PROTECT CHILDREN?
Teenagers report that alcohol is the most difficult drug for them to obtain; it's locked up in stores and regulated. Tobacco and alcohol require ID. Black market drug dealers don't care who they sell to, and frequently have more than marijuana to sell. OCTA 2010 promotes responsible adult use, with a percentage of taxes going directly to drug education and treatment programs.
IF MARIJUANA IS TAXED LIKE LIQUOR, HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD THAT RAISE ?
Oregonians have already benefited from cannabis by receiving $900,000 from the self-funding Oregon Medical Marijuana Program into the state general fund. Replacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation would produce combined savings and tax revenues of an estimated $300 million per year. Let’s take the profits away from drug cartels and use it to support our state’s economy and social programs!
WHERE WOULD THE MONEY GO?
The OLCC will sell cannabis at cost to pharmacies and re s e a rch facilities for medical purposes, and to qualified adults for profit through state liquor stores. 90% of the profits will go to Oregon's general fund, lowering the tax burden for everyone. 8% will go to drug treatment programs. 1% will go to a comprehensive, realistic drug education program in schools, and the final 1% would go to establish and fund a state program to promote Oregon's new industrial hemp crop for fiber, fuel and food. It ’s green, sustainable, renewable, and sensible!
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Cannabis Tax Act Web Poll
Share your opinion. We'd like to know what you think.
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Hemp may be the plant that started humans down the road toward civilization with the invention of agriculture itself. All archaeologists agree that cannabis was among the first crops purposely cultivated by human beings at least over 6,000 years ago, and perhaps more than 12,000 years ago.
Restoring industrial hemp to its rightful place in agriculture today will return much control to our farmers, and away from the multinational corporations that dominate our political process and destroy our environment. These capital-intensive, non-sustainable, and environmentally destructive industries have usurped our economic resources and clear-cut huge tracts of the world's forests, given us massive oil spills, wars, toxic waste, massive worldwide pollution, global warming and the destruction of entire ecosystems.
Prohibiting the cultivation of this ancient plant, the most productive source of fiber, oil and protein on our planet, is evil. In its place we have industries that give us processes and products that have led to unprecedented ecological crisis and worldwide destruction of the biological heritage that we should bequeath to our children, grandchildren and future generations.
This simple plant, Cannabis, can be put to use as medicine, recreation, fiber, fuel, delicious and nutritious food, among many other things. It would fill so many needs and put Oregon on a path toward sustainability. Our forward-thinking attitude toward hemp and cannabis would create jobs, revitalize our farming communities, boost tourism, and create millions of dollars in revenue for the state. If you don't know much about cannabis, we urge you to take the time to learn about the plant.
