Marijuana Legalization In Oregon (2014, pros and cons, living in)

[kapetrich]

Oregon marijuana petitioners plan to turn in 145,000 signatures Thursday to make November ballot.

What's everyone's thoughts on this specific initiative?

Last elections marijuana initiative was reallllllllyyy poorly written and went down. This one any better? Will it pass this year in your view?

[Billy_J]

I'm totally against it.

I would prefer people driving their cars, do so, being as alert as possible. And I prefer that people at work have good memories and be alert (not zombies). Not to mention OSHA and work related injuries - then drug testing.

And I would rather people not move here for that reason - rather they go somewhere else!

[Terryj]

There are a number of pros and cons to this measure, I all for waiting to see just how this issue has effected Washington and Colorado, lets give them a couple of years of legalized pot and see how that goes before we jump on that band wagon. After all we can learn from theirs successes and failures.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Doesn't bother me, but I agree with Terryj that Oregon shouldn't just jump on a trendy bandwagon...

[karlsch]

I haven't read the initiative yet, but if it requires in increase in the size of the State of Oregon bureaucracy, I will vote against it.

IMO, all that is required is a lessening of or the elimination of penalties for marijuana law violations.

[PNW-type-gal]

The biggest plus I see to legal marijuana is that it would become a legal farm crop and it might mean fewer illegal grows in the forests and cut back on all the attendant ecological, water and safety issues in the deep forest.

As far as the legalization of marijuana - adults in your own home, I really don't give a damn. While I am sure that there are some people who take a hit to relax the way other people sit in a comfy chair and unwind with a glass of wine, there are also people (I don't know if it is a majority of users) for whom the entire point of pot is to get thoroughly stoned (just as there are people who drink mainly to get drunk). That brings in all the attendant altered driving issues - the current laws don't seem to prevent drunk driving or repeat offenders in the slightest. Will there be an increase in this? I dunno, it seems like watching what happens in Washington and Colorado for a bit and learning from their mistakes is the way to go.

[Steve Pickering]

I will fight it aggressively. Oregon does not need a gateway drug, and anyone who thinks it isn't is either a user or not living in the real world. I predict this is too controversial for this forum and will meet it's demise sooner than later.

[PNW-type-gal]

Huh, we were doing fine for 6 posts. Perhaps, if the thread doesn't go well, some of the more strident posters might reflect upon their posting patterns.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

IMHO, it might as well be legal, marijauna is pretty mainstream now anyways.

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I will fight it aggressively. Oregon does not need a gateway drug, and anyone who thinks it isn't is either a user or not living in the real world. I predict this is too controversial for this forum and will meet it's demise sooner than later.

Not with standing the many studies that debunk the "gateway theory", some 40% of Americans claim to have tried cannabis at least once. If it were a gateway drug, as you KNOW it is, then please explain why we don't have 140 million Americans addicted to cocaine and heroin?