Spring Break
Cannabis legalization logical idea for Oregon
Kris Noneman
Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: Forum
Cannabis is the single most useful plant on the face of the earth; it has been in use around the world since the beginning of recorded history and has played a vital role in the formation of our own country.
The mere fact that marijuana is illegal in the United States has not stopped the multi-billion-dollar black market from flourishing, and it would be a much more financially viable market if it were legalized and taxed.
Luckily for Oregonians, a new ballot initiative has formed for just such a purpose. The 2010 Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA), which would legalize the production, possession and sale of cannabis through the state-run liquor store program, could change the world of cannabis as we know it.
The Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH) and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have long been attempting to pass legislation that would legalize the use of cannabis in all its forms, though thus far, unsuccessfully.
Most people, when they hear the word cannabis, think, "Oh, those lazy stoners and their stupid weed are going to destroy the moral fabric of this country." However, I have some interesting facts for anyone who holds to this belief.
George Washington grew his own marijuana, was an advocate for the use of hemp and suggested that hemp would be the greatest cash crop in the U.S. He suggested it would replace tobacco, one of the United States largest crops at the time.
Thomas Jefferson was also a grower of cannabis crops and even wrote the Declaration of Independence on paper derived from fibers of the hemp plant, not on paper made from trees, as I am sure most people suspect.
Benjamin Franklin joins our list of hemp-supporting founding fathers, founding one of this country's first paper mills, using only the hemp plant as raw materials.
In fact, hemp was one of the largest cash crops in the United States until the 1800s, when the invention of the cotton gin increased the use of cotton as a textile and export material.
The mere fact that marijuana is illegal in the United States has not stopped the multi-billion-dollar black market from flourishing, and it would be a much more financially viable market if it were legalized and taxed.
Luckily for Oregonians, a new ballot initiative has formed for just such a purpose. The 2010 Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA), which would legalize the production, possession and sale of cannabis through the state-run liquor store program, could change the world of cannabis as we know it.
The Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH) and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have long been attempting to pass legislation that would legalize the use of cannabis in all its forms, though thus far, unsuccessfully.
Most people, when they hear the word cannabis, think, "Oh, those lazy stoners and their stupid weed are going to destroy the moral fabric of this country." However, I have some interesting facts for anyone who holds to this belief.
George Washington grew his own marijuana, was an advocate for the use of hemp and suggested that hemp would be the greatest cash crop in the U.S. He suggested it would replace tobacco, one of the United States largest crops at the time.
Thomas Jefferson was also a grower of cannabis crops and even wrote the Declaration of Independence on paper derived from fibers of the hemp plant, not on paper made from trees, as I am sure most people suspect.
Benjamin Franklin joins our list of hemp-supporting founding fathers, founding one of this country's first paper mills, using only the hemp plant as raw materials.
In fact, hemp was one of the largest cash crops in the United States until the 1800s, when the invention of the cotton gin increased the use of cotton as a textile and export material.
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