Legal weed won big in the 2020 election, Oregon went one step further

By Kaniehtonkie

Oregon has become the first state in the nation to decriminalize the possession and personal use of all drugs. Voters in the state of Oregon approved Measure 110, this initiative also expands access to addiction assistance and other health services, offering aid to those who need it instead of arresting and jailing people for drugs.

Oregon voters passed Measure 110 with 55.8% of the vote.

Possession of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine will no longer be punishable by jail time, instead amount to something similar to a traffic ticket.

According to The Guardian, Kassandra Frederique, Drug Policy Alliance executive director said,

“Today’s victory is a landmark declaration that the time has come to stop criminalizing people for drug use.”

“Measure 110 is arguably the biggest blow to the war on drugs to date. It shifts the focus where it belongs - on people and public health - and removes one of the most common justifications for law enforcement to harass, arrest, prosecute, incarcerate, and deport people.”

While possession of small amounts of drugs is decriminalized in Oregon, possession of larger amounts could result in a misdemeanor charge.

Voters from both sides of the isle delivered a unanimous mandate for recreational marijuana use in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota, and approved its use for medicinal purposes in Mississippi and South Dakota.

“There’s been building momentum towards this,” said Robert Mikos, professor of law at Vanderbilt University and an expert on marijuana law and policy told The Guardian.

“A change in attitudes is what’s driving legalization, and it’s interesting about why people view this drug more positively today than 50 years ago. In part, I think it’s because we’ve come to realize that it’s not as harmful as we once thought it was. People are less worried about it.”

For New York State, Gov. Cuomo told WAMC radio that taxes on marijuana this year could help the funding-starved Empire State - where lawmakers have been duking it out over legalization for years.

“Marijuana, I’ve supported it for years. The question becomes about the money, about the distribution and the power. It always comes down to money and power: Who gets the licenses and who gets the money?” Cuomo said on “The Roundtable” with Alan Chartock.

“I think this year is ripe [for legalization] because this state is going to be desperate for funding, even with Biden, even with stimulus, even with everything else, we’re still gonna need funding and it’s also the right policy, so I think we get this done,” Cuomo said.

Legal weed is expect to take in $210 million for the state of New Jersey.