Activist Begins "Oregon Cannabis Commission" Petition Drive for 2012

Oregon Liquor Control Commission? Try the Oregon Cannabis Commission.

Cannabis activist Paul Stanford has filed a new initiative aimed at the 2012 state ballot that would establish a seven-person Oregon Cannabis Commission to regulate the cultivation and sale of cannabis for sale. For all adults.

"This wouldn't just make marijuana for medical use," said Stanford. "It would also be [legalized] for adult social use."

The proposal (PDF) would require all cannabis grown in Oregon to be turned over to the state within four months of harvest. Stanford estimates taxation from legalized marijuana, like taxes on liquor or cigarettes, would raise millions of dollars. He envisions 90 percent of that money going to the state general fund, 7 percent to drug treatment programs, 2 percent to promote industrial hemp as food and biodiesel, and 1 percent to drug educational programs for kids.

Stanford, who is planning a fundraising concert with reggae band Toots & the Maytals for July 2 in Portland, said he's got $50,000 lined up for the campaign. The petition needs 87,213 valid signatures to make the ballot next year, and Stanford says timing the initiative with what will be a large turnout in a presidential election year will mean more young voters who are likelier supporters of the proposal. You can view the petition here.