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My Community Profile: Smoking Marijuana in Oregon

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My Community Profile: Smoking Marijuana in Oregon

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Oregons Finest : Marijuana Dispensary

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-1973: Oregon became the first state to decriminalize marijuana possession.
-1998: Oregon becomes one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana.
-2005: Oregon's medical marijuana program is expanded to include dispensaries.
-2014: Oregon voters approve a ballot to legalize recreational marijuana
-2015: Oregon recreational marijuana market opens.
-2020: Oregon becomes the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs.

Source: Learn Brand Last Prisoner Project
Onward Content: Cannabis 101
https://www.learnbrands.com/course/view.php?id=900

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Trichomes on the marijuana plant that hold the THC that gets you high as well as several other cannabinoids.

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Oregon was one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana in the early 1990's. This lead to an emergence of cannabis culture that was centered around medical use and activism.

When marijuana was legalized, it led to the creation of several dispensaries as well as the start of several growers during this time.

Today, marijuana has become a large part of not only the culture but the economy in Oregon as well.

The cultural shift around marajuana in Oregon has gone from activism to legalize recreationally to a thriving industry that provides a great amount of revenue for the state while providing a great recreational activity for those over 21. The marijuana activism also led to the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of drugs, including cocaine and heroin. The state also now allows for past drug convictions to be expunged from your record.

Source: Learn Brands: Onward Content Cannabis 101

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Farming a particular plant always leads to the environment being affected one way or another. Here is an outline on how growing marijuana affects the environment:

-Water usage: Growing marijuana plants require a large amount of water. Illegal growers have been known to divert streams and damage water sheds. Legal growers are required to obtain water rights and adhere to strict usage regulations.
-Energy usage: Growing marijuana indoors requires a large amount of energy for lighting, vents, and controlling the temperature, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions from growing.

Although these are only 2 of the major environmental factors, many regulations managed by the state are put into place to minimize the environmental impact from growing marijuana.

Source: Learn Brands: Onward Content: Cannabis 101

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Cannabis has done a lot to change they way people treat medicine and have helped several people who I am personal familiar with to get away from using prescription drugs like Methadone to manage pain and instead turning to cannabis as an alternative. Cannabis has been proven to assist with variety of affects when taken.

Here is a list provided by WebMD:
Limited research suggests cannabinoids might:

Reduce anxiety

Reduce inflammation and relieve pain

Control nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy

Kill cancer cells and slow tumor growth

Relax tight muscles in people with multiple sclerosis (MS)

Stimulate appetite and improve weight gain in people with cancer and AIDS

Several patients I am familiar with also use it to manage their PTSD symptoms.

As more research is done on cannabis, we are finding a variety of effects that change from strain to strain. This helps people lock down what they are looking for and continue to find assistance once that strain goes away.

Source:
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq

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It is believed that many ancient cultures used cannabis in religious ceremonies and practices, examples of their use coming up as far back as 2700 BCE, according to the Hash Marijuana and Hemp Museum. As several cultures have been discovered using marijuana, it's history on our planet continues to be enriched. Several religions of old have history with cannabis including Buddhism, Shintoism, Sufism and Christianity; and among the Bantu, Pygmy, Zulu and Hottentot tribes of Africa.

The Rastafari are a more modern group, formed in the early 20th century, who use marijuana as a sacrament. They believe that it aids in meditation, spiritual awareness, and communal bonding. They consider it a sacrament that facilitates a deeper connection with God and the attainment of spiritual insights. The Rastafari are also where the term "ganja" was coined. Of course as some of these Jamaicans moved to America, they were able to share some of their ways and even more so, their "ganja", as well as their philosophy behind using such a substance.

Source: https://hashmuseum.com/en/cannabis-knowledge/cultural-cannabis/cannabis-and-religion/

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In Oregon, Cannabis is managed under the OLCC. The OLCC is in charge of enforcing cannabis sales and the taxes associated with it. In Oregon, the base rate for tax on cannabis is 17%, with an addition to 3% within certain city limits.

According to Oregon.gov, the taxes are spent as follows:
As of January 1, 2021 funds collected in excess of $11.25 million quarterly are directed to measure 110, the Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund.

After that, every quarter $11.25 million in state tax revenue will be distributed as follows:

State School Fund: 40 percent

Oregon Health Authority, for mental health treatment or for alcohol and drug abuse prevention, early intervention, and treatment: 20 percent

State Police: 15 percent

Cities: 10 percent

Counties: 10 percent

Oregon Health Authority, for alcohol and drug abuse prevention, early intervention, and treatment services: 5 percent.

There are several cannabis companies associated with supporting the Last Prisoner Project as well. This project was founded to help those that have been imprisoned over old drug policy and were sentenced due to possession laws that may have existed and been enforced in the past. The last prisoner project works to set all cannabis prisoners free.

Source: https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/

Oregon Department of Revenue - Marijuana          https://www.oregon.gov/dor/programs/businesses/pages/marijuana.aspx#:~:text=As%20of%20January%201%2C%202021,State%20School%20Fund%3A%2040%20percent

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Cannabis, originally being touted the devil's lettuce, has come a long way in terms of propaganda as well as general information about the plant truly being opened up.

Research over the past several years has challenged several of the myths about the substance, shifting the mindset of the general public from disdain towards the product to an acceptance that the use is allowed with regulation.

One of the leading research groups on the west coast is the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) which is based out of California.

The CMCR conducts controlled tests to gauge the safety and efficiency of cannabis for various medical conditions. They have been at the forefront of cannabis research, particularly in investigating its potential therapeutic applications.

Source:
Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
https://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/index.php/background

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Count States that have passed marijuana laws or made amendments.

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Organizations such as the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, Measure 91 Campaign, and New Approach Oregon spearheaded campaigns to gather signatures, educate voters, and promote the benefits of legalizing recreational cannabis. These campaigns helped shift public opinion and build momentum for legalization.

Racial Movements like Black Lives Matter did a lot to draw attention to the disproportionate negative impact of cannabis laws on marginalized communities. Activists have highlighted racial differences in cannabis-related arrests and the harmful consequences of criminalization. This goes back to the Last Prisoner Project who have been working to help the people who have already been affected by unfair enforcement of cannabis laws.

The Medical Cannabis use movement back in the 90's had a large effect on the eventual legalization of recreational use of marijuana in Oregon. As more people got licenses to acquire medical marijuana, the public opinion shifted very quickly to becoming far more acceptive of cannabis use when their neighbors with a medical card tell them it really helps with their lower back pain.

Sources: Social and Political Factors Associated With State-Level Legalization of Cannabis in the United States
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8022331/

https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/

Marijuana Policy Project(MPP)
https://www.mpp.org/states/oregon/#:~:text=Oregon%20was%20the%20first%20state,Ballot%20Measure%2067%20in%201998.