The successful effort to legalize marijuana in Colorado was built on solid grassroots political organizing and an effective public relations campaign that equated pot with booze, according to the architect of Colorado's marijuana legalization amendment.

Those strategies took years to develop said Steve Fox, government relations director for the influential Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which helped draft Colorado's constitutional amendment legalizing marijuana. Fox spoke Sunday at a town hall gathering of marijuana activists at the Matt Dishman Community Center in Northeast Portland.

Oregon is on a short list of states, which includes California and Maine, seen as prime candidates for legalizing pot in 2016, he said.

Fox joined U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, who spoke about marijuana's growing prominence nationally, his strong support for reclassifying the drug from its current federal status in which it is viewed as a drug with no accepted medical use. He also spoke about his support for reforming federal banking rules so legal marijuana-related businesses can get access to "a full range of banking services."

But Blumenauer, a onetime Oregon state legislator, also had advice for Oregon and other medical marijuana states: Develop a system for overseeing medical marijuana. He said states have "varying degrees of sophistication and consistency" when it comes to regulating medical marijuana. Oregon requires patients to grow their own marijuana or have someone do it for them. The state provides scant oversight of medical marijuana production.

"Here in Oregon, I think this would be an opportunity to take a step back," he told The Oregonian after he wrapped up his talk. "It's time for the legislature to look at how it works and provide a framework for how medical marijuana is managed and administered."

State-run medical marijuana programs deal with a substance outlawed federally so "it's important to be careful with it."

Fox's message to the crowd of a 100 or supporters from across Oregon focused less on medical marijuana than on legalizing it outright. His group, the Marijuana Policy Project, was a major financial and political force behind Colorado's campaign.

Fox's talk was a master class in organizing a successful campaign. He offered a detailed, even wonky, step-by-step strategy for legalizing pot – a deliberate approach that he said could be replicated in Oregon.

Medical Marijuana

He said the Colorado effort relied on cooperation, education, drafting an amendment that could win political support and advertising. Activists, he said, hammered home a basic message: Pot is safer than alcohol "and it makes no sense to punish people who want to use marijuana instead of alcohol."

Timing of an Oregon initiative is key, Fox said.

Getting a legalization measure on the 2016 ballot – a presidential election year –would translate into greater voter support than if activists tried in 2014.

"What we have seen since 2000 is that if you do a ballot initiative related to marijuana on a presidential election year ballot as opposed to a mid-term election, the difference is stark," he said.

Fox said the extra two years gives voters the chance to see how legalization has worked in Colorado and Washington.

But his advice to wait another three years for another legalization initiative was a tough sell for some Oregon activists. They cite Oregon's proximity to Washington and the relatively narrow defeat of Measure 80, Oregon's legalization ballot measure, as reasons for pursuing an initiative sooner.

"There is a lot of pressure right now," said Russ Belville, a Portland marijuana legalization activist and host of a radio show dedicated to cannabis news and culture. "There is a part of me that says strike while the iron is hot."

But Fox stressed the risks involved with pushing for an initiative before 2016.

"I would never say winning in 2014 is impossible," he said. "It might be possible, but you are going to have to invest a lot of money and then you might end up with a loss and for what?

"Is it worth it?" he asked.

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