Paul Stanford comes to Corvallis to stump for Oregon Cannabis Tax Act

Oregon has allowed marijuana for medical use since 1998, when voters passed Measure 67. Paul Stanford thinks it’s time to make it legal for other purposes as well, and like M67’s proponents before him, he hopes to decide the matter at the ballot box.

Stanford is the chief petitioner for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, an initiative that would regulate the sale of pot for recreational use and remove restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, its less potent cousin.

The Portland activist was in Corvallis on Tuesday evening to round up support for his proposal, and about 30 people turned out at the Westminster House to hear what he had to say. The crowd was mostly middle-aged or older and included at least two attorneys and one city councilor.

In an appearance sponsored by the Pacific Green Party, Stanford argued that adults should have the right to use marijuana as they see fit and that criminalizing the weed has devastating consequences for society.

“Prohibition is a great evil,” he said. “Families are being torn apart; people are being thrown in jail.”