Washington forcing Oregon's hand on pot legalization: Editorial Agenda 2014

(AP)

For people who don't vote in Oregon, Washington residents sure exercise a lot of influence here.

When Washington voters privatized retail liquor sales in 2011, new fees and taxes raised prices so dramatically that some Washingtonians began buying their booze in Oregon. The phenomenon was a double victory for Oregon's state-run system. Not only did liquor sales pick up, but Washington's experience made privatization a tougher sell here, which may have contributed to the demise this year of a proposed initiative to that end.

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Editorial Agenda 2014


More jobs for Oregon
Position the Port for the future
Make Portland a city that works
Keep people moving
Build a culture of student success
Move forward on tax reform
Protect and expand personal freedom
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When voters in Washington approved retail marijuana sales in 2012, they also opened up new shopping opportunities for Oregonians. No, recreational pot will not be sold legally to Oregonians in Oregon. But as early this week, Oregonians may buy it in Vancouver, where businesses received two of the 24 retail licenses issued Monday morning by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. More licenses will be forthcoming.

The proximity to Portland is the very reason some would-be marijuana merchants chose to locate in Vancouver, as The Oregonian's Noelle Crombie has reported. It's a no-brainer, really. Multnomah County contains about 20 percent of Oregon's population, meaning a mere bridge separates significant demand for recreational pot from what will become a dependable (and legal) supply. Add Clackamas and Washington counties, and about 45 percent of the state's population lives within a short road trip of a legally purchased joint. The law does prohibit the transportation of marijuana across state lines, but that will dissuade few Beaver State cannabis commuters.

In effect, Washington voters have changed the question Oregonians will answer in November, when they cast their ballots for or against legalization. To a significant degree, the question of availability has been settled. Credit – or blame – rests with both Oregonians, who approved a wide-open medical marijuana system, and Washingtonians, who will now be peddling pot legally to thousands of Oregonians.

November's vote will really be about two issues: convenience and taxation. Now, those who oppose pot legalization aren't going to vote for it simply to save tokers time and money. But many may given the knowledge that Oregonians, beginning Tuesday, will contribute revenue to Washington that they would, given the chance, contribute to Oregon. The Oregon legalization initiative would devote tax revenue to, among other things, education and law enforcement.

The legalization campaign is young, and reasons may arise to oppose the measure despite the fact that many Oregonians will soon live a short drive from retail marijuana shops anyway. At this point, however, the argument in favor of legalization certainly appears stronger than the argument against it. Marijuana opponents who resent being maneuvered into an uncomfortable position by Washington voters should think of November's vote as an opportunity to fight back, depriving the Evergreen State of pot taxes, just as Oregon's liquor stores have captured a piece of Washington's liquor business.

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