Oregon Voters to Decide on Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in November

The Oregon Secretary of State has certified that a petition campaign for a measure that would allow recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older has turned in enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

Under the proposal, a person could possess up to eight ounces of marijuana at home, and could cultivate up to four plants, USA Today reports. The measure would allow the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to oversee and regulate sales of recreational marijuana. If the initiative passes, sales would begin in January 2016.

Taxes on recreational marijuana would be set at $1.50 per gram or $35 per ounce. The funds would be used for schools, drug treatment programs, mental health programs and law enforcement, the article notes.

Alaska will also have a recreational marijuana initiative on the ballot in November. Voters in Colorado and Washington state passed legalization measures in 2012. That year, Oregon voters defeated a recreational marijuana measure, 55 percent to 45 percent.

The group leading the campaign in support of recreational marijuana, New Approach Oregon, has raised almost $870,000 in contributions, records from the Secretary of State’s Office indicates.