Senior Citizens Support Legal Weed in Oregon
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Neil. Moralee via Compfight cc
“Just because we’re old doesn't mean we’re foolish,” said Steve Weiss, President for the Oregon State Council of Retired Citizens. “There are aspects of marijuana usage that are very helpful to seniors.”
The Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans and the Oregon Council for Retired Citizens have endorsed measure 91, the proposal to legalize, tax and regulate weed for adults over 21.
“We understand that there are seniors out there who appreciate the value of marijuana,” President of the Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans Scott Blau said. The group has 3,000 members statewide.
Weiss said it doesn’t make sense that alcohol is legal but pot is not.
“Marijuana's time has come in this country,” he added.
The nod of approval from Oregon's older residents might come as a surprise to some, said officials with New Approach Oregon, the group pushing for legal weed.
"A lot of people don't realize how concerned senior citizens are about our current failed approach to marijuana," Anthony Johnson, chief petitioner for the Yes on 91 campaign, said in a press release. "It's time to refocus police resources on more important issues than busting people for small amounts of marijuana."
The American Civil Liberties Union, the City Club of Portland and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 have also endorsed Measure 91.
Washington and Colorado became the first two states in 2012 to legalize recreational marijuana. Twenty states, including Oregon, and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana.
Homepage Photo Credit: Gabriel 'Briel' Rocha via Compfight cc
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