Marijuana: Willie Nelson endorses Oregon Cannabis Tax Act

Country music star and marijuana enthusiast Willie Nelson is endorsing the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 2012. The superstar appears in a recently released ad throwing his support behind the initiative to end the prohibition on marijuana and restore the production of hemp in Oregon.

The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 is a citizen’s initiative campaign to regulate marijuana and restore hemp. Just as ending alcohol prohibition and regulating that market has protected society, regulating marijuana will help wipe out crime. Restoring hemp, made from the seeds and stems of the marijuana plant for fuel, fiber and food, will put Oregon on the cutting edge of exciting new sustainable green industries and create untold multitudes of new jobs.

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The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 (OCTA 2012) is gathering signatures to qualify for the November general election ballot. If passed, the legislation would:

• Regulate the legal sale of marijuana to adults through state-licensed stores
• Allow adults to grow their own marijuana.
• License Oregon farmers to grow marijuana for state-licensed stores.
• Allow unlicensed Oregon farmers to grow cannabis hemp for fuel, fiber and food.
• Raise an estimated $140 million a year by taxing commercial cannabis sales to adults 21 years of age.
• Save an estimated $61.5 million as law enforcement, corrections and judicial costs.
• Increase public safety.
• Restore respect for the law.
• Create environmentally sustainable jobs.

The following is the text of the OCTA 2012 advertisement by Willie Nelson:

“Hi, I'm Willie Nelson. I urge you to support the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act to regulate marijuana and restore industrial hemp. This initiative will end adult marijuana prohibition and let our criminal justice officers focus limited resources on real criminals, not on marijuana users like me. OCTA will also allow farmers to grow hemp for fuel, fiber & food, to create jobs and help our economy. Please support OCTA. Thank you!”

By all accounts, the prohibition on marijuana is a failure. Marijuana prohibition does not work: prohibition is a historical and contemporary failure. It is time to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. It is time to free the weed.

For more information about OCTA 2012, visit the website, sign a petition, make a difference.

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