Oregonians, two important bills before the House Judiciary Committee would greatly benefit those convicted of marijuana law offenses. Senate Bill 364 has already passed the Oregon Senate and is awaiting a hearing on the House side. The Oregon Legislature, in 2013, passed a measure that decreased marijuana penalties, effective on July 1st of that year. Senate Bill 364, sensibly allows those convicted before July 1, 2013, to have their marijuana offenses retroactively changed to the lesser penalty. House Bill 3372, would allow those sentenced for marijuana offenses before July 1, 2015, to have their punishment changed to those that go into effect after July 1, 2015. Marijuana legalization goes into effect on July 1 of this year.
The Willamette Week covered the introduction of HB 3372:
With pot legalized in Oregon, state Rep. Lew Frederick (D-Portland) says people jailed for non-violent weed crimes should no longer be kept behind bars.
Frederick is sponsoring a bill in the Oregon Legislature that would reduce sentences for people sent to prison before July 1, 2015, for marijuana-related activities—like selling, growing and transporting—that will become legal this summer. In some cases, those sentence reductions would amount to an immediate release.
His bill would also allow people convicted of non-violent marijuana crimes to expunge their records.
I urge Oregonians to contact the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to pass both HB 3372 and SB 364. These bills are common sense measures that will actually save Oregon tax dollars and judicial resources and bring us closer and closer to ending the harmful consequences of cannabis prohibition. Representative Frederick is my personal state rep, so I am very proud to be able to support an elected official that understands the need to erase some of the unnecessary penalties that nonviolent people have suffered due to remnants of our Reefer Madness past. I’ll be monitoring these bills, so please check back and I’ll keep everyone updated on their progress and let Oregon voters know how they can help.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
