Oregon voters pass Measure 91 to legalize recreational cannabis and home grow
Forty-one years after becoming the first state to decriminalize cannabis, Oregon voters approved Measure 91 on November 4, 2014 by a 56.11% to 43.89% vote.
On November 4, 2014, Oregon voters approved Measure 91—the Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act—by a vote of 56.11% Yes (847,865 votes) to 43.89% No (663,346 votes). Two years after rejecting an earlier legalization measure (Measure 80 in 2012), Oregonians joined Colorado and Washington in legalizing adult-use cannabis.
What Measure 91 legalized
Taking effect on July 1, 2015, Measure 91 placed licensing and regulation under the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (later renamed the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, or OLCC):
- Public and home possession: Adults 21 and older could possess up to 1 ounce of usable cannabis in public (later increased by the legislature to 2 ounces in 2021) and up to 8 ounces of usable cannabis at home.
- Home cultivation: Households could grow up to 4 cannabis plants out of public view.
- Early retail sales: To bridge the gap while the OLCC finalized recreational store licenses, the Oregon Legislature allowed existing medical dispensaries to begin selling tax-free recreational flower to adults 21+ starting October 1, 2015, before full OLCC-licensed stores launched in late 2016.
Photo: Adobe Stock. Later contextual stock: Nectar Cannabis dispensary sign in Tigard, Oregon, September 3, 2021; not a photograph of the 2014 vote.
Originally reported by Oregon Secretary of State
Sources (1)
- Oregon Secretary of State, Official Results — November 4, 2014 General Election (Measure 91: 847,865 Yes / 56.11% to 663,346 No / 43.89%). https://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Legalized_Marijuana_Initiative,_Measure_91_(2014)
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