By Greg James
The year 2014 was pretty amazing for cannabis in the United States. Washington and Colorado got started with the business of regulating, growing, selling and taxing it like any other product (albeit with a lot more restrictions in place). Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. voted to follow the pioneer states into the modern era of marijuana.
Looking back, full legalization wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as many made it out to be, and almost became a non-event when the roll-outs occurred in Washington and Colorado. But, at the same time, it really is part of a monumental shift that will likely lead to a world-wide rethinking of marijuana laws in particular, and drug laws in general.
And why not? For decades, we’ve lived in a society in which some forms of drugs (alcohol and nicotine) are not only legal, but vigorously marketed and pushed by big business and the government. Meanwhile, and other types, such as marijuana, were illegal simply “because.” (“Because” is often the response you get when you ask a child why they did something irrational.)
Prohibition never made any sense to me. As I’ve said before, it closely parallels the ridiculous anti-gay marriage waste-of-energy-and-resources movement. Banning gay marriage can’t rationally be defended by anyone with enough gray matter to understand the simple concept of personal freedom and the rights of all to be treated equally under the law in a secular democracy.
But enough of that, and enough of looking back at past events.
2015 looks like it’s going to be a very interesting year. With Oregon and Alaska joining Washington as states that have legalized cannabis, it’s obvious that big changes are on the way along the West Coast. The three Northwestern states and British Columbia, Canada add up to nearly 13 million people. That’s a lot more than the 5 million in Colorado, who are — unfortunately for them — surrounded by Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Of those neighboring states, only New Mexico seems remotely likely to legalize recreational marijuana any time soon.
To me, Oregon is the state to watch now. Its laws — as they currently stand — are far more liberal than either Washington or Colorado’s, and it also has the distinction of being on the northern end of the “Emerald Triangle” – a geographical region that encompasses a fair amount of Northern California. Other than huge coastal redwoods, great Pinot Noir and a spectacular coastline, what that part of the U.S. is most famous for is high-quality sungrown marijuana. And, from what I hear, a good plant in the Emerald Triangle can produce five to 10 pounds of top-grade buds in a long grow season that starts in May and ends in early November. The climate is essentially the same in Southern Oregon.
A friend who lives near Medford, Oregon tells me that plants 12-14 feet high are not uncommon.
When you combine nearly ideal growing conditions with liberal rules and regulations regarding production and sales, all bets are off. Oregon could turn out to be everything Washington and Colorado thought they’d be, and more.