First statewide cannabis regulation initiative in U.S. to win organized labor support
In a strongly supported board action, the leadership of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 555 has voted to endorse Initiative 9, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA). The initiative, which is looking likely to qualify for the November ballot, would tax and regulate cannabis for adults 21 years of age and older. The measure would also approve and help kick-start an agricultural hemp industry in Oregon.
“From retail to manufacturing to health care, we recognize that a vibrant hemp and cannabis industry in Oregon will create thousands of family-wage, sustainable jobs across the entire state,” said Dan Clay, Union President. “Our 19,000 members in Oregon and Southwest Washington deserve sensible laws that benefit them and their communities. Current laws are miserably failing that test so we are throwing our full support behind OCTA.”
Taxing and regulating cannabis and agricultural hemp will create thousands of Oregon jobs, from agricultural jobs in hard-hit rural counties to manufacturing and engineering jobs in big cities and small towns. With countless applications in fiber, biofuel, food and consumer health products, hemp is a natural fit for the Oregon sustainable economy.
“We are honored to have the hard-working men and women of UFCW Local 555 on our team as we work to realize a practical, positive approach to cannabis and hemp,” said Paul Stanford, chief petitioner of the Cannabis Tax Act initiative and president of the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp.
The demand for common-sense cannabis and hemp policies is bringing together a unique coalition of supporters; UFCW Local 555 joins a number of other prominent organizational endorsements, including both the Pacific Green Party and the Libertarian Party of Oregon.
For more information on the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, visit www.octa2012.org.
Roy Kaufmann
Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 Campaign
