California Activist Conference: Measure Z and Beyond
February 19, 2005: Oakland Details

Tax and regulate cannabis sales

Creating local options to regulate marijuana

Make it the lowest law enforcement priority
Tolerate private adult sales and production
Local measures for other communities
State legislation enabling local option to tax and regulate

Thank you, Oakland voters, for your 65.2% election mandate.

Read the Measure Z title, summary, ballot arguments online.
Download a copy of OCLA's victory press release

The federal government's Drug War has been costly,
ineffective and unjust. We offer an alternative.

Click here to listen to a message from Rep. Barbara Lee

Criminalizing cannabis (marijuana) has unfairly imprisoned thousands of non-violent offenders, including a disproportionate number of people of color. It's time to tax and regulate the supply.

Measure Z allows Oakland police to focus their time and resources on fighting violent crime and reducing the murder rate, instead of wasting their time on adult nonviolent marijuana offenses.

Every year California spends $150 million to arrest, prosecute and imprison marijuana offenders. It makes more economic sense to raise money by taxing and regulating the adult use of marijuana, instead of spending money to criminalize it.

Revenue raised will help pay for vital city services like schools, libraries, and health care. Furthermore, allowing marijuana to be sold by licensed businesses will get drug dealers off the streets and break their hold on our neighborhoods.

Measure Z makes it easier for medical patients to buy medical marijuana from licensed Oakland businesses. Patients deserve safe, secure and affordable access to medicine. While we can't change federal law, we can instruct our local police not to arrest or harass marijuana users.

Measure Z controls marijuana sales; it does not legalize sales on the streets, near schools or to minors. It does not promote marijuana use, or allow broadcast or billboard advertising.

The Drug War has failed. It's time for a new approach.
That's why community groups, elected officials, educators, religious leaders, and doctors all agree: Measure Z is the right thing to do. Measure Z is endorsed by the California Nurses Association, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Sen. Don Perata, the Family Council on Drug Awareness, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, California Superior Court Judge James P. Gray, and many others.
For full list of endorsers click here.

New Poll shows strong Oakland Voter support for Measure Z, in opposition to Drug War September 14, 2004 David Binder Research survey finds 65% support Measure Z, the Oakland Cannabis Initiative Click here to learn more