OCTA makes the November ballot!

Check it out, straight from the state’s website:

7/13/12 Signature verification complete. Petition contained 88,887 valid signatures, or 58.53% of the 151,870 signatures accepted for verification. Qualified to the ballot for the November 2012 Election.

Looks like circulators did a MUCH better job in the final push than early on, because the petition “throw-out” rate went down from 11.5% to a mere six percent. Well done, guys! We still have to get a vote passed, but this is still an incredible step.

The OCTA signature drive is over, and…

The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act turned in just under 168,000 signatures, which is getting Oregonians pretty excited. We only need 87,213 valid signatures to get on the November ballot, and in 2010 we missed the mark by a huge number, so this is pretty good news.

Unfortunately, my math says we’re not guaranteed to get on the ballot – at best, we’ll barely pull it off. Read below for a full explanation, but my math says we’re going to be about 400 signatures short.

I hope I’m wrong, but only time will tell. The state has up to 30 days to give us a “yay” or “nay” on this one. Continue reading “The OCTA signature drive is over, and…”

Autism, marijuana, and the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act

Read Alex’s Story before this if you want to know who we’re talking about here. A quick summary, though:

  • Alex is a child with autism, seizures, and severe self-injurious behaviors
  • We’ve tried many medications and talked to several specialists over the past several years, all with no luck
  • Marijuana, approved in Oregon for his seizures, proved to calm Alex while also making him more engaged in the world around him
  • We couldn’t keep a steady supply of marijuana, and Alex no longer can live with us
  • His new state-run home will not give him marijuana even if we find a supply
  • His behaviors are once again getting bad, and they’ve had to use physical restraints multiple times to keep Alex safe
  • Our life is a living hell right now Continue reading “Autism, marijuana, and the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act”