Crowds count down, light up as Oregon legalizes recreational marijuana

Crowds counted down to midnight and then lit up joints in the streets as recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon on Wednesday, further strengthening the legalization movement’s foothold in the U.S. West.

Hundreds gathered in the middle of the night on the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland and smoked under the glow of a neon city sign, marking the moment that the law allowing recreational use, backed by voters in November, came into effect.

The legislation opens the way for shops to sell marijuana by next year — though some lawmakers say they will still try to block retail outlets.

Similar laws are already in force in Alaska, Colorado, Washington state and Washington, D.C., reflecting a shifting legal landscape for a drug that remains illegal under federal law.

Farther down the coast, campaigns to legalize recreational marijuana use are underway in California. About half the country's states allow marijuana for medical use.

“We are thrilled with the end of adult marijuana prohibition, but we are far from where we need to be,” Russ Belville, of the Portland chapter of pro-marijuana group NORML, said Tuesday before the law came into effect.

Oregon residents age 21 and older can now smoke privately, grow up to four plants and possess up to eight ounces (227 grams) at home and one ounce outside the home, the Liquor Control Commission said.

Driving while high remains illegal and pot cannot be transported out of the state — even to neighboring Washington, where retail cannabis sales started last year, the commission said.

Public smoking also remains illegal, but there were no immediate reports of arrests at the Portland bridge.

Regulators will start accepting business license applications in January, with stores slated for next fall.

But some lawmakers remain opposed and are pushing for legislation to let municipalities ban marijuana outlets if at least 55 percent of voters opposed legalization on the November ballot, Republican state Sen. Ted Ferrioli said Tuesday.

“Nervousness about marijuana sort of becoming normed in our society is widespread,” Ferrioli said.

In a dig at stereotypically hungry pot smokers, Portland police have issued a graphic showing how much marijuana a person can possess by comparing the amount with a donut.

Reuters