Hypothesis: Over the past few decades, the movement of decriminalizing marijuana throughout the states has become an ever growing topic, gaining momentum as the federal government allows for states to experimentally legalize recreational marijuana use. Today, eight different states have passed laws to legalize the use of marijuana for recreational purposes and another twenty-six states allow for medical marijuana use. (Quinn, n.p.) As the government has allowed for the legalization of marijuana in some states, this time acts as a period to observe how different marijuana laws influence regulation among the different states. Each state seems to implement similarly driven, yet differently focused laws on everything from marijuana use to processing …show more content…
With that call to understanding, also intrigues myself into comparing the laws and penalties amongst the legalized states. With the exposure I have had to the current marijuana legalization within Oregon and the role law enforcement is called to take on the matter, I cannot help but notice a commonality shared about current marijuana regulation-- Oregon has a very weak set of marijuana laws aimed to curb illegal behavior. Like many policy topics, I recognize that the public may not have an accurate handle on the actual marijuana laws Oregon currently enforces. I hypothesize, that Oregon’s marijuana laws impose lesser penalties for illegal possession and cultivation, than those of other legalized western states-- specifically, Washington and California. My hypothesis aims to challenge Oregon’s current marijuana laws by comparing the law’s punitive action against the laws found in other states. As I attempt to prove Oregon’s less than strict position, the reader will be able to examine Oregon’s laws step per step with other states, ultimately following the justification of my