Both ABC News and The Oregonian are reporting that Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-D wing of D) is calling for a federal investigation into whether taxpayer dollars are being improperly spent on marijuana education events that he said appear to be aimed at influencing voters to oppose ballot measure 91, which would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. This is bad news for the No on 91 crowd, who have been on the defensive about funding a one-sided "educational" summit on marijuana that just happened to be scheduled to start 2 weeks before Oregon ballots are put in the mail. Now the issue of misuse of public funds has become national news, making them look dishonest and desperate.
In the meantime, those who support measure 91 keep gaining support. Right on the heels of winning the endorsement of the Oregon Democratic Party little over a week ago, the measure has been endorsed by the influential City Club of Portland and The Oregonian, which is the state's largest newspaper. To put this into historical perspective, in 1996 voters approved Measure 67, which legalized marijuana for medical purposes, over the paper's opposition. These times they are a changing.
It would be in bad form and premature to gloat, but as a supporter of cannabis legalization, I can't help but be smiling!