Oregon Measure 57, Marijuana Possession as a Class C Misdemeanor Referendum (1998)
| Oregon Measure 57 | |
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| Topic Law enforcement and Marijuana laws |
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| Status |
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| Type Veto referendum |
Origin |
Oregon Measure 57 was on the ballot as a veto referendum in Oregon on November 3, 1998. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported classifying the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana as a Class C misdemeanor, with penalties up to a 30-day jail sentence and a $500 to$1,000 fine. |
A "no" vote opposed classifying the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana as a Class C misdemeanor, with penalties up to a 30-day jail sentence and a $500 to$1,000 fine. |
Election results
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Oregon Measure 57 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 371,967 | 33.54% | ||
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736,968 | 66.46% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Measure 57 was as follows:
| “ | MAKES POSSESSION OF LIMITED AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA CLASS C MISDEMEANOR RESULT OF “YES" VOTE: “Yes” vote makes possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor. RESULT OF “NO” VOTE: “No” vote retains statute making possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a violation. SUMMARY: Under current Oregon law, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is a violation, punishable by 500 to 1000 dollar fine; charges against first-time offenders may be dismissed upon completion of marijuana diversion agreement. Measure makes possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days imprisonment, plus 500 to 1000 dollar fine. Measure also makes failure to complete diversion agreement ground for six-month suspension of offender’s driving privileges. Allocates $600,000 for enforcement. ESTIMATE OF FINANCIAL IMPACT: Direct state expenditures for law enforcement, indigent defense, court operation, and jury payments are estimated at $586,000 annually. A one-time cost of $50,000 would be required for Driver and Motor Vehicle Services computer programming. State expenditures could increase or decrease depending on the number of cases prosecuted, the number of individuals entering diversion agreements, and the number of defendants eligible for court-appointed counsel. Direct county expenditures for local jail beds are estimated at $229,000 annually. Local expenditures could increase or decrease depending on the length of sentences imposed by the courts, population management decisions of jail commanders, and management of offenders on probation or post-release supervision. State fine revenues are estimated to be reduced by $638,000 annually. Major assumptions for these estimates include: • 6,000 arrests per year. • 50 percent of arrests will be prosecuted as misdemeanors, 40 percent will be prosecuted as violations, and 10 percent will result in a diversion agreement. • 50 percent of all arrests will result in an average of one day of county jail time. • 54 percent of arrests prosecuted as violations and 40 percent of arrests prosecuted as misdemeanors will result in convictions. • The minimum fine of $500 will be assessed for all misdemeanor convictions and maximum fine of $250 will be assessed for all violations convictions. • 40 percent of fines assessed for misdemeanor convictions and 78 percent of fines assessed for violation convictions will be collected. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. This type of ballot measure is also called statute referendum, popular referendum, people's veto, or citizen's veto. There are 23 states that allow citizens to initiate veto referendums.
In Oregon, the number of signatures required for a veto referendum is equal to 4% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Oregon Salem (capital) |
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