Medford, Ore. –State legislators are now heading home after five months of hard work in Salem.
The 2015 legislative session included some landmark moments including John Kitzhaber’s resignation, but nothing dominated the session like recreational marijuana.
While some of Oregon’s political leaders say the session was a success others disagree.
“I thought it was interesting I guess one would say. I think it had a specific pretty liberal agenda and it was followed through to the utmost,” Republican Representative Sal Esquivel said. “Now Oregon’s going to have to deal with it.”
Voters decided to legalize marijuana last November leaving it to legislators to set up a regulated market for the drug.
“We’re going to tax marijuana at the point of the individual who buys it. We’re not going to tax processing or farming we’re going to do it at the point of sale,” Democratic Senator Alan Bates said.
Laws regarding how much pot you can have and where you’re allowed to grow were also passed. Both Bates and Esquivel agree their work with marijuana legislation is far from over.
Other session highlights include paid sick leave and gun control. The legislature approved a bill requiring employers with at least 10 workers to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave every year. They also expanded background checks to cover nearly all private gun sales. Bates is proud of that bill, but Esquivel calls it ‘unfortunate.’
Despite different agendas the 2015 session will go down as one of the busiest the state’s ever seen, something people on both sides of the aisle can agree on.
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