Within days of last week’s vote for legalization, the district attorney’s office in Multnomah County — which contains Portland, Oregon’s largest and most populous city — announced they will be dismissing a swath of pending marijuana cases. Additionally, the prosecutors will not pursue future marijuana cases that will soon be legal under the new law.
50 pending marijuana cases will be dismissed.
In a statement released to the Oregonian, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill’s office explained:
“Because it is clear that a significant majority of voters in Multnomah County support the legalization of marijuana in certain amounts, this office will dismiss the pending charges related to conduct which will otherwise become legal July 1, 2015. Any remaining charges not impacted by Ballot Measure 91 will be prosecuted.”
Voters in Multnomah County passed Measure 91 with an overwhelming 71 percent majority. Meanwhile, prosecutors in other Oregon counties are still deciding how to proceed in light of legalization.
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Photo Credit: Stuart Seeger