Abstract
Not so long ago, while still Oregon's Governor, Tom McCall spent time travelling across the United States telling folks the “Oregon Story.” Featured in his many messages was Oregon's enlightened approach to the problem of roadside litter, the now-famous “Oregon bottle bill.” Following close on his heels, Lane County prosecutor, district attorney J. Pat Horton, has broadcast another bit of modern Oregana, the equally famous “Oregon marijuana bill.” Although some natives have expressed misgivings about any national advertisement of Oregon virtue, most have welcomed these contributions. And whatever position one takes on these matters, no Oregonian will deny that Oregon's place in America is made unique by its bottle and marijuana laws. Where, but in Oregon, is it possible to threaten a supermarket store manager with a $1,000 fine and a year in jail if he dares sell even one bottle of beer without that bottle having a refund value of at least two cents but, at the same time, to threaten a hippie hitchhiker with only a $100 fine if he carries his “pot” in small amounts.
In this article I sketch the origin of both of these laws in past Oregon legislatures and then I note the present impact that each law has had in the state. In a final section, I present the moral questions linking the future of the Oregon bottle and marijuana laws.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.