THE OREGON EQUITY INVESTMENT ACT

DESPITE BEING A LONG-OVERDUE EFFORT TO HELP BIPOC COMMUNITIES IN OREGON RECOVER ECONOMICALLY FROM THE ‘WAR ON DRUGS’, EQUITY AND JUSTICE STILL FACE A FIRING SQUAD.

BY MICHELE DARR ARTWORK JAMAAL HALE

On March 3rd, 2023, the Equity Investment Act (SB 1579) was passed by the Oregon State Legislature and the Economic Equity Investment Program was born. Sponsored by lawmakers Janelle Bynum, Akasha Lawrence-Spence, Julie Fahey and Kayse Jama, the bill represents years of tireless work by equity advocates led by Jeannette Ward-Horton of the NuProject and is Oregon’s first step in repairing the grievous economic and systemic harm done to Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities through the war on drugs and over-policing.

The $15 million fund was reportedly intended to help close the wealth gap in Oregon through bolstering the work of culturally responsive, communitybased organizations with a mission and history of supporting people facing two or more economic equity risk factors. “While we are a long way from resolving the wealth gap and economic inequities fueled by racially-biased enforcement of cannabis prohibition, the creation of the Equity Investment Fund means the state of Oregon has taken the first step towards accountability for the deliberate, government-sanctioned harms against these historically excluded communities,” said the City of Portland’s Cannabis Program Manager, Dasheeda Dawson.

This is not the first time that an equity bill of this nature has been introduced. A previous version, HB 3112, sought to provide grants funded by cannabis tax revenue and went further to create legislation around cannabis licensing and record expungement. That bill did not make it through the Legislature. In the words of Jeannette Ward Horton, founder of the Cannabis Equity PAC and executive director of NuProject, “We urgently wanted to pass HB 3112 this session because we believed our collective community’s outcry to correct criminal justice system ills must include an economic justice response.”

Surprisingly, while the bill had already passed through numerous hearings and committees, it never made it to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, which determines state budget policy. Blocking its progression were three cochairs, all democrats. “Everyone was really surprised,” says Ward-Horton. “We don’t have a good explanation for why. Ultimately, we weren’t met favorably by the tri-chairs and the bill died on their desks.”

Removing the language addressing licensing and record expungement, The Oregon Equity Investment Act passed with bipartisan support in both the Senate and House, yet advocates and representatives alike still face an uphill battle to ensure equity for communities disproportionately affected by marijuana law enforcement. An audit by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission revealed that while a considerable share of the disproportionate harm from cannabis prohibition was proven to be race-based, there are still significant barriers hindering the state from allocating cannabis tax revenue to repair the harm done to these communities. Barriers to justice include pushback from addiction recovery programs and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists with vague affiliations and deep pockets. Both seek to divert the money from the communities it is intended to benefit by seizing control and taking over allocation of resources.

The struggle for equity and justice continues and impediments to progress have dire implications if detractors are successful in derailing the momentum. “If we don’t act soon, Oregon will miss the opportunity to right the wrongs of the War on Drugs,” warns Rep. Janelle Bynum.

For more information on the Oregon Equity Investment Act, visit oregonequityact.com/ and nuproject.org/