Officials in Portland, Oregon have announced that this city uses taxes from marijuana sales for safe driving program they recently launched. The new safety education campaign, known as Struck, aims to make Portland’s streets safer by getting drivers to slow down. It is part of a larger effort to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the city dubbed Vision Zero.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is funding Vision Zero with revenue from cannabis taxes. The agency has spent $300,000 to produce the Struck campaign. Vision Zero also includes $40 million in safety improvements to city streets this year alone.
The safety program is an example of how state and local governments can benefit from the legalization of cannabis and the tax money it generates.
Oregon decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana in 1973. Voters in the state legalized cannabis use for medical purposes in 1998. And in 2014, the legal cultivation and sale of cannabis for adult use was passed, again at the ballot box. The state subsequently enacted steep taxes on cannabis sales to pay for public services.
Multi-Faceted Media Campaign Planned
The Struck program is a multi-faceted education campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding while driving. It began last week with a television spot aired during the NCAA championship game.
The ad uses video to recreate a traffic collision, only without the cars. It’s an attempt to get people to realize the impact dangerous driving can have on peoples’ lives. The spot not only focuses on the loss of life of a victim of a car crash but the impact the aftermath has on the driver, as well.
The program will also branch out into other channels, including social media, bus ads, billboards, and