By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
Oklahoma voters rolled out to the polls and overwhelmingly torched a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the Sooner State.
Oklahoma voters rejected State Question 820 by a wide margin. According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, 349,121 voters, or 61.68%, voted against the proposal, compared to 216,883 votes, or 38.32%, in favor of it.
A little more than 25% of the state’s registered voters cast ballots. The state question was the only issue on the ballot.
State Question 820 would have legalized recreational marijuana for people ages 21 and older. The measure would have allowed people to possess and use one ounce of marijuana, eight grams of concentrated marijuana or eight grams of marijuana-infused products. It would also have allowed people to have multiple marijuana plants.
Sales of recreational marijuana were to be taxed at 15%, with revenue funding healthcare and education programs in the state.
The measure came nearly five years after Oklahomans legalized the use of medical marijuana, which made Oklahoma one of the top states in the nation for the production of marijuana. The state’s marijuana industry is problematic, however, and littered with organized crime, state officials said.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who did not support the measure, commended voters for rejecting the state question.
“I believe this is the best thing to keep our kids safe and for our state as a whole,” Stitt said. “I remain committed to protecting Oklahomans and my administration will continue to hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a news release: “I’m proud of Oklahomans for rejecting the expansion of organized crime by defeating State Question 820. Regardless of where one stands on the question of marijuana legalization, the stark reality is that organized crime from China and Mexico has infiltrated Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry. I will continue to focus on this serious threat to public safety by targeting the illegal grow operations throughout our state.”
Supporters of the measure criticized the outcome of the election and said they’ll keep pushing for full marijuana legalization.
Michelle Tilley, who led the Yes on 820 campaign, said in a statement Tuesday night: “We didn’t get State Question 820 across the finish line tonight, but the fact remains that marijuana legalization is not a question of ‘if.’ It’s a question of ‘when.’ … We will continue to advocate for change and we are confident that, sooner rather than later, change will come, as it has in 21 other states.”
Twenty-one other states, some of which are generally politically conservative, have legalized recreational marijuana in some fashion. However, other states have also rejected legalization legislation.