By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
Oklahoma voters will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state on March 7. Here’s what you need to know before heading to the polls.
ABOUT THE STATE QUESTION
State Question 820 seeks to legalize recreational marijuana for people ages 21 and older. The measure would allow people to possess and use one ounce of marijuana, eight grams of concentrated marijuana or eight grams of marijuana-infused products. People could have six mature marijuana plants and seedlings.
The law would allow adults to use marijuana in the presence of minor children “unless the behavior of the person creates an unreasonable danger to the safety of the minor child,” the law reads. All fines for violating the law are under $250.
If approved, sales of recreational marijuana would be taxed at 15%. Money would be used to enforce the law, and surplus revenue would be used to fund public schools and other government expenditures.
WHAT ARE ADVOCATES SAYING?
The Yeson820 campaign said in a YouTube video that the measure will increase revenue for schools and healthcare establishments while imposing safety requirements to protect youth. One of the campaign’s main points is that, by decriminalizing marijuana, police could focus on “serious violence,” according to the video.
Kris Masterman, a co-founder of the Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action group, said in a news release: “It is with a full heart that I endorse State Question 820 because I believe it will help Oklahoma businesses and promote criminal justice reform. This will save our state hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary arrests and incarceration, and it will also raise hundreds of millions of dollars in much needed tax revenue.”
The Yeson820 campaign says on its website: “State Question 820 will safely regulate and tax marijuana for adults 21+ in Oklahoma. It will generate millions of dollars in new funding for important priorities like schools, health care, and public safety. State Question 820 will also enact common sense criminal justice reforms, like expungement, so one small mistake doesn’t ruin someone’s life.
“Our measure is a responsible and conservative approach to legalization tailored to Oklahoma. State Question 820 carefully balances personal freedom with responsible regulation. Products will be lab-tested, labeled, tracked from seed-to-sale; and employers will be able to maintain a drug-free workplace.”
WHAT ARE OPPONENTS SAYING?
While there is no official campaign against the measure, it has faced backlash from a variety of political and religious groups. In a Feb. 21 opinion piece for The Oklahoman, guest columnists Mike Brake and Don Newsom said the vote would make Oklahoma less safe and not reduce criminal justice costs.
“States that have legalized marijuana have seen significant increases in traffic accidents, including fatalities, caused by stoned drivers,” the two wrote. “Colorado’s marijuana-linked fatality rate doubled after that state legalized weed. Washington and California have reported similar ominous trends. Recently the Oklahoma Highway Patrol noted that drugs have now surpassed alcohol as a causative factor in serious wrecks. A ‘yes’ vote on March 7 will endanger you and your family each time you leave home.”
They also wrote that the law could exacerbate problems with the state’s existing medical marijuana law, which some view as being too loose.
“Oklahoma is already a national laughingstock as the No. 1 source of illegal weed, thanks to the explosion in cultivation and smuggling that followed medical marijuana legalization,” they wrote. “We’ve seen ghost operators that included Chinese crime syndicates and Mexican cartels, massive smuggling operations and even multiple homicides surrounding the medical weed trade. This is hardly surprising; we have issued 32 times as many grower licenses (8,600) as all other states combined — and that with only medical marijuana.”
WHAT ARE OFFICIALS SAYING?
Gov. Kevin Stitt opposes the measure, saying it would complicate legal matters. Even if the state question becomes law, marijuana would remain illegal federally.
Terri White, who formerly led the state’s mental health agency, said increased marijuana use could worsen people’s mental health problems and harm children, whose brain development is stunted by marijuana use, The Journal Record reported Feb. 22.
“Prevention science has shown clearly over the years that every time you legalize a substance, access to that substance increases for all ages,” she said in The Journal Record story. “(And) as access increases, so do the negative consequences.
“To present this state question as anything other than what its biggest consequence will be – causing increased mental health and substance use issues among our most vulnerable Oklahomans – ignores decades of research and scientific evidence and is disingenuous at best.”
WHERE TO VOTE
Check your voter registration card before heading to the polls March 7. For more information about the vote or necessary voter preparation, contact the Woods County Election Board in Alva by calling 580-327-1452. Visit https://oklahoma.gov/elections.html for more about voting.