OKLAHOMA CITY — A coalition of group, enterprise and regulation enforcement leaders filed papers with the Oklahoma Ethics Fee this week to oppose State Query 820, the hassle to legalize leisure marijuana.
Voters go to the polls March 7 to vote on the proposal throughout a particular election.
Former Gov. Frank Keating is the chairman of the group, Shield Our Youngsters No 820.
Keating
“We merely should shield our youngsters,” Keating mentioned. “This state query goes nicely past the poll abstract voters will see. Only one instance is that hidden inside this query is a clause that expressly lowers the authorized threshold for baby endangerment. It features a prohibition on our court docket system from contemplating marijuana utilization in baby custody and visitation circumstances. These are only a few of the issues.”
Voters have already legalized leisure marijuana.
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Out-of-control unlawful marijuana grows are straining our state’s utility suppliers and have introduced organized crime and violence to rural areas, mentioned Rodd Moesel, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president and coalition member.
He known as it “reckless” to think about increasing marijuana entry.
Tulsa County District Lawyer Steve Kunzweiler mentioned regulation enforcement group is simply beginning to get a deal with on all the exercise round medical marijuana.
“To go in and cross new legal guidelines that additional tie the arms of regulation enforcement could possibly be devastating,” he mentioned in a press release. “For instance, passage of this state query basically prohibits us from even making an attempt to maintain marijuana out of our center faculties and excessive faculties as a result of it units the punishment for underage use at 4 hours of counseling, no matter what number of occasions it’s on college grounds.”
Pat McFerron, a marketing campaign guide, mentioned the group hopes to boost cash to take out advertisements within the media and on social media platforms.
The group desires to run a full marketing campaign and each greenback might be spent on educating the general public on the difficulty, he mentioned.
“We all know time is brief, so we’d like everybody’s assist in educating the general public about how SQ 820 will additional hurt our state,” Keating mentioned. “By looking out NO SQ820 you will discover our Fb web page and be a part of our coalition. We’ll have a web site and different methods to get engaged quickly.”
Michelle Tilley is the marketing campaign director for Oklahomans for Wise Marijuana Legal guidelines.
Tilley mentioned she anticipated opposition.
Opposition has popped up in different states that sought to legalize leisure marijuana, she mentioned.
Oklahoma voters are fairly clever to scare ways versus actuality, she mentioned.
“Different states had these similar scare ways, they usually have legalized,” she mentioned. “They haven’t seen a rise in any underage marijuana use or any unfavourable penalties, like we anticipate the opposition goes to throw on the market.”
Chip Paul labored to get State Query 788, legalization of medical marijuana, on the poll and handed in 2018.
He mentioned there was opposition to that measure, as nicely.
Paul doesn’t assume State Query 820 has the assist that some imagine it has.
He mentioned the measure is poorly written and he might be opposing it.