Oklahoma’s marijuana rejection reveals pitfalls of push for full legalization

Simply over 10 years since Colorado and Washington grew to become the primary states to legalize leisure marijuana, almost two-fifths of the nation have continued within the pattern of permitting anybody over the age of 21 to buy the substance with out a medical necessity.

However on Tuesday evening, constituents in Oklahoma pulled the plug on a statewide effort to legalize leisure hashish, which means residents will nonetheless be required to have a medical license as a way to enter dispensaries within the state, which is now residence to extra retail hashish shops than Colorado, Oregon, and Washington mixed.

Detractors of State Query 820 made youngsters’s well being considered one of its key points whereas some legislation enforcement fearful a “sure” vote would complicate efforts to crack down on unlawful rising operations all through the state’s rural counties.

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“No matter the place one stands on the query of marijuana legalization, the stark actuality is that organized crime from China and Mexico has infiltrated Oklahoma’s medical marijuana business,” Oklahoma Lawyer Basic Gentner Drummond, a Republican, advised the Washington Examiner, saying he was “proud” that 63% voted in opposition to the measure. Drummond added that he’d “proceed to give attention to this critical menace to public security by concentrating on the unlawful develop operations all through our state.”

Final yr, a person accused of killing 4 Chinese language nationals at an unlawful Oklahoma marijuana farm demanded workers give him $300,000 as a return for his “funding” within the unlawful operation, prosecutors mentioned. And simply final month, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics mentioned folks “tied to violent felony organizations” had a Payne County rising website raided, ensuing within the seizure of 28,000 vegetation and almost 500 kilos of processed marijuana.

Oklahoma, which is residence to Republican firebrands resembling Gov. Kevin Stitt and maintains a GOP supermajority within the state legislature, joined equally conservative states that beforehand rejected efforts to usher in leisure hashish, together with comparable proposal defeats in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota final yr.

Had SQ 820 handed, it will have allowed anybody over 21 to buy and possess 1 ounce of marijuana or focus variants of the substance. Moreover, folks might develop as much as 12 marijuana vegetation. Proponents of the invoice believed the gross sales subjected to a 15% excise tax would assist fund municipalities, public colleges, court docket techniques, and substance abuse therapy alongside the state’s common income fund.

Ryan Kiesel, a former state lawmaker and organizer behind SQ 820, argued leisure hashish would assist entice vacationers from Texas, which has not legalized hashish even for medical functions.

“I would like to have the ability to promote authorized, regulated, and taxed marijuana to these Texans over the age of 21 and take their tax {dollars} and make investments them in Oklahoma colleges and Oklahoma healthcare,” Kiesel mentioned forward of the vote.

State Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter advised the Washington Examiner that a few of his constituents would have been advantageous with SQ 820 passage and mentioned he believes the resounding vote in opposition to the measure “sends a message to the legislature that we have now to proceed our work to higher regulate the prevailing medical marijuana business in Oklahoma.”

“The prevailing perception right here is that marijuana needs to be a viable possibility for individuals who take care of power ache or different sicknesses,” Fetgatter contended, saying he would proceed his work within the state Capitol to deal with considerations resembling “legislation and tax enforcement points, pressure on utilities, unlawful operations, different public issues of safety, and extra.”

Forward of the vote, some native legislation enforcement proponents of the measure launched advertisements suggesting it will assist the state’s felony justice system, whereas others launched statements voicing considerations a few decline in psychological well being linked to extremely potent THC merchandise.

“Oklahoma might be damage by elevated entry to marijuana,” Gourley mentioned in a press release. “Our psychological well being professionals verify that using immediately’s excessive THC product results in psychoses and schizophrenia, two diagnoses which might be immediately tied to homelessness.”

Pat McFerron with Shield Our Youngsters NO 820 advised the Washington Examiner he believes the outcomes in opposition to the Sooner State measure and comparable states that rejected leisure hashish final yr is an indication that “a lot of America is waking as much as the upper ranges of THC which might be accessible [and] the corresponding dependancy.”

Kiesel argued the measure’s passage would additionally scale back the variety of arrests “for small quantities of marijuana,” Kiesel advised NonDoc, stating there have been 4,500 arrests made for minor possession in 2021.

However McFerron argued if anybody is being held in jail on small possession offenses, they’re being held “illegally” because of the passage of State Query 780 in 2016, which made first-time prices for easy possession of any medication, together with heroin, a misdemeanor.

“No person is in jail for marijuana possession,” McFerron mentioned, contending that the state’s legalization for medical functions eliminated heavy penalties for possession.

McFerron said his perception that the overwhelming rejection of SQ 820 was in response to how unfastened the state’s hashish legal guidelines have turn into. “I’ve requested quite a few folks to search out me one one that has been denied a medical card.”

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“Oklahoma … mentioned, ‘Hey, we voted for medical, however that is not what we bought.’ We really bought leisure, and we wished to protest and say, ‘That is not what we would like,’” McFerron mentioned.

The Washington Examiner contacted Kiesel and different backers of SQ 820 for response.