Legalization effort in Oklahoma suffers a crushing defeat

Voters across Oklahoma today inflicted a decisive defeat on supporters of cannabis legalization by defeating Special Question 820 (SQ 820) by about 60 votes to 40.

The Associated Press called the race for the “no” vote just over an hour after polling stations closed at 7 p.m. local time.

With most rural counties reporting and major cities about 50% complete with the census, SQ 820 lost 63% to 37%.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the state’s two largest urban areas, voted in favor of the legalization measure, but were defeated by overwhelming dissent from the rest of the state.

Oklahoma County (which includes Oklahoma City) voted 54% in favor, while Tulsa voted just 51% for legalization.

Meanwhile, the entire rest of the state has voted against SQ820. In some rural counties, the “No” vote reached 70% and even 80%.