Oklahoma Voters Reject Recreational Pot Legalization Initiative

Oklahoma voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana in the state, which already has one of the most robust medical marijuana programs in the country. However, supporters of State 820 are vowing to continue efforts to legalize adult-use cannabis in Oklahoma.

“Our mission from the beginning has been to create a more prosperous, equitable and secure state,” Yes on 820 campaign manager Michelle Tilley said in a statement after the results of Tuesday’s election were announced. “We are moms and dads who want more revenue in our schools, more law enforcement resources, and more jobs and investment in communities across the state. Unfortunately we came up short tonight.”

Oklahoma voters rejected the legalization initiative by a solid margin, with nearly 62% voting against and just 38% voting in favor as of Wednesday morning, with more than 95% of the vote counted in all 77 counties in the state, according to information from The New York Times . The defeat came after strong opposition from law enforcement groups and Republican politicians, including Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

Oklahoma Supporters vow to continue legalization efforts

SQ 820 supporters originally planned for the ballot measure to appear before voters in last year’s presidential election, but delays in certifying the measure prevented the initiative from entering the vote in November. In October, Stitt announced that voters would go to the polls in a special election on March 7 to vote on the measure.

Brian Vicente, founding partner at cannabis law firm Vicente LLP and a member of the Yes on 820 campaign steering committee, said the failure of the voting measure in Tuesday’s election is not the end of efforts to reform cannabis policy in Oklahoma, where voters Legalized medical marijuana in 2018.

“With a special election in March and no other issues on the ballot, we knew from the start this was going to be an uphill battle,” Vicente wrote in an email to High Times. “The results still show that there is significant support for the legalization and regulation of cannabis for adult use, and we expect it to continue to grow until a similar measure is passed in the near future. Overcoming a century of anti-marijuana propaganda is no easy task, and much remains to be done.”

Had it been passed, SQ 820 would have legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older and established a regulatory framework for the commercial production and sale of recreational marijuana. The measure also included provisions that allow people with prior convictions for some marijuana offenses to apply to courts to have their criminal records erased. Ryan Kiesel, senior advisor to the Yes on 820 campaign, said the defeat of the measure will continue Oklahoma’s disproportionate enforcement of the marijuana ban.

“We have thousands of families that are torn apart and thrown into chaos every year because a mother or father has a small amount of marijuana that would be legal in 21 other states and in Oklahoma for medical card holders,” Kiesel said. “Additionally, enforcement of Oklahoma’s marijuana laws has historically been heavily biased against black Oklahomaners, who are much more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts.” We must continue to work to end these unjust and wasteful arrests and give people with arrests or convictions on their records the tools to request erasure and start with a clean slate.”

Jeffrey M. Zucker, co-founder and president of cannabis consultancy Green Lion Partners and executive vice chairman of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), pledged more work to end cannabis prohibition in the Sooner State.

“Today’s decision in Oklahoma is heartbreaking, especially considering how many challenges this bill faced before it came to the vote and the work that proponents put in,” Zucker said in a statement. “We still have a long way to go to undo the damage of the drug war, especially in a state where more than 4,500 people are arrested for cannabis possession each year.”

The defeat of SQ 820 on Tuesday continues a series of setbacks for the cannabis policy reform movement in traditionally conservative states. In November’s general election, voters in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota voted against pro-recreational marijuana ballot measures, while similar proposals in Maryland and Missouri won.