With over 4,200 cannabis licenses issued to date, Oklahoma will now try and approve recreational marijuana

Oklahoma activists submit signatures for initiative to legalize recreational pots

Cannabis activists in Oklahoma have made a significant feat in their attempt to legalize recreational cannabis in the state. This week activists submitted more than 160,000 signatures on petitions qualifying ballot initiatives to legalize recreational cannabis for the 2022 general election.

Signatures for State Question 820 were submitted to the State Capitol by the Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws. The filing was made on Tuesday, July 5, 2002, almost a month before the November eligibility deadline.

If enacted, State Question 820 would legalize the recreational use of cannabis for those 21 and older. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority will also be charged with the initiative to develop and implement regulations to oversee the emerging recreational cannabis industry.

Campaign officials claimed that getting the signatures needed to qualify for the ballot initiative was quick across the state. According to them, survey data also indicated that Oklahomans showed strong support for recreational cannabis use. The Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws had until August 1 to raise 94,910 to qualify the initiative for this year’s vote. But surprisingly, after Tuesday’s filing, the required signatures were dwarfed by approximately 70,000 signatures.

According to Michelle Tilley, the campaign director, the number of signatures they have been able to collect shows that the campaign has enough momentum. Most importantly, it shows that Oklahoma is willing to vote to legalize recreational marijuana.

Ryan Kiesel, the senior campaign adviser, also said he expects the initiative to be popular with voters during the November election. Ryan confirmed to local media that Oklahoma activists expect them to approve the initiative.

Initiative includes provisions to eliminate cannabis-related crime

e Question 820 also contains provisions allowing individuals with prior cannabis convictions to appeal to the courts to have their conviction overturned and their criminal record erased. Campaign officials firmly believe that clean criminal records would benefit thousands of people as part of the initiative.

Kiesel reiterated that Oklahomans support the law as they believe people should not be repeatedly punished for an act that is no longer criminal.

State Question 820 also seeks to establish a 15% tax on recreational cannabis sales, slightly doubling the 7% tax rate on medicinal cannabis sales. Revenue from taxes on cannabis sales responses would then be allocated to drug treatment programs, school districts, the state court system and local governments that allow legal recreational cannabis businesses to operate. Kiesel also pointed out that legalized adult-use cannabis offers the state a new and massive revenue stream.

Kiesel tried to clarify that medical cannabis was never intended to generate huge revenue for Oklahoma, it was all about medicine. But when it comes to recreational cannabis, it’s a huge revenue stream. The revenue currently being generated from medicinal cannabis is believed to be very small given the expected revenue from recreational cannabis sales.

Because petitions supporting the initiative garnered massive support in metro Oklahoma, Question 820 has a sizeable constituency outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. From Ardmore to Broken Bow to Woodward, Kiesel reiterated that the campaign has hit the spot.

According to Kiesel, the initiative has garnered massive support and the campaign’s momentum is at an all-time high. The number of signatures collected shows Oklahoma’s willingness to vote for recreational cannabis legislation, facilitating huge investments in key government services.

Recreational cannabis could also be legalized through the Oklahoma constitutional amendment initiative

Another group, known as Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action, is also campaigning for passage of a state constitutional initiative. The initiative aims to help legalize the sale and consumption of recreational cannabis for adults. However, since State Question 819 would revise the Oklahoma Constitution, the faction has approximately 3 months to gather 177,957 signatures for the initiative. In this way, the company can qualify for the voting initiative in November.

In an attempt to amend the current Oklahoma Constitution, if enacted, State Question 819 would only be responsible for nominal revisions to its requirements by the state legislature. Nonetheless, the need for a more significant change would require Oklahomans to hold another vote. But as it stands, State Question 820 is threatened with major changes by the legislature because it is a legislative initiative.

Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action campaign director Jed Green called for legalization of recreational cannabis to be included in the state constitution. This protects it from any attempt to be reversed by a state legislature opposed to legal adult cannabis use.

According to Green, given the established legal measure, the current situation is for lawmakers to apply Oklahoma’s double standards to cannabis companies. Green confirmed that lawmakers unexpectedly increased several fees while enacting new regulations for cannabis companies.

In 2018, Oklahomans legalized the sale and use of medicinal cannabis with the passage of State Question 788. However, because the initiative is also a legislative initiative, the Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action is now lobbying for the passage of State Question 818. State Question 818 aims to revise the state constitution to protect the legalization of the sale and use of medicinal cannabis. The group has until August 22, 2022 to collect more than 170,000 signatures for both proposed initiatives.

Conclusion

The cannabis industry has seen nothing but support and growth in Oklahoma in recent years. With medical cannabis reform taking full effect, many Oklahomans are now aware of the massive economic benefits the state can reap from legalizing recreational cannabis.

Judging by the number of signatures on the petition, support for legalizing cannabis is truly at an all-time high and Oklahomaans are poised to vote on State Question 820 next November.

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