On Tuesday, the State Question 820, received more than 61.5% “No” votes which means legalization of Marijuana rejected by 61.5% people in Oklahoma. This ballot was supposed to legalize the purchase and possession of marijuana for anyone of the age of 21. James Smith, president of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, informed about same on Monday in the rally in Oklahoma City on Monday.
This ballot would have recreational of 1 ounce of marijuana and the growth of up to six mature marijuana plants and up to six seedlings. If the ballot had passed, there would also have been a 15% tax of sales for recreational marijuana in the state.Oklahoma had joined hands with a number of conservative states whose voters have recently decided against recreational marijuana legalization.
While other conservative states, Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota have declined this type of project. Although Missouri had approved a state constitutional amendments to allow for recreational marijuana in November. In Oklahoma, only almost 10% of the population already has a medical marijuana card, whereas out of the remaining 90%, 61.5% had rejected the plan and 28.5% voted a ‘Yes’.
Paul Boudreaux, 67, a lawyer who is a popular on local television commercials voted a ‘no’ and said that, “I’ve got no problem with the use of marijuana. I think the harm that can come of this, especially when the drug cartels are coming in from everywhere, because it’s totally uncontrolled, exceeds the good and the tax money that the state will acquire”. As per him the Tuesday’s vote a “difficult choice.”as he had supported medical marijuana.
In 2018, Oklahoma citizens had approved a ballot measure legalizing the use, sale and growth of medical marijuana.But recreational use of marijuana still remains illegal in the state. There are total 12,395 of commercial licenses that Oklahoma has issued to businesses for medical marijuana operations. Out of which 123 transporters, 2,648 dispensaries, 1,669 processors and huge number of 7,955 growers have commercial license.
US Sen. James Lankford posted on his twitter page as,“Oklahoma has seen marijuana use skyrocket, hurting our communities and families. Protect our kids by voting NO on March 7 on State Question 820 to protect our state from a dramatic increase of Marijuana sales.”
The recreational use of marijuana was highly opposed by the state’s Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, law enforcement, religious leaders, farmers’ groups & other GOP lawmakers.
The Associated Press reported that, the legalization campaign had spent $4.9 million to promote the measure while the opposition spent a huge sum of $219,000
Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt said that he“thinks it’s a bad idea” because recreational marijuana is still illegal federally and believes “the feds need to make a decision about marijuana. We already have medical marijuana to help the sick or the people that need it for pain relief, etc. And so, I think marijuana is bad for young people.
I think people need to understand the side effects of that. I think we need to be protecting Oklahoma from a recreational standpoint.” Those opposed to recreational marijuana in Oklahoma, including Stitt, had also noted that the state already has medical marijuana.
