Court Rules Oklahoma Won’t Vote On Legalizing Pot in November

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that voters can decide on a ballot proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, but the decision cannot be made until after this November’s general election. The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from the Commonwealth Marijuana Laws Group Oklahoma, which requires the state elections commission to include the state’s Question 820 on ballots for this year’s ballot.

“There is no way to force the inclusion of SQ820 in the November 2022 general election ballot.” Justice Douglas Combs wrote: in majority opinion. “SQ820 will be voted on by Oklahomans in either the next general election on November 8, 2022, or a special election set by the governor or legislature.”

In July, Oklahoma, calling for sensible marijuana laws, submitted a signed petition from more than 164,000 voters in favor of legalization initiatives, increasing the number needed to qualify for the vote by more than 70,000 signatures. But the secretary of state, who was using a new system to verify signatures, took much longer to prove signatures than in previous elections, according to election officials, putting him on the ballot this fall. There was too little time to include questions.

Secretary of State Counselor Jeffrey Cartmel said the service provided by a third-party vendor to verify signatures is probably the first “true signature verification process” the state has ever used. rice field.

“This new process is very different from the historical practice of simply counting the number of individuals who signed the petition, regardless of their voter registration status.” Cartmel wrote in a statement Go to News 9.

The Supreme Court also ruled on legal challenges to state Question 820 on Wednesday, ruling on two petitions seeking to change the bill’s ballot title and summary. The judge also denied a request for a rehearing of two of his challenges to the signature collection process, which the court had already denied.

Campaign director Michelle Tilley said in a statement, “It’s unfortunate that a small number of people with their own political interests could use this process to prevent voters from voting for this in November.” ,we can’t afford to lose sight of how far we’ve come.This is a big deal.Now the petition stage is over and oklahomans are going to vote to legalize recreational marijuana here. Yes, and we can immediately see all the benefits it brings to our state.

State Question 820 Will Rec Weed Be Legal in Oklahoma?

If the proposal is finally passed, State Question 820 would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. The ballot initiative will also task the state’s existing Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority with drafting and implementing rules to regulate the new recreational cannabis industry. The measure also includes provisions that allow those who have been previously convicted of some marijuana offenses to petition the courts to overturn their convictions and expunge their convictions.

State Question 820 sets a 15% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. This is more than double the 7% tax rate charged on the sale of medical cannabis. Taxes generated by the sale of recreational cannabis are passed between the state’s General Revenue Fund, local governments that allow licensed adult-use cannabis businesses to operate in their jurisdictions, state court systems, school districts, and drug treatment programs. is divided by

A Supreme Court decision states that State Question 820 will not be presented to voters until the 2024 general election unless a special election is called by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who voiced opposition to the proposal. But he also said the patchwork policy of cannabis legalization and banning is at issue.

“Do you want the federal government to pass legalized marijuana? Yes. I think that would solve a lot of problems in different states,” Stitt recently told The Associated Press. “But in our state, I don’t think it’s good for Oklahoma to just try to defend our state right now.”

Arshad Rashi, CEO of The Nirvana Group, an Oklahoma-licensed medical marijuana company, said the news of the Supreme Court’s ruling was “industry and consumers alike. “We are disappointed because we were optimistic that recreational marijuana would be on the ballot and voted into law.”

“This setback could prove particularly difficult for small businesses, which may continue to face challenges navigating this saturated market,” Lasi said in an email. high times“We are optimistic that we may have another opportunity for adult marijuana through special elections in the coming months. I can’t.”