by OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma voters rejected a statewide question Tuesday to allow recreational use of marijuana, after a latest flurry of opposition from religious leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors.
Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis, joining conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have passed similar proposals in recent years. Many conservative states also rejected the idea, including Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota last year.
Republican Governor Kevin Stitt and many of the state’s Republican lawmakers, including nearly all of the Republican senators, opposed the idea. Former Republican Governor Frank Keating, a former FBI agent, and Terri White, former director of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, spearheaded the «no» campaign.
“We are pleased that the voters have spoken,” said Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who led the opposition campaign. “We think this sends a clear signal that voters are unhappy with the recreational nature of our medical system. We also think it shows that voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need to address the state’s mental health needs.»
The “no” side spent more than 20 to 1, and supporters of the initiative spent more than $4.9 million, compared with $219,000 against, latest campaign finance reports show.
State Question 820, the result of a signature drive last year, was the only item on the state ballot, and early results showed strong opposition in rural areas.
“We don’t want a drugged society,” Keating said Monday, flanked by district attorneys and law enforcement officers from across the state.
He proposal, if passed, would have allowed anyone over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, plus concentrates and marijuana-infused products. Recreational sales would have been subject to a 15% excise tax on top of the standard sales tax. The excise tax would be used to help fund local municipalities, the court system, public schools, substance abuse treatment, and the state’s general revenue fund.
The prospect of more Oklahomans smoking anything, including marijuana, did not sit well with Mark Grossman, an attorney who voted against the proposal Tuesday at Crown Heights Christian Church in Oklahoma City.
“I voted against it because I am against smoking,” Grossman said. “Smoking tobacco was a big problem for my family.”
Oklahoma voters already approved medical marijuana in 2018 by 14 percentage points, and the state has one of the most liberal programs in the country, with about 10% of the state’s adult population licensed medically.
Low barriers to entry into the industry have led to a rush of growers, processors, and dispensary operators competing for a limited number of customers. Supporters expected the state’s marijuana industry to be boosted by a flood of customers from other states, particularly Texas, which has about 8 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, just over an hour away. by car from Oklahoma. edge.
“With a special election in March and no other issues on the ballot, we knew from the beginning that it would be an uphill battle,” said Brian Vicente, a steering committee member who supports the question. “Overcoming a century of anti-marijuana propaganda is no easy task, and there is still work to be done.”
