Oklahoma governor sets March election for marijuana question

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday set a statewide election for March 7 for voters to determine whether or not to legalize the leisure use of marijuana, a question Democrats had hoped would be on the November ballot to assist energize liberal voters.

Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws gathered enough signatures to qualify the question for a statewide vote and thought the proposal could be on the poll in November. But as a result of it took longer than traditional to rely the signatures and for courts to think about authorized challenges, there wasn’t sufficient time to print the ballots forward of the November election.

If accredited by voters, the question would legalize the usage of marijuana for any grownup over the age of 21. Marijuana gross sales could be subjected to a 15% excise tax on high of the usual gross sales tax, and the income it generates could be used to assist fund native municipalities, the courtroom system, public colleges, substance abuse remedy and the state’s basic income fund.

The proposal additionally outlines a judicial course of for folks to hunt expungement or dismissal of prior marijuana-related convictions.

Oklahoma already has probably the most robust medical marijuana programs within the nation, with roughly 10% of the state’s residents having state-issued medical playing cards that enable them to buy, develop and eat marijuana.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt stated that whereas he helps the federal legalization of marijuana, he opposes the state question, saying the nation’s patchwork of state legal guidelines on marijuana has turn into problematic.

It’s doubtless {that a} marijuana question on the poll in November would have elevated voter turnout in Oklahoma. About 892,000 voters forged ballots on the medical marijuana question in the June 2018 midterm major election. By comparability, solely about 528,000 voters forged ballots within the governor’s race on this 12 months’s midterm major election.

President Joe Biden’s current announcement that he’ll pardon thousands of people for easy marijuana possession has shined a brand new highlight on legalization efforts. This 12 months, voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota are contemplating measures on leisure marijuana.

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