Weekly Opinion Editorial
POT ON THE BALLOT!
by Steve Fair
Four years ago, Oklahoma passed State Question #788 57% to 43% which legalized
medical marijuana. The poorly crafted
initiative petition was vague and lacked detail about implementation and
oversight. The state legislature has
spent a great deal of time since 2018 putting meat on the 788 bones. Legislation regulating growing and
distribution has resulted in the Sooner state becoming a magnet for grow
operations and dispensaries. Oklahoma has more weed growers (9,000+) than
California, a state with ten times the population. One reason is the cost of $2,500 to get a
license in Oklahoma, as opposed to $100,000 in bordering Arkansas. There is also no cap on the number of
dispensaries or grow operations in the state, but that may be changing in the
future. About 12% of Oklahomans have a
‘medical marijuana’ card. Clearly much
of the pot grown in Oklahoma is being shipped out of the state- which is in violation
of state and federal law. If all the
weed grown by Oklahoma growers were being consumed by Sooner residents, the dispensaries
would be selling it by the bale, not the joint.
Last week, proponents of State Question #820 delivered 120 boxes of
signed petitions to the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office. They claim they got over 164,000 signatures
from Oklahoma registered voters asking SQ#820 to be added to the November
ballot. If approved, it would legalize
adult-use recreational marijuana. The
number of signatures required for an initiative petition is tied to the last
governor’s race in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma
Secretary of State must verify a minimum of 95,000 signatures for the proposal to
get on the November ballot. Three
observations:
First, if SQ#820 makes it to the November
ballot, it will likely pass. Twenty
years ago, Oklahomans would not have embraced legal medical pot, but four years
ago, they did. Added by an influx of
people from more liberal areas of the U.S. into Oklahoma, and young voters, the
measure passed easily. The Sooner state has
changed. Once staunchly conservative
Oklahoma now has more slot machines and weed shops than any place in the world. Misguided criminal justice reform by
well-meaning, but clueless people, has resulted in decriminalizing former crimes
and as a result, Oklahoma is a top ten state in growth of crime against
property. In reality, passage of SQ#820
really would not change much of what is actually being currently practiced in
the state. Oklahoma’s ‘medical
marijuana’ law is just a wink and nod from recreational pot use now.
Second, expect the SQ#820 crowd to sell
passage of the measure to help education. Oklahoma voters will probably buy the
message. Through the years, Oklahomans
have been told passage of parimutuel betting, a state lottery, casino gambling,
and medical marijuana would provide more tax money for education. For years, Oklahomans have been gambling,
drinking, and smoking pot for the kids, yet test scores haven’t dramatically
improved.
Third, Oklahoma could become a top ten
state if SQ#820 passes. The state will
lead the nation in relaxation, paranoia, and the sale of junk food. Citizens
will lose their inhibitions and their good judgment. Worker production will decline, but with everybody
high on dope, including the boss, no one will care. Oklahoma will lead the nation in poor motor
skills and awareness of time.
Conservative Oklahoma has always leaned libertarian, but in recent years has become more antinomian (no law). That is not progress or improvement. Vote no on SQ#820 if it makes it to the ballot.
No comments:
Post a Comment