By NATHAN VINCENT, Staff Writer
Could recreational marijuana be legalized in the state of Oklahoma? Right now, Oklahoma State Question 819 is cleared for signature gathering. State Question 819 would make recreational marijuana legal in the state of Oklahoma.
In June of 2018, the citizens of Oklahoma voted on State Question 788, which legalized medical marijuana for people who needed marijuana for medical reasons. State Question 788 also gave certain caregivers the ability to write medical marijuana cards.
According to Ballotopia and MJBiz.com, State Question 819 would make recreational marijuana legal for persons 21 and older and would impose a fifteen percent excise tax on persons above 21 without a medical marijuana card. Local governments could not restrict the number of marijuana businesses within the city limits.
Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws turned in to the secretary of state’s office about 164,000 signatures. The state requires 94,910 to qualify for a statewide vote. The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office has already certified 117,000 of those signatures, and now it will be reviewed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to determine if it will then move to the next step. All of these steps may not happen in time, however, for the initiative to make it on the November ballot.
