The Oklahoma Republican Party is urging its members to vote against a state ballot measure legalizing cannabis, which is up for a special election the following week. The party has referred to the measure as “a cornucopia that provides only delights for the marijuana user to the detriment of other citizens.” Party officials stated in a letter to GOP members across the state on Monday.
“We encourage you to get out and vote on March 7th and beg you to vote NO on SQ 820.” The group’s two main issues with the legalization measure are a clause that would permit tenants to consume cannabis on a landlord’s property and, “second, and much more importantly,” a ban on using marijuana evidence to support child custody decisions.
The letter claims that under SQ 820, “courts would not be permitted to test for marijuana use and would in reality not be permitted to consider use when evaluating the best interests of a child.” Landlords could not forbid tenants from smoking cannabis, which is the only legal way to possess or use the drug.
The call to action comes as pro-legalization activists in Oklahoma have been preparing their own voter turnout drive, releasing TV advertising and door-to-door canvassing earlier this month. The OKGOP letter claims that while the Republican Party’s State Committee as a whole did not vote on a formal position on the legalization proposal, the party’s Central Committee unanimously decided to oppose the reform.
The party leadership said, “We do not take this position lightly, and we take it on this rare occasion because the danger to our children and communities is too great to sit on the sidelines. Claims about how legalizing cannabis could increase revenue, according to GOP leaders, “absolutely nothing to persuade us.”
They said that “the costs to families, schools, and communities far outweigh any generous predicted revenue the state may get.” What would be accomplished by the legalization of cannabis? Those who are 21 years of age and older would be able to purchase and possess up to an ounce of cannabis, as well as grow up to six mature plants and six seedlings for personal use.
.@officialOKGOP central committee unanimously voted to urge Republicans to vote No on #SQ820
“In reality, SQ 820 is a cornucopia that provides only delights for the marijuana user to the detriment of other citizens.”#OkPol pic.twitter.com/GGyiBiAWDh
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) February 27, 2023
The program would be governed by and licenses for cannabis businesses would be granted by the present Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. Products containing marijuana for adult use would be subject to an excise tax of 15%, with the money collected going to an “Oklahoma Marijuana Revenue Trust Fund.”
The money would be divided among the municipalities where the sales took place (10%), the State Judicial Revolving Fund (10%), the general fund (30%), grants for public education programs (10%), and grants for programs involved in substance abuse treatment and prevention (10%).
The money would first be used to cover the cost of administering the program (20 percent). Prisoners who are incarcerated for behavior that the law rendered permissible could “submit a petition for resentencing, reversal of conviction and dismissal of the case, or adjustment of judgment and sentence.”
The courts may also grant an expungement request from someone who has already completed their sentence for such a conviction. The senior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, James Lankford (R), tweeted his own statement on the same day as the new GOP letter pushing voters to reject SQ 820.
The usage of marijuana in the state, according to him, “has seen a skyrocketing increase, affecting our communities and families.” The legalization of medical cannabis in Oklahoma, which was passed by voters in 2018, has drawn constant criticism from Lankford. He made fun of the marijuana laws in his state while speaking on the U.S. Senate floor last year.
We have medical marijuana laws in our state, the senator declared. You can only purchase it with a doctor’s prescription for medical use. You are aware of the source, then. A doctor who will write a script for you and write it regardless of the circumstances might be reached at the medical marijuana dispensary.
Oklahoma has seen marijuana use skyrocket, hurting our communities and families. Protect our kids by voting NO on March 7 on State Question 820 to protect our state from a dramatic increase of Marijuana sales.
— James Lankford (@jameslankford) February 27, 2023
You might tell them, “Well, that’s a medical issue,” he added, “‘My left toe hurts every other Thursday.'” In addition, Lankford argued in an interview that “marijuana is not used for anyone with chronic pain other than just getting high and to escape from the misery,” and he also featured in a TV ad opposing his state’s medical cannabis ballot initiative prior to the 2018 vote.
The U.S. Senate contains a small number of lawmakers, including Lankford, who have repeatedly and proactively opposed cannabis legalization. He has consistently attempted to undermine a congressional budget provision, for instance, that shields state medical marijuana programs from the involvement of the US Justice Department.
Also, he vehemently opposed the inclusion of cannabis banking protections in the 2020 COVID relief legislation. The safeguards were omitted from the finished measure. Political operative Kris Masterman, who previously backed two competing cannabis initiatives that didn’t make it to the ballot, and two supporters from the Last Prisoner Project have also recently commented on SQ 820.
They praised the proposal for putting a focus on criminal justice reforms in a recent Marijuana Moment op-ed. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), on the other hand, is opposed to adult-use legalization, despite having stated last year that he believes prohibition should be ended at the federal level to “address a lot of issues from all these different states” that have legalized cannabis.
Moreover, Stitt stated last year that he believed Oklahoma voters were duped into supporting a state-wide proposal to legalize medical marijuana. According to the Yes on 820 campaign, between 2024 and 2028, greater adult-use legalization may generate $434 million in tax income for the state.
