Extra: State Question 820
Vote on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Oklahomans are asked vote on State Question 820: Recreational Marijuana Legalization Initiative.
Whenever a state question comes up, I like to share the text before the election to give everyone a chance to understand what they’re voting on. Some of these questions can be quite wordy and the compact format they’re presented on the ballot isn’t the most readable.
I’m not going to share my opinion on it here. I’m going to save that for the next episode of the Blog Oklahoma Podcast. I encourage you to do your own research. I’ve provided a couple of links below with more information about SQ820.
Here is the text as it will appear on the ballot. I’ve added line breaks to make it a bit easier to read.
State Question 820
State Question 820 / Initiative Petition No. 434
This measure creates a state law legalizing recreational use marijuana for persons 21 or older.
Marijuana use and possession remain crimes under federal law.
The export of marijuana from Oklahoma is prohibited.
The law will have a fiscal impact on the State.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission will collect a 15% excise tax on recreational use sales, above applicable sales taxes.
Excise tax revenues will fund implementation of the law, with any surplus revenues going to public school programs to address substance abuse and improve student retention (30%), the General Revenue Fund (30%), drug addiction treatment programs (20%), courts (10%), and local governments (10%).
The law limits certain marijuana-related conduct and establishes quantity limits, safety standards, restrictions, and penalties for violations.
A local government may prohibit or restrict recreational marijuana use on the property of the local government and regulate the time, place, and manner of the operation of marijuana businesses within its boundaries.
However, a local government may not limit the number of, or completely prohibit, such businesses.
Persons who occupy, own, or control private property may prohibit or regulate marijuana-related conduct, except that a lease agreement may not prohibit a tenant from lawfully possessing and consuming marijuana by means other than smoking.
The law does not affect an employer's ability to restrict employee marijuana use.
For the first two years, marijuana business licenses are available only to existing licensees in operation one year or more.
The law does not affect the rights of medical marijuana patients or licensees.
The law requires resentencing, reversing, modifying, and expunging certain prior marijuana-related judgments and sentences unless the State proves an unreasonable risk to a person.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is authorized to administer and enforce the law.
For the proposal – Yes
Against the proposal – No
Go Vote
The majority of the state will be only voting on SQ820, but a few of you will also have local elections on the ballot. I suggest you view your sample ballot available at the OK Voter Portal.
Early voting is on Thursday, March 2nd and Friday, March 3rd from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The polls are open on Tuesday, March 7th from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Please visit the Oklahoma Elections Board for details.
More Information
Fact Sheet by the Oklahoma Policy Institute
https://okpolicy.org/state-question-820-recreational-marijuana-legalization-initiative/
SQ820 Filing from the Secretary of State’s Office
https://www.sos.ok.gov/documents/questions/820.pdf
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_State_Question_820
Ballotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_State_Question_820,_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(March_2023)
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us.
