Recreational marijuana will not be on Oklahoma ballots as group falls short of signature minimum
Caroline MolloyThe effort to put a state question to legalize recreational marijuana on Oklahoma ballots failed after advocates failed to get enough signatures.
Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action announced that the group failed to reach the minimum 173,000 signatures required to put State Question 837 on the ballot. The deadline to collect those signatures was Nov. 3.
While failing to reach the necessary number, the group touted the effort. They said they have a substantial number of signatures, and they expect to share their preliminary in-house count this week.
In early October, Jed Green, who leads the group, said they had likely collected more than 100,000 signatures across Oklahoma.
“We have a lot of high-functioning overachievers in our industry, and they’re knocking it out, and we also have a lot of slackers in our industry. That’s just how cannabis rolls. So, we’ll find out here, along with a lot of other folks, exactly how we did,” Green said in October.
Petitions were distributed across 500 locations statewide.
“This has been an incredible effort, and I’m extremely proud of so many of you! Now then, we’ve got some things to discuss this week, including agency actions, incoming rules, DUI laws (you’re going to want to know this, and make sure all the defense attorneys do as well – I got you guys) – THCA / synthetics update and upcoming legislative session!” the group said in a social media post.
The group faced a hurdle that previous initiative petitions have not. The state Legislature changed the way initiative petitions are gathered this year, meaning more work for Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action.
This was the first petition drive under the new initiative petition procedures in Oklahoma.
The new law, Senate Bill 1027, passed in May, restricts the number of signatures that can be gathered in each county to a maximum of 20.8%, forcing petition drives to reach more rural areas rather than focusing solely on Oklahoma’s two largest counties.
