GOP leaders from both houses of Oklahoma’s legislature are rejecting a call from Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to repeal the legalization of medical cannabis, with Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton saying “the cat’s already out of the bag” on the issue.
During his State of the State address earlier this month, Stitt said his “top priority has always been keeping Oklahoma safe,” and one of the “greatest threats to public safety is the out-of-control marijuana industry,” according to a report from Marijuana Moment.
“When Oklahomans voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018, we were sold a bill of goods,” he said. “Out of state liberal activists preyed on the compassionate nature of Oklahomans. Then, it opened up Pandora’s box.”
The governor added that Oklahoma now has “more dispensaries than we do pharmacies,” saying that cannabis retailers “hide an industry that enables cartel activity, human trafficking, and foreign influence in our state.”
Stitt praised the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), saying the state’s law enforcement agencies have “done incredible work to hold back the tide of illegal activity,” but the industry is “plagued by foreign criminal interests and bad actors, making it nearly impossible to rein in.”
“We can’t put a band-aid on a broken bone,” he said. “Knowing what we know, it’s time to let Oklahomans bring safety and sanity back to their neighborhoods. Send the marijuana issue back to the vote of the people and shut it down.”
Stitt did specify what the voters should decide on, and his office has not released a proposal for a new ballot initiative.
Legislative Leaders Dismiss Stitt’s Plan
Republican leaders in the state legislature including Paxton and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert dismissed Stitt’s call for the repeal of medical cannabis legalization. When Hilbert was asked about the possibility of joint resolution to put medical cannabis back on the ballot, he said that voters have already made their views known in previous elections. While voters support medical cannabis, Hilbert said, they have also shown that they “resoundingly” reject legalizing recreational weed.
“I think that’s the distinction for us as the legislature to follow, as well—making sure that marijuana is truly for medicinal purposes,” said Hilbert. “I think something that the House of Representatives has stood strongly on over the past eight years and will continue to stand strong for this year is differentiating truly medical marijuana versus recreational.”
Paxton also rejected Stitt’s call for a new medical cannabis legalization ballot measure.
“We wouldn’t even need a state question,” the Senate president said. “That cat’s already out of the bag. There are already people in Oklahoma that have set up businesses that are actually trying to do the right thing, trying to do what the will of the people was.”
“I don’t think we need a state question, and going back to the original intent of the 2018 [State Question] 788 vote, it was the will of the people who said they wanted the medical marijuana program,” Paxton said, adding that he doesn’t think “there’s support in the legislature” to pass a resolution to put a new measure on the ballot.
Patient Advocates Reject Governor’s Idea
As can be expected, cannabis advocates also oppose Stitt’s call for a new medical cannabis ballot question. Allen Soleyman, owner of the Okie Wonderland dispensary in Catoosa, said that taking medical cannabis away from patients would hurt the state’s economy and result in more crime.
“A lot of people are doing stuff the right way, following every rule that OMMA and [the Ohio Bureau of Narcotics] has, making sure that all of our employees are credentialed, running background checks, paying our Secretary of State Payments, paying our Oklahoma Tax payments,” he told local media.
Soleyman added he was surprised when he heard Stitt address medical cannabis during his speech.
“The people have already voted for this to be here. So to try to take it back now, it just, it doesn’t feel right. I can’t remember the last time that somewhere had something folded in and then it just got taken away a few years later,” said Soleyman.
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