Medical marijuana petition organizers to host party to submit signature forms
Oklahoma City - Oklahomans for Health will hold their first in a series of gatherings to thank volunteers who have been working over the summer months to collect signatures for State Questions 787 and 788, the medical marijuana petitions, and to encourage them to turn sheets in before the deadline.
One week remains before the August 11th deadline to submit signature sheets to the Oklahoma Secretary of State in an attempt to make the November 8 ballot for a vote.
State Question 787 would implement new petition standards into Oklahoma law to allow for a full year to collect signatures on initiative petitions, rather than the current 90 days. The petition would also allow the use of letter size paper in place of legal size to reduce costs. The third element of the petition would make it much harder for the Oklahoma Legislature to repeal a state question passed by a vote of the people within the first two years of enactment.
State Question 788 would legalize the use of medical marijuana and derivatives from the plant for treatment of conditions under the care of a doctor. This would include the ability for research on the plant to determine further uses for medical purposes to help with such conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, lupus, Crohn's Disease and cancer treatment.
The first event for those collecting signatures to meet and submit completed sheets or those who wish to sign will be on Thursday, August 4 at the Oklahoma City Farmer's Market at 311 South Klein Avenue.
The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Three bands will perform. Bryan and Brandon Rolin, a father and son red dirt group, will play from 6:30 to 7:30. Randy Cassimus, an OKC musician with the High Def Howlers, will play an acoustic set from 7:30 to 8:30.
The final act, performing from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., will be Fresh Juice Party, a band very active in political involvement.
Taken from their website, "We are politically conscious and active artists who write, record and perform music, design visuals and create happenings. Partners for over 20 years, the songwriting duo Craig Casey & Pratibha Gautam are the backbone of this sprawling musical, artistic and political juggernaut.
“FJP is NOT yo' momma's protest music! Defying easy categorization, their infectious and catchy songs range from pop, reggae, acoustic, gospel, and hard rock. FJP plays a large collection of wildly danceable original tunes full of punch...er, we mean: juice!"
Notaries will be on hand to validate sheets submitted by volunteers, and sheets will be available for signing should Oklahoma registered voters wish to add to the total number of signatures. Delmar Garden will also be open and have food trucks available for guests, and Joe Dorman, board member for Oklahomans for Health, will be serving slices of watermelon from Rush Springs for attendees.
If unable to attend the event on Thursday night, please consult the website or Facebook page for Oklahomans for Health to find active locations to sign the petition. For questions about this and upcoming events over the next week, visit oklahomansforhealth.com or call (405) 568-8774.
Copyright 2016 The Gayly - 8/3/2016 @ 3:38 p.m. CDT