Medical marijuana question unlikely to appear on the 2016 ballot

Oklahomans for Health vows to seek a special election after legal hurdles are cleared

by Rob Howard
Associate Editor

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt issued a new title for State Question 788, the question that could approve the sale of medical marijuana in the state. The new title composed by Pruitt’s office makes the quest sound like it legalizes all marijuana sales in the state, which it does not.

Pruitt also in his statement that the petition to place the question on the ballot that “the signatures were not submitted with enough time to allow this process to be played out completely.”

Faced with an arbitrary deadline of Friday, August 26, it appears unlikely that the question will appear on the 2016 general election ballot.

Pruitt outlined the process in his statement, saying, “After the Attorney General's Office submits the substitute ballot title to the Secretary of State, it must be published and opponents must have ten business days to object to the ballot title based on the validity or number of signatures or a challenge to the ballot title. Pursuant to 34 O.S. § 12, the governor cannot issue the proclamation placing the initiative petition on the ballot until the timeline for objections and protests has passed.”

Reaction from Oklahomans for Health, the organization that led the petition drive was swift. On their Facebook page, the organization said, “The Oklahomans for Health challenge to the title won't delay us beyond the November ballot, they have already decreed that it won't be on this ballot. The decision was made after we submitted our petition language. This is a direct attack on the will of the People by the powers-that-be in this state.

“So instead of accepting a clearly biased ballot title we should take our time to fight for a better one.

“Once we survive the legal challenges, we don't need to wait until 2018. We can and will force a special election, whatever the cost, through direct action. People's lives are on the line, and as a state we have spent too much on far too little. Whatever the cost of the special election, the gains to the health and the welfare of our state will be worth much more.

“If there's one thing we've learned in the current election is that people on both sides of the aisle are tired of the government not doing what the people want. This is not some Kingdom where the Queen decides whether or not they feel the people showed enough responsibility in their decision. This is a direct attack on Grassroots democracy. With the current budget crisis in the state, you would think the Republicans have something better to do than to stand in the way of the free market.

“We have been fighting to legalize medical marijuana for years and together we have achieved something that is historic in Oklahoma. The will of the people of Oklahoma has been heard and now is the time for victory.”

Earlier in the week, Ryan Kiesel, ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Director said in a statement, “The successful grassroots effort by Oklahomans across the political spectrum is a testament to the overwhelming support for rethinking Oklahoma’s prohibition against medical marijuana. Whether timing allows this proposal to reach the ballot in November or pushes the proposal to a later date, make no mistake about it, Oklahoma is one step closer to ending an illogical and harmful policy that stands between patients and medical marijuana. We understand that several deadlines may prevent this important question from being included on the November ballot, but nevertheless, we encourage all of those involved to move with the greatest of speed and urgency in an attempt to meet those ballot deadlines.

“The 67,761 Oklahomans who signed this petition will have their voices heard in this election or the next. Timing aside, it is increasingly clear that the people of Oklahoma will have an opportunity in the very near future to cast their ballot in favor of a modern, medically proven and evidence based drug law. That fact alone is cause for celebration.

To read the new title submitted by the Attorney General’s office, click here.

Watch www.Gayly.com for continued coverage of this issue.

The Gayly – August 27, 2016 @ 2 p.m