Oklahoma marijuana bill fails in Senate ahead of ballot vote

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A bill that would legalize and regulate medical marijuana in Oklahoma has failed to pass in the Senate amid concerns over anticipating a vote by residents.

Oklahoma voters will go to the polls June 26 to determine if a state question to legalize medical marijuana should pass.

Democratic state Senate Minority Leader John Sparks says it's bad policy to pre-empt the public's vote on a state question. He says it could create confusion if both the bill and the state question passed.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Ervin Yen, has put his measure on a procedural motion to reconsider the vote.

Yen says the ballot question as written would legalize recreational marijuana, whereas his measure would legalize and also regulate medical marijuana.

Copyright Associated Press, all rights reserved.

The Gayly. March 14, 2018. 2:19 p.m. CST.