Federal Government Should Decide On Marijuana, Not States – Oklahoma GOP Gov. Ahead Of Special Election

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) doesn’t support adult-use marijuana legalization by any state, he rather believes the matter should be left to the federal government. In a recent interview, published by Tulsa World, he said, “I believe the fed need to make a decision about marijuana,” writes Cannabis Business Times.

“There shouldn’t be a patchwork of states doing different things,” Stitt said. “We need to let the feds tell us if it’s legal or illegal. We shouldn’t let the states tell us that. We already have medical to meet the medical needs of Oklahomans that need this as a drug. We’re just now getting our arms around medical marijuana. … The recreational thing is a whole different story.”

Stitt’s comments come less than a month before a special election (March 7) in the Sooner State on which voters will say yes or no to State Questions 820 – deciding if Oklahoma will become the latest state to allow recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. Though against a state-by-state marijuana policy, Stitt did allow for a special election, after the petitioners’ failure last fall.

Just recently, cannabis law firm, Vicente Sederberg issued a report on the economic impact of adult use cannabis legalization, projecting that from 2004 to 2028, the state could see $821 million in combined medical and recreational taxes. Out of the total sum, recreational market alone would account for $434 million. Under the proposed measure there would be a 15% state excise tax, standard state sales tax, and possibly local taxes.

Many Oklahomans are aware of these economic and other benefits of the reform and are planning to vote yes, even if they are not cannabis users. Just recently, Tina Jennings, a retired schoolteacher, mom and grandmother, openly explained she doesn’t consume weed herself but intends to vote yes on Oklahoma’s State Question 820.

“To me and many other parents, the legalization of recreational marijuana is not about drugs, it is about putting our state on sounder economic footing, making sensible laws that promote public safety and building a more just state,” said Jennings in The Oklahoman.

Medical Marijuana Struggles

Meanwhile, medical marijuana program in the state has its own challenges. In January, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) revealed it suspects there are around 2,000 potentially illegal medical marijuana licenses in the state.

Agency spokesman, Mark Woodward said at the time that the licenses could have been obtained by fraud or are being used to cover illegal activities such as selling marijuana on the black market, reported Tulsa World.

“We’ve got close to 2,000 under investigation,” Woodward said. “We’re working with our partners to identify the criminal networks involved.”

This is not the first time the issue has been brought to the public's attention. At the end of December, the agency estimated that Oklahoma has become the largest source of illegal marijuana in the country.

“It’s not always clear what we should be looking for,” Logan County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Tillman said at the time.

Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana in 2018 and that included commercial cultivation. Shortly after, hundreds of growers flocked to the state, attracted by affordable land and licenses and loose regulations, according to The Wall Street Journal Market.

Oklahoma has already issued licenses to some 7,000 growers and 2,600 dispensaries. Although in May 2022, past Gov. Stitt signed a measure putting a two-year hold on the issuing of new medical marijuana cultivation, dispensary and processing licenses. The moratorium began on August 1, 2022 and will be in effect until August 2024.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America on Wikimedia Commons and Ramdlon, ganjaspliffstoreuk on Pixabay