Voters on Tuesday struck down a measure in Oklahoma to legalize recreational marijuana use.
If the tables had been turned, State Question 820 would have allowed for people over 21 to buy and use marijuana recreationally, as well as have up to one ounce of the substance at a given time, per The Associated Press.
It would also have paved a path for those who’d been charged with marijuana-related crimes to get their convictions expunged and their sentences reversed or modified.
The proposal called for a 15% excise tax on nonmedical marijuana sales and the funds generated would be allocated as follows:
- 30% to school programs that improve student retention and performance and that prevent substance abuse in schools.
- 20% to drug addiction treatment programs.
- 10% to courts.
- 30% to the state’s general revenue fund.
- 10% to local municipalities.
State Question 820’s defeat comes five years after the state voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018, a thriving industry with 400,000 patients and approximately 12,000 licensed businesses, per Politico.
What did proponents of State Question 820 say?
The proposal’s supporters argued that it would generate more tax revenue for the state and keep Oklahomans out of the state’s jails and prisons.
“As recently as 2021, 4,500 Oklahomans were arrested and put in jail for small amounts of marijuana,” said ACLU state director Ryan Kiesel of Say Yes on 820, per KFOR.
Kiesel continued, “The idea that you…
