Recreational marijuana question up for vote?

Efforts are underway to get another recreational marijuana question before Oklahoma voters.

Adam Johnson and Jed Green, who was part of the successful medical marijuana campaign in 2018, filed State Question 837 with the Secretary of State’s office on March 31. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to 12 marijuana plants, 72 ounces of edible marijuana and eight ounces of commercially sold marijuana. A business license would be required to possess higher amounts.

The proposal also grants cannabis users several legal protections.

Individuals on probation, parole or pretrial release could not be penalized for using marijuana. Law enforcement would not be able to presume impairment or intoxication based solely on marijuana use.

State Question 837 comes two years after Oklahoma voters soundly rejected State Question 820, which sought to legalize adult cannabis use and expedite the expungement of certain marijuana-related offenses.

Green told The Oklahoman that State Question 837 differs from State Question 820 in several ways, including how the medical marijuana industry is regulated and how tax revenue is doled out. State Question 820 was also an initiated state statute and not a constitutional amendment, which would have been easier for the Legislature to roll back.

Organizers will have to collect at least 172,993 signatures within 90 days and survive potential legal challenges to qualify for the ballot. The question could appear before voters sometime in 2026.

State Question 837 could be affected by Senate Bill 1027, a pending bill in the Legislature that adds several hurdles to Oklahoma’s initiative petition process. Critics argue the bill, which caps the number of signatures that may be collected in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties and requires signature gatherers to advertise if they are being paid, unduly burdens petitioners and is possibly unconstitutional.

Senate Bill 1027 was on Monday’s House Elections and Ethics Committee meeting agenda. It must clear the committee and full House to reach Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk.

Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.