Recreational marijuana signature collection begins

Petitioners looking to get a recreational marijuana question on the ballot in Oklahoma could soon be coming to a shopping center, park or festival near you.

The signature collection period for State Question 837 begins on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Organizers will have until Thursday, Nov. 6 at 5:00 p.m. to submit at least 172,993 valid signatures to the Secretary of State’s office.

State Question 837 is written as a constitutional amendment, which requires the most signatures of any initiative petition but is more difficult for the Legislature to modify. The proponents of 837 were critical of State Question 820, the last recreational marijuana question that voters soundly rejected in March 2023, because it was an initiated state statute. There were also concerns the initiative could adversely affect the medical marijuana industry.

In addition to legalizing recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over, State Question 837 also proposes several legal protections for cannabis users. For instance, businesses would not be able to deny healthcare, housing or employment due to recreational cannabis use. You can read the full text of the measure here.

This will be first initiative petition to operate under Senate Bill 1027, which imposes several new restrictions on signature gatherers. Jed Green, a proponent of State Question 837 and director of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action, told Oklahoma Voice the legislation amounts to “extra administrative work.”

Interested in signing the petition? Here are some things to keep in mind:

• You must be a registered voter to sign the petition. To check your voter registration status, visit the OK Voter Portal.

• Make sure to sign the form using your full legal name that matches your voter registration record.

• You can sign the petition regardless of your county of residence. For instance, you can sign a petition being circulated in Oklahoma County if you reside in Canadian County.

• Signing a petition isn’t an admission of support for the proposition. Just a statement that you’d like to see the issue reach the ballot and be voted on by the people.

The last initiated constitutional amendment to reach the ballot was State Question 802, the Medicaid expansion question, in 2020. That initiative narrowly passed, thanks to strong support in urban areas.

If organizers collect the required number of signatures, State Question 837 is likely to make the ballot sometime in 2026, possibly alongside State Question 832 in June.

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