Earlier this month, cannabis advocates in Oklahoma started gathering signatures for a citizen initiative that would legalize cannabis for adult use. Citizen initiatives involve people gathering a required number of signatures to place a measure before voters. Citizen initiatives were how many states achieved recreational cannabis legalization, including Colorado and Washington State in 2012.
“The push for legalized recreational marijuana in Oklahoma continued on Day 2 of a 90-day window for supporters to gather approximately 173,000 signatures on the petition for State Question 837, a measure that would put the matter in voters’ hands next year.” reported News9 in its local coverage on August 8th regarding the number of signatures needed to make the ballot.
The campaign has 83 days left to gather the necessary signatures. Below is an embedded map of locations in Oklahoma where voters can sign the citizen initiative:
“During a March 7, 2023 special election, Oklahoma voters defeated Question 820, a ballot initiative to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults.” writes the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) about Oklahoma’s recent attempt to legalize recreational cannabis on its website. “State authorities could have placed the voter initiative on the November 2022 general election ballot, but instead put it on a standalone special election ballot in March 2023.”
“Over 8.5% of Oklahomans are registered as medical cannabis patients. The state also took a “free market” approach to cannabis businesses. As of June 2024, it has more than 3,600 licensed growers and over 2,000 dispensaries.” MPP wrote about Oklahoma’s current medical cannabis industry.
Currently, twenty four states in the U.S. have adopted adult-use cannabis legalization measures. Additionally, forty states have approved medical cannabis legalization measures. Washington D.C. has legalized cannabis for both medical and recreational use.