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The Green Rush continues to surge as Oklahoma gears up for a future with medical marijuana. Voters in the midwestern state voted Tuesday to back the medical use of the plant, going against opposition from law enforcement and leaders.
“State Question 788, the result of an activist-led signature drive launched more than two years ago, makes it legal to grow, sell and use marijuana for medicinal purposes,” ABC News explains. “The proposed law outlines no qualifying conditions, which would allow physicians to authorize its use for a broad range of ailments — a fact that sparked bitter opposition, particularly from law enforcement.”
The proposed law would allow someone to possess up to eight ounces of marijuana, six mature plants, and six seedlings with a two-year medical marijuana license. It would also permit possession of edibles and concentrated forms of Mary Jane.
Despite Oklahoma’s reputation as a conservative state, ABC notes, it appears its stance on marijuana has shifted significantly in recent years, particularly among the younger part of the population.
“I’ve found almost half of all Republicans support it, so that’s going to take an awful lot of money and an awful lot of organized opposition for this to lose on Election Day,” pollster Bill Shapard, who has surveyed Oklahoma residents regarding marijuana for years, stated.
Of course, there’s definitely still pushback. Connie Givens, a 67-year-old Republican from Oklahoma City, said she doesn’t believe medical marijuana use is “a written right,” and believes the measure was put in place “just so people can get marijuana.”
Oklahoma’s vote comes days after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that most residents caught smoking weed in public won’t be arrested beginning in September. Thirty days prior, he ordered the NYPD to reconsider how it goes about handling weed in the city, heightening expectations for legalization in the city.
Sticky Green is CASSIUS’ hub for all things weed. Want to spark up an idea? Pitch Stephanie Long at slong(at)ionedigital(dot)com.
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