Oklahomans will decide on March 7 whether to approve a citizens’ initiated measure (State Question 820) legalizing the adult-use marijuana market.
State Question 820 permits adults to legally possess and home-cultivate personal use qualities of cannabis while also establishing a licensed, retail marketplace. Those with past marijuana convictions, or those who are currently incarcerated for certain cannabis-related crimes, would be able to petition the courts for either record expungement or re-sentencing consideration.
Advocates for SQ 820 in July turned in nearly twice the total of signatures necessary to qualify the initiative for the 2022 ballot. However, the Secretary of State’s office took an excessive amount of time to ultimately verify proponents’ signatures. Opponents of the measure then filed a series of questionable legal challenges litigating various facets of the campaign, including challenges to the initiative’s summary language. Although justices ultimately dismissed those challenges, they did so after time had elapsed for state officials to include SQ 820 on this year’s printed ballots.
In October, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt issued the executive proclamation calling for a special election to be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. State Question 820 will be the only item on the ballot.
Oklahomans previously voted in a special election in 2018 to legalize the cultivation and dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes.
Oklahomans who are not yet registered to vote have until Friday, February 10, to do so. Residents can check their voters registration status or register to vote online via the Oklahoma State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal.
The deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot is Monday, February 20th. Early voting begins on Thursday, March 2nd. Polling location information is available from the OK Voter Portal.
