Desire for change evident in election
THE large turnout for Tuesday’s elections — more than double the total of the 2014 primary — reflected Oklahomans’ desire for change to the status quo. This was particularly evident in the passage of medical marijuana and the rejection of Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb in the Republican primary for governor.
A resounding 57 percent of voters said “yes” to State Question 788, which legalizes medical marijuana in Oklahoma. It now falls to the Legislature and regulators to provide the structure needed to keep this decision from proving disastrous.
The problem all along with SQ 788, and the reason it was opposed by medical groups, law enforcement and the business community, was that its broad language and liberal allowances essentially make it recreational marijuana. As proposed, SQ 788 lets a patient 18 or older request a two-year license without any qualifying conditions. The decision on whether to provide a license is to be left up to doctors.
Yet once a license is granted, the question calls for users to keep six mature marijuana plants and six seedling plants on their property. They can have up to 3 ounces of pot on their person and up to 8 ounces at home. The license entitles them to 4 ½ pounds of edible marijuana.
The ballot language gave the state just 30 days to get up and running. A special session is likely, for the Legislature to craft regulations. Meantime the state Health Department has been working on proposed emergency rules it hopes to have approved by its board by July 10.
One of those would allow only board-certified medical doctors or osteopaths to issue licenses. Another would prohibit medical marijuana patients from smoking or vaping pot in the presence of anyone younger than 18, or in any place where smoking tobacco is prohibited. Sellers of medical marijuana wouldn’t be allowed to offer products that would appeal to kids.
These are all very much needed. Although voters backed with gusto the pro-788 argument that pot can provide relief to people suffering from various ailments, significant concerns about its passage remain. It is incumbent on the Legislature to produce strict guidelines aimed at making Oklahoma’s marijuana law more than medical in name only.
In the Republican primary for governor, the headline was Lamb’s surprising failure to advance to the twoman runoff Aug. 28. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett finished first and Tulsa businessman Kevin Stitt was second. Stitt had about 2,400 more votes than Lamb in a race where roughly 452,000 votes were cast for the 10 GOP candidates.
Lamb, two-term lieutenant governor and a former state senator, entered the race in 2017 as a strong favorite. He campaigned as a proven conservative with the experience needed to lead Oklahoma. He also tried to distance himself from Gov. Mary Fallin, whose approval rating has tumbled in the past few years, and from the Legislature in general.
Cornett and Stitt pounded on the theme that they’re legislative outsiders who will bring a fresh approach to state government. Republican voters for governor let it be known they’re willing to try something different.