Oklahoma Votes To Legalize Medical Marijuana

Voters in Oklahoma approved a ballot measure making the state the 30th in the nation to allow broad access to medical marijuana. The approval in such a deeply entrenched conservative state is a clear indication that the public at large would like to see some major cannabis laws reformed.

The proposal, which passed by a 57% to 43% margin on Tuesday, will allow doctors to recommend cannabis for any medical condition they see fit. Most other states’ medical marijuana laws dictate specifically which diseases, ailments, and disorders for which physicians can authorize a patient to use medicinal marijuana. However, the law does demand that medical marijuana users be “registered.” Under the new Oklahoma law as drafted, legal patients will receive state ID cards and be allowed to possess three ounces of cannabis in public and store up to eight ounces at home.

But of course, the government will still their unearned cut of all dealings. The state will issue licenses for medical cannabis cultivation, processing, transportation and dispensing businesses, and a 7% retail tax (theft) would be applied to medical cannabis sales. The stolen funds (or taxes) would first go toward covering implementation and regulation costs, with the remainder funding education as well as drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, reported Forbes.

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