Oklahoma voters soundly rejected a ballot initiative to become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana last night.
Special election results show roughly 60% of voters cast their ballot against approving State Question 820. This comes even though marijuana is widespread in the Sooner state.
There are thousands of dispensaries here and almost 10% of Oklahomans carry a medical marijuana card.
But, that obviously didn’t mean it was popular with Oklahomans, says Vote No campaign consultant Pat McFerron.
"It should be considered a strong message to the legislature that Oklahomans reject recreational marijuana. And that's really what we have with our current medical program. So I hope this gives them the ability and political cover to really make our medical program truly medical," said McFerron.
The campaign behind the legalization amendment, spent more than $4 million on the effort.
Campaign advisor Ryan Kiesel was succinct in his assessment of the loss.
"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. And well tonight, we came up short," Kiesel said.
Rural voters were critical in knocking down the effort. Marijuana farms are commonplace throughout rural Oklahoma and despite the loss, they’re likely here to stay.
Many cannabis business owners were hoping for legalization of recreational weed Tuesday.
Industry leaders like Blake Cantrell – who owns The Peak Dispensary in Oklahoma City – had this advice for his fellow marijuana business owners.
“Stick it out, because while this doesn't help us necessarily directly as it would have if it were to pass, it also doesn't directly hurt us," said Cantrell.
The booming medical marijuana industry has hundreds of thousands of customers and will continue to operate in the state.
Senate Republicans are moving closer to significantly restricting what kinds of material can be in public and school libraries as a bill moved off the Senate floor yesterday.
GOP State Senators Warren Hamilton and George Burns are the authors of Senate Bill 397, which would divide library material into four age categories: ‘Elementary’, ‘Junior High’, ‘Under 16’, and ‘Juniors and Seniors.’
Materials listed under ‘Juniors and Seniors’ may include material not suitable for minors and would be relegated to a section of the library only accessible to staff. Materials would only be made available to individuals under eighteen if they present written permission from parents or guardians.
The bill also bans any material at libraries that a legal adult “applying contemporary community standards would find has a predominant tendency to appeal to a prurient interest in sex.”
"We know the underlying currents that are in effect right now that are trying their best to stop education from being a process that is open. This is a problem that we are creating, not a problem that is trying to be solved, said Oklahoma City Democrat George Young.
The bill can now be heard in the House.
The founder of one of Oklahoma’s most iconic businesses has died.
Tom Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, died Tuesday at age 85.
In 1964, Tom and his wife, Judy, opened their first store in Watonga. Over the next several decades, their family business grew into a multi-billion dollar company with 600 locations as of last October.
Born in Oklahoma City, Love was involved with the Oklahoma City Thunder, OU and OSU, and multiple charities.
A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Love was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2019.
Several state elected officials released statements of their condolences on Tuesday.
Muscogee Nation's Lighthorse police, emergency responders and hospitals are receiving an upgrade to their communications system.
Citing public safety concerns for their employees, tribal leaders within the Muscogee Nation bought more than 300 new radios and dispatch systems that will reach EMS, police and healthcare facilities enabling each department to respond quicker when people need help.
The purchase was made possible by a collaborative effort between L3 Harris, a communication and technology company, the City of Broken Arrow and Muscogee Nation. The overall cost was more than $3 million.
The move comes as the tribal nation continues ramping up public safety efforts. Since the landmark McGirt vs Oklahoma decision determined that the Muscogee Reservation was never disestablished, Muscogee Nation has spent millions of dollars hiring more police officers, prosecutors and judges.
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