Making the Case for Medical Marijuana

[patric]

$10.00 says that it won't be long before some talking head from the US Health alphabet soup states that this is non scientific, unfounded, illegal research on a controlled substance that has no use.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the public is misinformed about the consequences of legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, and he is seeing this play out in the courtrooms.
He said Oklahoma is already over producing marijuana, 3 thousand growers for 400 thousand licenses, leaving the rest for the black market.

https://www.krmg.com/news/tulsans-voice-their-opinion-about-recreational-marijuana/7J5OZJHAYFHQPHELH4E6R5FHC4/

So is he saying licensed growers are just selling to the mob?  What happened to their Seed-to-sale tracking bureaucracy?  https://oklahoma.gov/omma/businesses/seed-to-sale.html

[patric]

How the neighbors did. Missouri gets their act together while Arkansas still doesnt seem to be able to shake the corruption.


Missouri: Amendment 3 (Passed)

Missouri passed legislation decriminalizing cannabis for personal use in 2014, and voters approved a medical marijuana program four years later. Now full legalization was on the ballot in Missouri with Amendment 3 — but after little public resistance for months, the proposal faced criticism right before Election Day from several factions as a coalition of officials and organizations banded together to urge voters to reject the initiative.

Ultimately, though, they failed, and voters approved the amendment.

The group Legal Missouri 2022, which is behind the proposed constitutional amendment, says it was written to provide a "level playing field" for the industry while promoting social equity, Marijuana Moment reported. The initiative was endorsed by advocacy organizations including the ACLU of Missouri and all six chapters of Missouri NORML.

Opposition to the measure included false claims from a conservative PAC that it's an attempt to insert critical race theory into the constitution by creating a position of "chief equity officer," and the Missouri Democratic Party alleging that it "may negatively impact minorities, people of color and low-income earning Missourians."

Amendment 3 makes it legal for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to three ounces of non-medical cannabis. It also allows registered home cultivation. Existing medical dispensaries will be licensed to serve adult consumers with a dual license.

Tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales will be used to expunge the records of people convicted of nonviolent cannabis offenses; it will also subsidize veterans' health care, drug treatment, and state public defender programs.

Regulation will be overseen by the Department of Health and Senior Services, with microbusiness licenses issued through a lottery system. Priority for those licenses will be given to low-income applicants and people disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.


Arkansas: Issue 4 (Failed)

Arkansas voters approved medical marijuana in 2016. Now they considered legalizing cannabis for adult use with Issue 4, which would have modified the state's existing medical program.

The Responsible Growth Arkansas campaign turned in over 192,000 signatures in July to qualify for the November ballot. Following an attempt by the state Board of Elections to deny certification to the measure by declaring its wording insufficient, the campaign filed a lawsuit with the Arkansas Supreme Court in August. After weeks of uncertainty, the court ruled in favor of Responsible Growth Arkansas on September 22, clearing the way for the vote.

A September survey by Talk Business and Politics and Hendrix College found that 58.5 percent of Arkansas voters are in favor of the ballot measure, with 29 percent opposed and 13 percent undecided. However, an alliance of progressive cannabis advocates, religious leaders, and pro-Trump politicians — including Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton — was staunchly opposed to legalization. Pro-cannabis critics claim that the measure, which was largely funded by the medical cannabis industry, would have allowed existing medical marijuana businesses to dominate the adult-use market, and reward industry backers of the measure by limiting new competitors.

The proposed law would have allowed adults 21 and over to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis from licensed retailers. It would have repealed residency requirements to qualify for the state's medical marijuana program. Home cultivation would not be permitted, and it would have abolished criminal background checks for people who own less than 5 percent of a cannabis business.

The amendment would have repealed taxes on medical marijuana while allowing the state to charge a 10 percent sales tax on non-medical sales at dispensaries. Thirty percent of tax revenues would have been divided between law enforcement, university research, and state drug court programs, with the remainder going to the state general fund.

https://www.vox.com/2022/11/7/23445044/results-marijuana-legalization-bill-maryland-missouri

[patric]

ST. LOUIS — Adult-use, recreational cannabis can be sold in Missouri dispensaries beginning Friday, giving consumers an unexpected boost to their weekend plans.
Recreational-use marijuana will initially be sold only at already-existing medical-use dispensaries. State health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox said at least 170 of these dispensaries statewide are eligible for licenses Friday, which will be given to any store in good standing with the department.
Recreational-use cannabis became legal when voters passed Amendment 3 last November, allowing non-medical users to possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis and medical users to possess up to 6 ounces.

With recreational-use marijuana now legal, many of the companies expect it will take a big bite out of the still-thriving illegal market. Mueller said the fact that all legal weed is tested for 54 contaminants will appeal to many consumers who have been buying pot on street corners.

Good Day Farm's Gregory said the fact that it is legal can make a big difference. She was in Michigan when the state made the move to legal recreational cannabis.
"I was in a dispensary and a man came in, probably in his 70s. He walked into the store, raised his hands and started crying. He said, 'I never thought I would see the day when I could walk in and buy this plant that has helped me so much,'" she said.
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/surprise-recreational-marijuana-sales-become-legal-in-missouri-on-friday/article_8aa59c2f-6250-59ac-8c6a-7dccfb6907f9.html

Elsewhere...

"If you want your kid to potentially develop mental illness, well then, go ahead, vote for this proposition, go ahead and let them have free access to marijuana if that's your desire," said (Tulsa County District Attorney Steve) Kunzweiler.

[Red Arrow]

Elsewhere...
"If you want your kid to potentially develop mental illness, well then, go ahead, vote for this proposition, go ahead and let them have free access to marijuana if that's your desire," said (Tulsa County District Attorney Steve) Kunzweiler.

Don't forget Reefer Madness....

[patric]

Don't forget Reefer Madness....

Oh, that's at the Capitol:

"One of the biggest current threats to public safety is the presence of Chinese nationals and other elements of organized crime in our medical marijuana industry." Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2023/02/17/ok-attorney-general-gentner-drummond-to-vote-against-recreational-marijuana/69912607007

"Another mega-manufacturer eyeing Pryor industrial park, Gov. Kevin Stitt says"  ...until they see what kind of state they would have to convince young, educated workers to move to.  Maybe they will get lucky and it will be a Chick-fil-A global hub...
/s

[Laramie]

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Interesting take on Recreational Marijuana vote pro and con:  https://youtu.be/UG4HLkorPaY

Personally,  I don't smoke or use marijuana.  Because of my glaucoma issue, I qualify for a medical card; however, my lungs were destroyed years ago
from the affects of second hand smoke.


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[Hoss]

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Interesting take on Recreational Marijuana vote pro and con:  https://youtu.be/UG4HLkorPaY

Personally,  I don't smoke or use marijuana.  Because of my glaucoma issue, I qualify for a medical card; however, my lungs were destroyed years ago
from the affects of second hand smoke.


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You do realize there are other delivery methods?  Edibles, for example?  I prefer those actually.  It's a longer lasting effect than smoking gives.

[Hoss]

Got my absentee on this in the mail last week, getting ready to go out and get it notarized and drop in the mail.

Seeing as how two border states already have rec cannabis (Colorado, Missouri) we might as well get on board too.  The infrastructure is already there.  At some point it's likely to be legalized on a federal level anyway and should be.  It's far better than alcohol from a health standpoint.  I use it occasionally; it helps me sleep on those nights I have insomnia.

Find it funny that Stitt wanted to push the vote from November to March.  Likely because he knew that if the vote were to happen during the general, the Gen Z/Millenials would have showed up in a lot more numbers and that could have equaled his demise at the ballot box.

[patric]

Got my absentee on this in the mail last week, getting ready to go out and get it notarized and drop in the mail.

Seeing as how two border states already have rec cannabis (Colorado, Missouri) we might as well get on board too.  The infrastructure is already there.  At some point it's likely to be legalized on a federal level anyway and should be.  It's far better than alcohol from a health standpoint.  I use it occasionally; it helps me sleep on those nights I have insomnia.

Find it funny that Stitt wanted to push the vote from November to March.  Likely because he knew that if the vote were to happen during the general, the Gen Z/Millenials would have showed up in a lot more numbers and that could have equaled his demise at the ballot box.

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — "Get the facts about State Question 820," says the announcer in the latest ad from the Yes on 820 campaign, with a focus on safety.

"It has strict safety requirements for labeling, child-proof packaging and quantity limits to keep us and our kids safe," said the announcer.

"It's hard to imagine anything that is making our community safer by legalizing marijuana," said Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler. He and the no side are taking particular exception to a part about law enforcement.

"And free up police resources to focus on serious violent crime to make our communities safer," said the announcer.

"To somehow suggest that this is a measure that's designed to aide law enforcement, the practical reality is it's making it more difficult for law enforcement," he said.

"With all due respect to the Tulsa County District Attorney, I just think that he's detached from reality," said Ryan Kiesel of Yes on 820.

https://youtu.be/-AxuD-keOnk
https://ktul.com/news/local/yes-on-820-ad-stirs-controversy

Personally,  I don't smoke or use marijuana.  Because of my glaucoma issue, I qualify for a medical card; however, my lungs were destroyed years ago
from the affects of second hand smoke.

Edibles address your situation and are available in a variety of foods and drinks. The most popular edibles are generally known as "gummy bears" and this is where the big-pharma-funded propaganda claiming its all marketing for children gets its "legitimacy."

[patric]

At some point it's likely to be legalized on a federal level anyway and should be.  It's far better than alcohol from a health standpoint. 

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler spoke Monday at the capitol against SQ820, saying it fuels more addicts for profit.
"I often ask this question when I'm in a meeting," he said. "Tell me something good about tobacco. No one can. It's an industry that preyed upon children. Marijuana is no different."

The smell of tobacco isnt used as an excuse to circumvent your civil rights, and being caught with a Marlborough doesnt mean going to prison or not being able to get a job or decent housing the rest of your life.

https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/tulsa-attorney-explains-sentence-reversal-element-of-sq820

[patric]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahomans are tired of seeing a medical marijuana dispensary on every corner, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Friday.
Stitt's comments were in response to a reporter inquiring whether Tuesday's resounding defeat of a state question seeking to legalize recreational marijuana was an indication more regulation of medical marijuana was needed.
The state has seen drug bust after drug bust, Stitt said.
https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/stitt-after-voters-reject-recreational-marijuana-oklahomans-so-tired-of-a-dispensary-on-every-single/article_3042b94a-bf76-11ed-bec9-6f78053255ee.html

But which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Did the state deliberately under-enforce medical marijuana regulations to engineer the necessity of a steady stream of high-profile raids? The focus seems to be more rolling back public opinion to the 1980's than protecting children from the boogeyman -- up to, and including, Stitts' appointment of an anti-marijuana lobbyist to head the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.

Here is an article from POLITICO that forewarned that happening:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/12/oklahoma-marijuana-laws-520311


Oklahoma officials now face a conundrum: how aggressively to crack down on an industry that's become an unlikely bedrock of the state's economy. Tax revenues are on pace to exceed $150 million this year and whole sectors of the economy — from real estate to building contractors to advertising agencies — now depend on legal marijuana income. Almost nobody wants to abolish it altogether, but even the staunchest libertarians are calling for more enforcement of the rules to protect legitimate business owners.

"There's always been a spirit of apathy, if you will, from our Department of Health as to how they've rolled this out, and that spirit of apathy has absolutely affected enforcement of the program," said Chip Paul, a libertarian legalization advocate who played a key role in passing the 2018 medical marijuana referendum. "The word went out on the black market that Oklahoma was a place that you could come set up shop, and they weren't going to come enforce the law, and you could do what you wanted."
But lawyers who represent business owners who have lost their licenses, or are at risk of being shut down, say many of them are simply struggling entrepreneurs who thought they were doing everything right to operate legally. Instead, they received dodgy legal advice from scurrilous law firms seeking to rack up huge profits from Oklahoma's weed rush.

    "The lack of enforcement on the medical program has put the marijuana program in a negative light in the eyes of average Oklahoma citizens."
--    Republican state Rep. Scott Fetgatter

[heironymouspasparagus]

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Ignorance and Stupidstition reign supreme.   Again.  As always.


All the late night people are having a lot of fun with it.   And I am just wondering which big company is gonna be the first to jump on the bandwagon and move to Regressiveville, USA...?

[Red Arrow]

Ignorance and Stupidstition reign supreme.   Again.  As always.
All the late night people are having a lot of fun with it.   And I am just wondering which big company is gonna be the first to jump on the bandwagon and move to Regressiveville, USA...?

Oklahoma has had (illegal) recreational marijuana for decades.  Why add a tax?

[heironymouspasparagus]

Oklahoma has had (illegal) recreational marijuana for decades.  Why add a tax?

There is a tax.   15-30 years in prison for simple possession.  Small cash tax is better.

And if ya grow your own.... tax avoidance, NOT evasion!

[Red Arrow]

There is a tax.   15-30 years in prison for simple possession.  Small cash tax is better.
And if ya grow your own.... tax avoidance, NOT evasion!

I agree that legalization is a better option. 

How many people REALLY think they are going to get caught?

This is Oklahoma.