Regulatory actions following the June 26 approval of State Question 788, the Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, appear to be shrouded in a cloud of special interests and bureaucratic deliberation. To ensure the will of the people is preserved, creators of a new initiative have since been actively petitioning to land State Questions 796 and 797 […]
SQ788
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Cover: No smoke
Medical marijuana activists were dealt a blow when the Oklahoma State Board of Health added amendments not written in the final draft of emergency regulations submitted to the board. A pair of amendments — one banning smokable marijuana, which appears to be on shaky legal ground, and another requiring dispensaries to hire full-time pharmacists — […]
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In the air
For months, there was talk that if State Question 788 won majority support from voters, Oklahoma lawmakers would need to go into special session to set up regulatory framework governing how a medical marijuana program would function in the state. Gov. Mary Fallin even publicly predicted that such a special session would be necessary as […]
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Not last
When Yes on 788 officially declared victory on election night, a joyful cheer rang throughout 51st Street Speakeasy, where hundreds gathered indoors and out for an official watch party. It is appropriate that victory on the medical marijuana state question would be declared inside a bar taking inspiration from the speakeasy drinking establishments that popped […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cooking cannabis
Edible marijuana is a powerful medicinal tool that unlocks compounds not derived through smoking or offered through CBD (cannabidiol), but it also packs a much more powerful psychoactive effect that requires regulation, especially in recreational uses, according to Oklahomans for Health co-founder Chip Paul. Related Smoking marijuana gets THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) into the system faster because […]
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Hemp history
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. Oklahomans under the age of 85 never knew a time when it was legal to use marijuana in the state, but by the time the state made marijuana illegal, it was […]
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MARIJUANA ‘Release the Kraken’
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. As the media spending increases in the final days before the June 26 primary that will also decide the fate of State Question 788, Oklahomans will go to the polls with […]
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Chicken-Fried News: You got ratio’ed!
On Twitter, there is a phenomenon called “the ratio,” and depending on the balance of that ratio, any given tweet can be mathematically judged as an overwhelming success or a crashing failure. For example, if rapper Meek Mill tweets that he is “taking over” BET on the weekend of the BET Awards and he gets […]
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Gray areas
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. There are many Oklahomans who advocate for the health benefits legalized medical marijuana could bring to the state, but some law enforcement groups argue that State Question 788 will bring new […]
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Testing pattern
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series examining cannabis and cannabinoids in Oklahoma leading up to the June 26 medical marijuana referendum. In 2012, Oklahoma passed the Standards for Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Act, which strengthened employers’ ability to administer tests for intoxicating substances against groups of employees suspected to be under […]