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Oklahoma Marijuana Activists Say New Ballot Restrictions Signed By Governor Won’t Stop Their Legalization Push

Published
2 days agoon

Oklahoma activists say they won’t be deterred in their latest push to put marijuana legalization on the state ballot by a new law the Republican governor signed to significantly restrict the state’s citizen initiative process.
Just about two months after the group Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) revived their push to end prohibition in the state, filing an initiative for the 2026 ballot to create an adult-use marijuana program, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) gave final approval to legislation that some advocates worry will inhibit future citizen-led policy changes, including cannabis reform.
The newly enacted law would put additional requirements on initiative “gist” language that voters see on the ballot and also revise policies around signature gathering to make it so petitioners could only submit signatures from up to 11.5 percent of registered voters in a single county for statutory proposals and 20.8 percent for constitutional measures.
In theory, that could seriously complicate the task of getting enough signatures to qualify any measure for the ballot—perhaps especially for a cannabis legalization campaign where the expectation is that advocates would be collecting a large portion of signatures from more populous, left-leaning counties. Now there’s an explicit limitation on how many petitions can be signed in those jurisdictions.
But ORCA founder Jed Green said on Monday that this isn’t a fatal blow to the campaign, even if lawmakers who supported the ballot restriction legislation have now been assigned a “Double-F” grade for impairing the ability of voters to decide on key policy issues.
Green suggested that getting the ballot proposal filed ahead of the legislature’s vote and governor’s signing of the bill could help ORCA potentially avert challenges associated with the more stringent requirements for initiative summary language. He said that was a deliberate decision, as the group “wanted to go ahead and get in line and get filed before lawmakers made this error in judgment.”
That said, he recognized the hypothetical possibility that the state attorney general could move to contest the language, which has “the potential to get real messy.” But considering that the secretary of state approved the gist of an earlier, 2023 version of the legalization proposal that voters ultimately rejected, Green floated the possibility of bringing him in as a witness in any challenge to defend the legality of the summary.
“Now there’s not a chance the [attorney general] is going to screw us,” he said. “Let me be crystal clear about something on this: We’re not getting screwed, guys. This process is nothing like what we deal with with lawmakers here. This is a wholly separate animal, and I’ve got a shit ton of experience doing this.”
In social media posts, ORCA has similarly expressed frustration over the newly enacted law—but also confidence that they will be able to overcome the procedural obstacles.
“Not to worry y’all. The team here at ORCA has a couple decades of experience with this process,” it said on Monday, sharing a link to a story about the ballot initiative law. “This attempt to take away your rights and duplicate government will not age well!”
A group working on a separate initiative to institute open primary elections in the state has signaled that it will challenge the new ballot restriction law with litigation.
“SB 1027 is bad policy,” Margaret Kobos, founder and CEO of Oklahoma United, said. “It suppresses voter input, makes it harder for Oklahomans to hold their elected officials accountable, and sends the message that those in power don’t trust the people who put them there. SB 1027 does nothing but prove that Oklahomans’ long held distrust of state government is well-earned.”
Here’s what ORCA’s latest marijuana legalization initiative would accomplish:
- It would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to eight ounces of cannabis for personal use. They could also grow up to 12 plants and possess what’s harvested, and they would be able to have up to one ounce of cannabis concentrates.
- The proposed constitutional amendment would also provide that Oklahoma banks would not be penalized simply for servicing state-licensed cannabis businesses.
- Further, the initiative includes protections to make it so any adults would be shielded from being penalized with respect to “healthcare, housing, employment, public assistance, public benefit, parental right, educational opportunity, extracurricular activity” and also “licensure or licensed activity” such as firearm ownership and driving rights due to any legal cannabis activity.
- As part of those protections, the presence of THC metabolites in a person’s system could not be used as evidence of impairment.
- Local governments would not be permitted to impose bans on the marijuana home cultivation, and any regulations they set on the activity could not be “unduly burdensome.” Additionally, no public ordinances on public smoking for marijuana could be more restrictive than what’s currently in place for tobacco.
- Existing medical cannabis dispensaries, as well as any new retail licensees, would be able to start selling to adult consumers starting 60 days after the measure’s enactment. After 180 days, they could start delivering cannabis products to adults.
- The same state departments that oversee the current medical cannabis program would be responsible for regulate the adult-use market.
- A 10 percent excise tax would be imposed on adult-use marijuana products, and the initiative stipulates that the legislature would be empowered to decrease that tax rate but not raise it.
- Revenue from those tax dollars would go toward the state general fund (40 percent), as well as county governments (30 percent) and municipal governments (30 percent) where retail sales occurred. For unincorporated jurisdictions, revenue would be split evenly, with 5o percent for the general fund and 50 percent for the counties.
- Sixty days after the measure’s enactment, the tax rate on marijuana for registered cannabis patients would be eliminated.
- It also states that state-licensed marijuana businesses couldn’t be prevented from engaging in interstate commerce if there’s a change in federal law, or a court action, permitting such activity. If that happens, the legislature would be authorized to place up to a 3 percent wholesale tax on cannabis exported beyond state lines.
If the measure is cleared for signature gathering, ORCA will need to collect at least 172,993 signatures to secure ballot placement.
Green previously said that one of the key differences between the initiative his organization is pushing and the one that failed at the ballot in 2023 is that it accounts for concerns about licensing rules. Many have criticized the rollout of the state’s medical marijuana law, which led to a dramatic proliferation of dispensaries, and Green said the failed adult-use measure effectively duplicated that licensing scheme.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma, lawmakers in March advanced a bill aimed at protecting gun rights of state-registered medical marijuana patients, although federal law still bars cannabis users from owning firearms regardless of their patient status.
Another state bill filed in January by a GOP legislator would criminalize the use of medical cannabis during pregnancy.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

Author: mscannabiz.com
MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.
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Sometimes you just want to cut loose and laugh – here are some suggestion for when you consume
Let’s be real—being high can turn even the most mundane activity into a full-blown adventure. Whether you’re sparking up alone or vibing with your crew, there’s something magical (and hilarious) about the way weed makes everything 10x funnier. If you’re looking for ways to lean into the giggles and good vibes, here are some tried-and-true stoner fun things to do after consuming marijuana which will make you belly laugh.
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Watch Weirdly Specific YouTube Videos
You haven’t lived until you’ve watched a 20-minute deep dive on why Shrek is secretly a cinematic masterpiece—or a guy restoring rusty knives in silence. The weirder and more niche, the better. Bonus points if you’re watching with friends and everyone has different commentary.
Play “High Charades”
Take classic charades, but add the confusion of being high. Someone inevitably ends up acting out a pineapple or accidentally miming their entire life story. It’s chaotic. It’s absurd. It’s comedy gold.
Cook Something You Definitely Shouldn’t Be Cooking
Think: grilled cheese with Doritos, marshmallows, and hot sauce. The high kitchen is a lawless place, where flavor profiles are made up and regrets come later. Just remember to document your “creations”—because your sober self won’t believe it.
Go on a Deep Dive into Random Wikipedia Pages
Start with “platypus,” end up at “the history of vending machines in Japan.” Reading while high becomes a journey through the most bizarre corners of human knowledge. You’ll be smarter? Maybe. Entertained? Definitely.
Try to Beat a Kids’ Puzzle Game
Bust out Connect 4, Jenga, or even those weird logic puzzles meant for ages 6–10. You’ll either feel like a genius or realize you’ve been staring at a Rubik’s cube for 45 minutes. Either way, it’s hilarious.
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Narrate Life Like a Nature Documentary
Turn your living room into a National Geographic special. Watch your roommate forage in the kitchen like a wild animal. Add a British accent. “Here, we observe the rare species known as ‘Chad’ in his natural habitat… the snack cabinet.”
Listen to a Song That’s Just… Strange
Find the weirdest song you can—something with yodeling or heavy theremin use. Then sit back, close your eyes, and let the confusion wash over you. It’s like going on an intergalactic voyage in your brain.
Being high isn’t just about chilling—it’s about laughing so hard your abs hurt and making memories that are somehow both chaotic and wholesome. Just remember: stay safe, stay hydrated, and never underestimate the comedic power of a banana

Author: mscannabiz.com
MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.
featured
Oregon Cannabis Companies No Longer Need Labor Peace Agreements to Renew Licenses

Published
2 hours agoon
May 30, 2025
Fifty-seven percent of Oregon voters believe cannabis retailers and processors should have labor peace agreements as a prerequisite for state licensure, but that public position is now moot.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) announced May 29 that, effective immediately, it will no longer require cannabis companies to submit labor peace agreements to apply for or renew their licenses. The commission had adopted that requirement in December 2024, following the previous month’s passage of ballot Measure 119.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 filed the ballot measure, in part, “due to ambiguity in federal law” that, according to the international labor union, has led to cannabis workers being denied rights, resulting in “unsafe workplaces, wage theft and other abuses.”
“Something that’s rampant in the industry is toxic chemicals, unchecked safety concerns and lack of proper PPE,” Local 555 spokesperson Miles Eshaia told the Oregon News Service in the leadup to November’s election. “Employers often cut corners. They compromise both worker and consumer safety, and you can avoid all that with a collectively bargained agreement and a collectively bargained safety agreement.”
The OLCC’s U-turn on no longer upholding voter-approved Measure 119 comes after U.S. District Court of Oregon Judge Michael H. Simon ruled on May 20 that the ballot measure is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and violates cannabis companies’ rights to freedom of speech.
“Given this ruling and in consultation with the Oregon Department of Justice, the OLCC will no longer require labor peace agreements as part of cannabis license applications and license renewals,” according to an OLCC news alert released on May 29.
Initially, it was unclear whether Oregon’s Justice Department would appeal Simon’s May 20 ruling.
Before getting overturned, Measure 119 had required cannabis business licensees or license applicants to “remain neutral” with respect to a bona fide labor organization’s representatives communicating with their employees, which Simon ruled was an abridgement of their First Amendment rights.
“Measure 119 is not limited to restricting only threatening, coercive, false, or misleading speech, but instead prohibits all speech by employers that is not ‘neutral’ toward unionization,” Simon wrote in his opinion and order. “Therefore, Measure 119 violates plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights to free speech.”
Cannabis retailer Ascend Dispensary and cannabis processor Bubble’s Hash, both licensed in Portland, Ore., filed the lawsuit in February, naming Gov. Tina Kotek, state Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a pair of OLCC officials as defendants.
The defendants, in part, argued that the NLRA might not apply to state-sanctioned cannabis businesses, which operate in a federally illegal marketplace under the Controlled Substances Act. This presented a “threshold question” in the case that Simon answered.
“The NLRA does not limit its jurisdiction to ‘lawful commerce’ or ‘legal substance,’ as some other federal laws do,” the judge wrote. “The NLRB has issued advisory memoranda dating back to 2013, in which it has stated that the medical marijuana industry is within the NLRB’s jurisdiction if the business meets the NLRA’s jurisdictional monetary requirements.”
With states like California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York already requiring certain cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace agreements for licensure, a common assumption is that cannabis workers don’t have the right to organize under the National Labor Relations Act and therefore need state statutes.
Jeff Toppel, a partner at Bianchi & Brandt, told Cannabis Business Times in December 2023 that that assumption doesn’t hold.
“The premise of [Oregon’s] statute, and I think a lot of the other statutes that seek to require labor peace agreements, is this false premise that [cannabis workers are] not given the full gamut of federal law, of federal protections, because they’re in cannabis,” Toppel said.
One example is when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled in December 2022 that Curaleaf acted unlawfully when the multistate operator refused to come to the bargaining table and recognize that its dispensary workers in Chicago voted to join the UFCW.
Toppel, who has argued countless union cases before the NLRB, said that forcing labor peace agreements through state statutes often leads to employers shopping around to get the best deals, which doesn’t always benefit the employees.
Although cannabis companies are no longer required to strike labor peace agreements in Oregon, nothing is stopping the state’s dispensary workers from organizing on their own.
Simon’s ruling in Oregon, however, collides with a March 2025 decision in the U.S. District Court of Southern California, where Judge Todd W. Robinson dismissed a challenge to California law that requires cannabis business applicants or licensees with 10 or more employees to enter into labor peace agreements.
That lawsuit was filed in April 2024 by Ctrl Alt Destroy LLC, which, according to the California Department of Cannabis Control’s (DCC) licensing database, does business as Embr, a dispensary in La Mesa, San Diego County.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and DCC Director Nicole Elliott, as plaintiffs, argued that the court should not grant Ctrl Alt Destroy its requested relief because doing so would directly facilitate federally illegal conduct.
Robinson agreed, tossing Ctrl Alt Destroy’s challenge on the conclusion that the federal court could not lend its judicial power to a plaintiff “who seeks to invoke that power for the purpose of consummating a transaction in clear violation of [federal] law.”
In Oregon, a UFCW Local 555 spokesperson pointed out the conflicting federal rulings in a statement provided to KOIN 6 News.
“We now have conflicting federal rulings, with a judge in Oregon putting Measure 119 on hold while a California judge has upheld a similar law,” the spokesperson said. “One of these rulings is destined to be overturned on appeal. Our strong suspicion is that Judge Simon’s opinion, which flaunts Supreme Court precedent, will be the one reversed.”

Author: mscannabiz.com
MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

Colorado’s medicinal psilocybin program is set to launch soon after officials said they have licensed and inspected a testing facility, which was the last type of business required to properly run the program, Marijuana Moment reports.
The Colorado Department of Revenue’s Natural Medicine Division (NMD) said in an email Tuesday that officials are “excited to announce that the first licensed testing facility is fully certified by the Department of Public Health and Environment” (CDPHE).
Colorado voters approved the legalization of psychedelic mushrooms in 2022. Under the proposal, people aged 21 or older can grow and share psychedelic mushrooms, and the state is establishing regulated “healing centers” where people will soon be able to make appointments to consume psilocybin in a controlled environment.
In addition to the testing license, regulators have also approved five separate healing center licenses, three cultivation licenses, and two manufacturing licenses. Dozens more licenses are still pending.
“Now that the Colorado Department of Revenue has licensed cultivators, manufacturers, healing centers, and testing facilities, CDPHE has certified a testing facility, and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies has licensed facilitators, natural medicine can start to be transferred from a cultivator or manufacturer to a lab for testing, then eventually to a healing center where a facilitator can oversee administration.” — CDPHE statement, via Marijuana Moment
The Colorado psychedelics program follows in the footsteps of Oregon, where voters approved a medicinal psilocybin program in late 2020, and the program launched in early 2023.
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Author: mscannabiz.com
MScannaBIZ for all you Mississippi Cannabis News and Information.

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