Oklahoma medical marijuana petition falls short

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office says an effort to legalize medical marijuana in the state has fallen short of the number of signatures needed to put the issue on a ballot.

Officials said Thursday volunteers for Tulsa-based Oklahomans for Health collected 75,384 signatures in their initiative petition drive. But they needed 155,216 to get the issue on the November 4th general election ballot.

Volunteers delivered dozens of boxes of signed petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office on Friday. Chip Paul, who filed the initiative petition in April, said at the time he believed the effort would fall short. Paul says thousands of signatures were not turned in because they did not meet format requirements of state law.

Paul says the organization plans another initiative petition drive next year.