Some Concerned About State Question 820 as Others Support Ballot Measure

TULSA, Okla. –

Oklahomans will go to the polls this March to decide whether marijuana should be legal for recreational use across the state.

Garry McDevitt, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Prue, has been rallying church members and the people of Prue to write letters and sign petitions of their own.

Their goal is to get the governor to remove the question from the ballot.

“Marijuana is falling into the hands of kids at an alarming rate,” said McDevitt. “In our little small school, kids are doing that every day or being caught doing that every day.”

State Question 820, if passed, would legalize using marijuana for Oklahoma adults 21 years and older.

Groups in support of marijuana legalization say it can help people who are in jail for marijuana possession charges.

“You can go to the corner store and buy a bottle of wine, yet you can have your life completely ruined for having just a little bit of marijuana,” said Michelle Tilley, with Yes On 820.

Tilley says if marijuana is legalized, it will bring in millions to the state economy.

“We’ve got projections showing tens of millions of dollars in the first year of new tax dollars coming in,” said Tilley.

But McDevitt says the tax revenue isn’t worth, what he says, are the risks of marijuana being in schools.

“There are no amount of tax dollars’ worth the dangers that marijuana poses to our culture,” McDevitt said.

He hopes people will take the time to educate themselves about the question and marijuana legalization before they make their decision.

“Do the research, find out for yourself,” said McDevitt. “But evaluate it based on what is said, and not what you think.”

Voters will head to the polls on March 7 to decide if marijuana will be legal in Oklahoma.