State Senator Faces Uphill Marijuana Battle

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A longtime proponent of medicinal marijuana, state Sen. Constance Johnson acknowledges she has few advocates in the conservative Oklahoma Legislature.

But the Oklahoma City-area Democrat says she remains optimistic that attitudes toward easing Oklahoma's tough marijuana laws are shifting. She says her hopes are buoyed by the possibility of the Republican-controlled Senate approving a study on medicinal marijuana.

Johnson has introduced a medicinal marijuana bill every year since she was first elected in 2005, but has yet to receive a hearing in committee. She's now petitioning the Republican chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services to allow for a study on the issue before the Legislature reconvenes in February.

Senator Brian Crain of Tulsa says he is "lukewarm" to the idea but will listen to Johnson's proposal.