OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A group seeking to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Oklahoma refiled their petition on Friday after facing a fierce backlash over what the plan might do to the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry.
Two Oklahoma City residents — Michelle Tilley and Ryan Kiesel — filed the new paperwork for State Question 807 with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office. Tilley said the petition was redrafted to make sure there were greater protections for the existing medical marijuana industry and its patients.
“While we did not foresee any issues with our original language, we are strong supporters of Oklahoma’s medical marijuana programs and we felt it was worthwhile to eliminate any uncertainty,” Tilley said.
Kiesel is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma.
The state question also includes provisions that would allow certain people with previous marijuana convictions to be resentenced or have their criminal records expunged.
Once the petition clears a review and challenge period, organizers will have 90 days to gather nearly 178,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify the question for the ballot.
A second, separate petition to decriminalize marijuana in Oklahoma also was filed Friday by a Tulsa man, Paul Tay.