By Cara Anderson
IG: @carajojo
Oklahoma State Department of Health voted to ban smokable medical cannabis and require a pharmacist be present at all dispensaries. The cannabis community sounded off in response.
Green the Vote, a cannabis advocacy group, filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging conspiracy, and meeting privately in violation of the Open Meetings Act. Another group of eight citizens filed a second lawsuit in response to the ban, stating that the Health Department operated outside of their authority.
Julia Ezell, former attorney of the Oklahoma State Health Department, discouraged the board from banning smokable cannabis and requiring pharmacists, as she believed these changes were not within the department’s legal authority.
Ezell reported threatening emails to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The threatening emails were surrounding the state’s dealings with marijuana and began two days before Ezell gave her recommendations to the Oklahoma State Dept. of Health. The emails included messages like, “You impose laws like a dictator and respect none of them.”
Upon investigation, it was discovered that Ezell had sent the emails to herself from a fake email address “maryjame@protonmail.com.” Ezell resigned from her position last Friday.
Green the Vote has collected over 104,000 signatures towards adding a constitutional question to Oklahoma’s November ballot. Another 20,000 signatures will bring the question to the ballot, as a total of 124,000 total signatures are needed. If the measure is added to the ballot and passed, it will amend the constitution to preserve Oklahoman’s rights to SQ 796 (medical cannabis) and SQ 797 (adult use cannabis.)
