To sum up, I’m a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a former educator. I’m not a huge fan of weed and I never smoke it, but on March 7 I’ll be happy to cast a “yes” vote on State Question 820. The legalization of recreational marijuana is not about drugs to me or to many other parents; it’s about putting our state on sounder economic footing, enacting laws that promote public safety, and constructing a more just state.
In the first place, it’s obvious that Oklahomans would benefit greatly from the increased tax revenue. Proponents of SQ 820, which would impose a 15% tax on recreational marijuana, claiming that it will bring in over $100,000,000 annually after factoring in state and local taxes.
As a former educator in Oklahoma, I can attest to the fact that school funding is woefully inadequate there. Students are bearing the brunt of instructors’ decisions to leave the classroom. Considering that Oklahoma is in the bottom six states in terms of per-pupil spending on public education, passing SQ 820 would be like throwing a lifeline to our schools and students.
We don’t have to go far to see what we’re missing out on right now; the world just next door proves this is not a dream. Colorado’s public schools have benefited from the state’s marijuana tax to the tune of over $500 million since marijuana was legalized there more than a decade ago.
Second, SQ 820 mandates and financially supports robust marijuana regulation. When I consider the risks to my children and grandchildren, I am more concerned about the lack of control of marijuana than I am about the dangers of marijuana itself.
To ensure that marijuana is manufactured and distributed in accordance with stringent safety criteria, SQ 820 will establish thorough rules and controls. With proper rules in place, only mature adults will be able to buy and use marijuana from legitimate businesses.
The sale of marijuana to minors will be made illegal. SQ 820 would also make sure that recreational marijuana in Oklahoma has been thoroughly tested, is free of harmful contaminants, and is only marketed to adults.
Lastly, many Oklahomans would no longer be arrested for minor offenses if SQ 820 were passed. I worry about the negative impact that even a little marijuana possession arrest can have on a young person’s future. Because of the current marijuana prohibitions, many young adults have been caught and jailed.
We are not dealing with drug lords here, but rather misguided youth. To be sure, individuals should pay the consequences for their actions, but they shouldn’t be prevented from attending a prestigious university or landing a high-paying job just because they were arrested for a behavior that has been decriminalized in many parts of the country.
In addition to preventing these kinds of arrests, SQ 820 will also allow for the expungement of minor marijuana convictions, so that people can move on with their lives without being dogged by the consequences of past mistakes. There are already too many challenges for today’s youth; we shouldn’t add to them.
My priorities as a parent and grandparent center on doing right by my kids and the rest of Oklahoma’s youth. State Question 820 is, in my opinion, a really positive development. Throughout the past decade, marijuana has been decriminalized in twenty-one other states.
While there has been no rise in teen use in these states, residents there have benefited from a windfall of increased tax dollars. A state as important as Oklahoma must not be forgotten. Rather than wasting this chance, we should take advantage of SQ 820 to increase funding for public schools, make our communities healthier and safer through commonsense legislation, and decrease the number of people wrongfully convicted of crimes and sent to prison.
As well as being a grandma, mother, and former educator, Tina Jennings is also a grandmother.
