OKLAHOMA CITY — Concerns about preempting a vote of the people contributed Monday to the death of a bill that would have legalized and regulated medical marijuana.
But Sen. Ervin Yen, R-Oklahoma City, could bring his bill back to life after he held it on a procedural motion to reconsider the vote.
The measure, Senate Bill 1120, got 21 yes votes but needed 25 to secure approval.
Oklahoma voters will go to the polls June 26 to determine the fate of State Question 788, which would legalize medical marijuana.
SQ 788 made it to a statewide ballot after supporters successfully gathered enough signatures for a statutory change to allow medical marijuana under a doctor’s care.
Yen said the state question as written legalizes recreational marijuana. He said his bill would have legalized and regulated medical marijuana.
Yen’s bill would not allow for the use of medical marijuana to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety or depression.
It would have allowed usage for neuropathic pain, persistent muscle spasms due to multiple sclerosis or paraplegia, intractable nausea or vomiting due to chemotherapy or loss of weight or appetite due to cancer or HIV/AIDS. [Read more at Tulsa World]