Experts explore the possible effects of legitimizing recreational marijuana.

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Early voting for state question 820 begins next week, but experts say there’s more at stake than just making marijuana available for recreational use.

The approval of recreational marijuana has been a controversial topic. It can affect everything from criminal records to state funding, and several organizations are weighing the pros and cons. chronic carts.

Jan Preece Gaddis is an attorney in Stephens County who wants people to become better informed before voting.

“What people need to understand is how is it going to work, how is it going to be implemented, what’s really going to happen, because a lot of times there we have seen unintended consequences from ballot questions,” said Gaddis. big chief carts

Ryan Kiesel is a senior consultant for the Yes on 820 campaign. He said expanding from medical marijuana will create more revenue for the state.

“State question 820 will provide the state with resources that it desperately needs both in our mental health providers and in our schools to be able to address real addiction issues that are happening right now in Oklahoma that we don’t have the resources to combat,” said Kiesel.

He said they estimate $821 million in the first five years and, after that, $100 million annually to invest in education, health care, mental health and substance abuse, as well as to fix roads, bridges and potholes.

But Gaddis disagrees and says legalizing marijuana for adults would devastate people in our communities.

“Really do you want to use tax revenues at the expense of your population and their health and their well-being,” she said.

Kiesel said the taxes are part of it, but more importantly, legalizing will combat low-level marijuana offences. He said people are still being charged with misdemeanours over marijuana daily, which can have big effects.

“You’re going to have a criminal record that’s going to follow you around the rest of your life, it’s going to make it harder to get a student loan, to find housing, or to get a job and just move on with your life,” he said.

Diane Goldstein worked in law enforcement for 22 years and is now executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, a non-profit that supports recreational marijuana.

Goldstein said she spent time in Iran in narcotics surveillance and said there are some things you can’t change.

“The one place we never made any significant difference was in trying to eliminate people using drugs, period,” said Goldstein.

She said her organization supports the legalization because of the failures of the policies currently in place.

“We have to look at how we effectively use our police resources and are we going to stop this, or is it better to educate our kids,” she said.

Goldstein said this could help increase the safety of consumers.

“Separating the cannabis market away from the other illicit substances and sensibly regulating it is that you are not going to expose people potentially to a poisoned drug supply or cross contamination from illicit drug dealers that may be contaminated their products with things that are more dangerous,” said Goldstein.

If passed, the state will have 90 days to draft new rules for the 21 and over the recreational program.

The dates for early voting for both Comanche and Caddo County have been set for March 2-3 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the courthouse.