Telehealth company pushes back as cannabis legalization delayed in Oklahoma
NuggMD’s video telehealth platform connects state-licensed medical marijuana doctors to their patients for affordable, safe online evaluations.
The Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma’s vote on cannabis legalization will be delayed until the next special or general election.
In response, NuggMD, the nation’s leading cannabis telemedicine platform, is conducting a fundraiser to support the Yes on SQ820 campaign. In October, NuggMD will donate to the campaign 30% of proceeds for Oklahoma patients who use the promo code “LEGALIZEOK.”
The upcoming election date is Republican Governor Stitte’s choice, and could come any time between early 2023 in a special election and the November 2024 general election; likely a smaller election to avoid losing Republican majority in representative campaigns.
“Over 9.3% of Oklahomans registered for medical cannabis,” says Alex Milligan, NuggMD co-founder and CMO. “More than any other state, and there’s clearly support for recreational. The campaign did everything required to qualify on time. The people should have been voting on this in November.”
“We serve the medical side of cannabis,” says Kam Babazade, NuggMD co-founder and COO, “but we’re strong proponents of full legalization. This isn’t about money. It’s about personal freedom and liberty. And full legalization will divert Oklahomans away from the black market and all of its associated legal and health risks.”
Activists submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the November 2022 election but missed a procedural deadline due to a delayed vote count.
Before the state farmed out initiative verification in a no-bid contract to Western Petition Systems, it took an average of three weeks to validate a statewide petition. For instance, in 2020, the state verified 313,000 signatures in 17 days. Western Petition Systems took three times as long validating SQ820’s 164,000 signatures.
As a result, the state says there isn’t enough time to print the question on the ballot. The campaign asked the Supreme Court to compel the state to print the question anyway, but they denied the request unanimously.
“Whichever election legalization lands on, it’ll likely pass,” says Milligan. “Over 60% of Americans now support recreational marijuana. But until then, it’s risky for patients to use cannabis without proper registration.”
Legalization supporters can also donate directly to the Yes on SQ 820 campaign here.
NuggMD is the nation’s leading medical marijuana technology platform, serving patients in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. They’ve connected over 1,000,000 patients face-to-face with their medical marijuana doctors via their state-of-the-art telemedicine platform. They believe every human being has the right to explore the benefits of medical cannabis and are fully committed to helping each patient explore every option in their journey to wellness. For further information, visit NuggMD.com/Oklahoma.