OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Gov. Kevin Stitt announced there will be a special election for State Question 820 in March.

State Question 820 would legalize recreational marijuana.

In the Executive Proclamation the date is set for March 7, 2023.

This ballot initiative has faced many hurdles to get to this point.

There have been delays and even lawsuits.

SQ820 received enough votes to be placed on the November ballot, but because of a new verification system, the process to confirm the signatures was delayed.

Deadlines set by the State Election Board were missed because the verification process took longer than previous petitions.

One deadline that could not be ignored was September 23. That is when ballots were sent out to voters overseas.

Yes On 820 Campaign Director, Michelle Tilley, released the following statement in response to the special election in March of 2023.

“After all the delays caused by the new signature count process, we are excited to finally be on the ballot on March 7, 2023, so that Oklahomans can experience the benefits of the State Question without further delay. We are grateful the voices of over 164,000 Oklahomans who signed the petition and want to vote on legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in Oklahoma have been heard. Republicans, Libertarians, Democrats, and Independents alike are excited to stop wasting law enforcement resources and start reaping the hundreds of millions of dollars in financial benefits that come with legalizing, regulating, and taxing recreational marijuana for adults in Oklahoma. We are grateful to the hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans who have worked on and supported this State Question. Now, we need everyone to pull together to get this past the finish line because we have under 5 months or 140 days to educate, register, and activate voters to pass State Question 820. We know that the people of Oklahoma support State Question 820. Our job for the next 140 days is to ensure they vote on March 7, 2023.”

Michelle Tilley, Yes On 280 Campaign Director