Oklahoma Rep. Scott Fetgatter has announced plans to begin work on an adult-use cannabis legalization bill, saying a taxed and regulated market would provide a new source of revenue for the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Tulsa World report.
“If you did a full-access program and put the revenue in the general revenue fund, relieve some of the taxes on the medical program, the medical patients and put the tax over on the recreational side, you could potentially add $100 million to the budget,” Fetgatter told the news outlet.
Several groups are competing to bring adult-use cannabis legalization initiatives to Oklahoma’s November 2020 ballot in the form of SQ 807, SQ 808 and SQ 811, but Fetgatter has indicated that the petitions will likely be unsuccessful, especially in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Fetgatter told Tulsa World that “it’s very early in the conversation,” but that he wants to create “a program that functions” in the state.
