| by David Van Risseghem - Publisher Yesterday I was in a board meeting with several key leaders who helped get Oklahoma law changed so patients can get access to medicines which our 'ignunt' politicians didn't have the good sense and/or courage to lead us to. I won't name the organization because I wasn't authorized to speak for them. What I will say is that several families caring for very ill children and even many ill parents; are troubled by the language chosen by two new initiative petitions which are currently being circulated. While voters may agree with the underpinning philosophy of restoring liberty, Badly written or desperately compromised offerings could further block real liberty from having a chance to become ours. Mind you, I'm a teetotaler and do not plan to ever consume cannabis products.. |  |
SQ796 was a rewriting of SQ788, prepared in the event that voters would demand a new version where lawmakers could dictate which medical conditions a doctor is allowed to give which medicine for.
- Well, if that's how medical care is going to be done, then why have doctors in the first place? Let's just let the legislature write our prescriptions!
- Secondly, it quadruples the cost of licensing caregivers to provide this care to a disabled person, and doubles the paperwork.
- Thirdly, it limits the medication supply that a severely impaired patient can cultivate, to the effect that a plant disease could devastate a poor disabled person from having any medical relief.
SQ 797 is an even more radical proposal which
The 'sin tax' that lawmakers assign to shamed products and services is a lucrative windfall for big govt. advocates. And big govt. is a grave threat to individual liberty. Oklahoman's would suffer a net loss of liberty by approving SQ797.
- opens cannabis access to all adults, while heavily pricing & taxing it out of the reach of those who may benefit most.
- This language seems to treat cannabis as purely a vice but a vice we will exploit for growing govt. The proposal follows the same leftist mindset of saying; "Hey! It's for the children! You know? For their education?".
- It is a dream of major corporate entities who want to make fortunes by setting up pseudo monopolies within specific markets and charge massively inflated prices, while still banning people from home cultivation rights.
- Even the medical cannabis patients would be harmed because there is uncertainty whether their medicinal products would face a 20% tax instead of the 7% that current law stipulates.
The 'sin tax' that lawmakers assign to shamed products and services is a lucrative windfall for big govt. advocates. And big govt. is a grave threat to individual liberty. Oklahoman's would suffer a net loss of liberty by approving SQ797.
Additionally, both SQ796 & 797 also have clerical errors in their writing which confuses the readers.
Sure, Cannabis is far less deadly than alcohol or tobacco. For that reason it makes no sense to restrict it in the way we do. But getting impatient for change can cost us more than we might realize.
Personal liberty is attained by limiting govt. power and purse. We cannot tax our way to liberty.
Let's let SQ788 become the optimal reform it can be, and then assess further liberty in light of real evidence.
- 796 can't decide if medical patients can have four or (8) mature plants.
- 797 duplicated subsection (H) so that voters are confused which section to refer to, when discussions cite the contents.
Sure, Cannabis is far less deadly than alcohol or tobacco. For that reason it makes no sense to restrict it in the way we do. But getting impatient for change can cost us more than we might realize.
Personal liberty is attained by limiting govt. power and purse. We cannot tax our way to liberty.
Let's let SQ788 become the optimal reform it can be, and then assess further liberty in light of real evidence.
