OK: Tulsa Forum To Focus On Medical Marijuana

Ron Strider

Well-Known Member
Oklahoma Watch will host a public forum previewing what could be one of the most controversial issues on a statewide ballot next year: State Question 788, which would legalize medical marijuana.

The Oklahoma Watch-Out forum, titled "The Marijuana Question," will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Central Center at Centennial Park, 1028 E. Sixth St.

The free event is open to the public. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register at oklahomawatch.org.

Oklahoma Watch Executive Editor David Fritze will moderate the discussion, and audience questions will be allowed.

SQ 788 would legalize the licensed cultivation, use and possession of marijuana for medical purposes. To obtain a license, a patient would need approval from a board-certified physician, and then could possess up to three ounces of marijuana on their person and eight ounces of marijuana at home. Licenses also would be required for dispensaries and growing and processing operations. Medical marijuana is now legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia.

Featured panelists are the forum include:

- Dr. Kevin Taubman of Tulsa, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. He is a vascular surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. He also directs the vascular surgery fellowship program there. Taubman maintains a practice at OU and at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa.

- Rep. John Paul Jordan, R-Yukon, who was elected to the Oklahoma House in 2014 in District 43. Jordan plans to introduce legislation in the next regular session proposing changes to current laws that he says would need to be made if State Question 788 is approved by voters.

- Chip Paul of Tulsa, co-founder of Oklahomans for Health, a nonprofit that led the effort to put medical marijuana on the ballot. Paul and his wife founded GnuPharma Corp., which sells dietary supplements containing herbs that are "formulated to nutritionally support the endocannabinoid system," the firm's website says. Paul has toured the country researching other states' marijuana laws. He received a bachelor's degree in math at the University of Oklahoma.

Advocates say medical marijuana would benefit Oklahomans who suffer from various illnesses, including epilepsy, Crohn's Disease, Alzheimer's and post-traumatic stress disorder. Opponents say not enough research has been done to prove that marijuana is effective as a medicine.

SQ 788 will appear on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot unless Gov. Mary Fallin places it on the June 26 primary ballot.

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