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Oklahoma Activists Withdraw 2026 Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative

Published

9 months ago

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Oklahoma activists have withdrawn a marijuana legalization initiative they had hoped to put on the state’s 2026 ballot.

After a brief but aggressive signature push to secure ballot placement, Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) ultimately failed to submit petitions by the deadline, according to the secretary of state.

It’s a critical setback for advocates, who partnered with retailers across the state — from existing medical cannabis dispensaries to tattoo parlors — to place orders. More than 500 locations provided support by serving as signature locations.

ORCA needed to submit 172,993 valid signatures by Monday, and despite the campaign’s optimism about progress, the Secretary of State confirmed that no cuts have been made.

“RETIRATION PROMOTIONS OF THE AUTHORITY”, website of the office he says. “November 3, 2025; No application brochure filed on behalf of IP449; IP449 is no longer active in the office of the Secretary of State.”

Despite the decentralized, largely volunteer nature of the campaign effort and not actively verifying signatures collected, ORCA founder Jed Green, who could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday, told Marijuana Moment last month that the group had “a pretty big stack” of signed petitions on hand.

The campaign was still discussing hundreds of signed petitions as of Monday evening.

It was a tight turn to deliver the signatures, as the campaign only started collecting them in August, and advocates were given about three months to do the work.

There were particular challenges this election cycle, as Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) gave final approval to the legislation earlier this year, which some advocates worry will block future citizen-led policy changes, including cannabis reform.

It is laid down by law Additional requirements regarding the initiative language that voters see on the ballot and also revised signature-gathering policies to require petitioners to submit signatures of only 11.5 percent of registered voters in a single county for bills and 20.8 percent for constitutional measures. The law is currently being challenged for reasons unrelated to the specific cannabis proposition.

Green said earlier that it’s one of the main differences between the initiative his own the organization A previous one that was pushed this year and failed on the 2023 ballot is that it accounted for concerns about licensing rules. Many have criticized the expansion of the state’s medical marijuana law, which led to a proliferation of dispensaries, and Green said the failed adult-use measure effectively duplicated that licensing scheme.

Here’s what ORCA’s latest marijuana legalization initiative would accomplish:

  • It would allow adults over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to eight ounces of cannabis for personal use. They can also contain up to 12 plants grown and harvested, and contain up to one ounce of concentrated cannabis.
  • The proposed Constitutional amendment would also provide that Oklahoma banks will not be penalized for servicing state-licensed cannabis businesses.
  • The initiative also includes protections for adults not to be penalized for “health care, housing, employment, public assistance, public welfare, parental rights, educational opportunity, extracurricular activities” and “licensing or authorized activities” such as firearm ownership and driving privileges as a result of legal cannabis activity.
  • Within these safeguards, the presence of THC metabolites in a person’s system could not be used as evidence of impairment.
  • Local governments would not be able to impose bans on the cultivation of marijuana at home, and any regulations they impose on the activity could not be an “undue burden.” Furthermore, there is no public ordinance on the public smoking of marijuana that could be more restrictive than what is currently in place for tobacco.
  • Existing medical cannabis licensees, as well as new retail licensees, would be able to start selling to adult consumers 60 days after the measure goes into effect. After 180 days, they could start distributing cannabis products to adults.
  • The same state departments that oversee the current medical cannabis program would be responsible for regulating the adult-use market.
  • It would impose a 10 percent excise tax on adult marijuana products, and the initiative provides that the legislature will be empowered to lower but not raise that tax rate.
  • The revenue from those tax dollars would go to the state general fund (40 percent), as well as the county governments where the retail sales occurred (30 percent) and municipal governments (30 percent). For unincorporated jurisdictions, the revenue would be split equally, 50 percent to the general fund and 50 percent to the counties.
  • 60 days after the measure goes into effect, the tax rate on marijuana for registered cannabis patients would be waived.
  • It also states that state-licensed marijuana businesses cannot be prevented from engaging in interstate commerce if there is a change in federal law, or a court action, that authorizes such activity. If that happens, the legislature would be allowed to impose a 3 percent wholesale tax on cannabis exported across state lines.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the signature collection process, law enforcement leaders with the Oklahoma Chiefs Association and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. was raising concerns about cannabis.

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—

Also in Oklahoma, lawmakers advanced a bill that was targeted in March Protecting the gun rights of state-registered medical marijuana patientsalthough federal law still prohibits cannabis users from possessing firearms regardless of patient status.

It would be another state bill introduced by a GOP lawmaker in January criminalizing the use of medical cannabis during pregnancy.

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

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Fluent to sell New York license and operations

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 30, 2026

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Fluent has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Etain, LLC, the Company’s New York-based operating entity. The purchase agreement was signed on July 22, 2026. The transaction provides for the sale of Etain’s Registered Entity license, certain of the Company’s New York operating assets and related New York leases for cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

The Company believes the Transaction advances its strategic objectives and expects the Transaction to comply with applicable regulatory requirements in connection with the Company’s previously announced plan of arrangement for Vireo Growth Inc. (the “Deal”) while providing for an orderly transition of the New York operations to an experienced operator committed to serving patients and consumers.

Completion of the free transaction is subject to closing conditions, including, among other customary conditions, approval of the change in ownership by the New York State Cannabis Control Board and the completion of all conditions to the completion of the Agreement.

For more information:
FLUENT Corp
getfluent.com/










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Marijuana Has ‘Horrific Health Risks’ And No Medical Value, Former Trump Attorney General Claims

Published

2 weeks ago

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July 30, 2026

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A former US attorney general who served in President Donald Trump’s first term says marijuana poses “tremendous health risks,” has no medical value and should not be rescheduled under federal law.

“Marijuana redistricting would create a false impression that it is safe, reduce penalties for illegally selling the drug, and provide a large tax windfall to those who legally supply it,” William Barr wrote in a Wednesday op-ed for The Washington Post, Kevin Sabet, CEO of the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana. “That would be a disaster.”

The opinion comes as the Trump administration moves forward with cannabis reregulation.

According to an order issued in April by US Attorney General Todd Blanche, Marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license were immediately changed from Schedule I As did marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

an administrator The hearing is looking at the broader rescheduling of marijuanawith The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been tasked with advocating for cannabis reform highlighting the testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

But Sabet and Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general from 2019-2020, argued that “the evidence presented at the hearing did not support the rescheduling of marijuana” and instead “confirmed what decades of data have shown: raw marijuana has no scientifically established medical value and is highly susceptible to abuse.”

After the parties to the hearing have filed termination rights, the DEA administrative law judge overseeing the proceedings will make a recommendation regarding rescheduling, and the agency administrator will make a final decision.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling supporters that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they have not been “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—

The former attorney general’s new opinion says “the stakes couldn’t be higher”, arguing that “marijuana today is more dangerous than ever” and that it is “addictive”, throwing out a list of alleged harm to mental and physical health.

“These unhealthy effects are a predictable result of a powerful and addictive drug being normalized, commercialized and marketed as a medicine,” Barr and Sabet say. “It would be one thing if marijuana had medical value. But there is no credible evidence that marijuana is an effective treatment for any medical condition, despite the millions of dollars spent trying to prove otherwise.”

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a 252 analysis in 2023 that concluded that marijuana had accepted medical value and should be rescheduled.

The new opposition piece also says that “rescheduling would unlock enormous revenue for the corporate marijuana industry by bringing it into a category that has not been covered by a longstanding reduction in federal drug tax deductions,” referring to a law known as 280E, which repeals Sections I and II.

“This, in turn, would allow the industry to spend even more on advertising and marketing to young people,” Barr and Sabet. he wroteArguing that “those who would lose this dragon in society are laying the foundations for another Big Tobacco”.

The Sabet organization, SAM, is one of several parties Challenging the Marijuana Redistricting Process which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those separate parts State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

SAM’s lawsuit was signed by attorneys at Torridon Law PLLC, where Barr is a partner.

The team announced in January that it was Hiring Barr’s firm to fight cannabis rescheduling After Trump signed an executive order directing officials to quickly complete the process.

During the first Trump administration, Barr was accused by a Justice Department official Directing improper anti-company investigations into multiple cannabis company mergers– Accounting for almost a third of the division’s cases in 2019.

Several Democratic members of Congress introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into Barr’s possible impeachment, saying “abused the power of his office” to improperly investigate marijuana businesses while engaging in other allegedly illegal conduct.

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How much red light does cannabis really need?

Published

3 weeks ago

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July 26, 2026

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When growers pull out two LED fixtures side by side, the first number they usually discuss is percent red. This is an easy specification to fix. They are efficient at producing red photons and incredibly efficient at photosynthesis, and cannabis eats away at the flower. So more red must be better, right?

Not so simple. Red is an input to a spectrum, and the spectrum is an input to a room. There is no single spectrum that wins everywhere. An indoor room pushes hard, a greenhouse that soaks up sunlight, a temperamental cultivar, and aggressive yields call for something different. Knowing what each light strip actually does allows you to choose a tool that fits your grow instead of one that just has a big number on the sales page.

© JumpLights

Blue: structure
Blue (approximately 400-500 nm) gives shape to the plant. It maintains dense growth, strong stems, tight internodes and allows it to develop as desired. It also encourages stomatal opening, so the plant manages water and gas exchange better. Get blue and you’ve built a plant that can carry heavy flowers with no problem.

Green: access
Green was eliminated as the wavelength is “reflected” by plants. It turns out that it does a real job. Blue and red are absorbed above; the green goes deep into the fat and reaches the leaves that are never touched by the above photons. In a compact room, it’s the difference between plants photosynthesising from the top down and those that work only from the top. Green won’t replace your red or blue, but it does carry usable light where they can’t reach.

Red: engine
Red is the horse of the flower. It absorbs as efficiently as anything in the spectrum, and is responsible for most of the biomass you’re after. Redder generally means faster flower development, more weight and better efficiency per watt.

But red has a ceiling, and it’s tied to what you run. Push PPFD upwards with a heavy red spectrum and some cultivars begin to whiten at the top: the flower should be dense with pale, washed tips. Genetics, intensity, barrel temperature and your general environment all feed into it. If you’re using aggressive light levels, a lower red spectrum will buy you room before that becomes a problem, leaving you almost no photosynthetic punch to get it.

Far Red: More than Emerson
Far-red (700-750 nm) appears in more devices every year. It contributes little to photosynthesis on its own, but it moves plant morphology and works with red through the Emerson Enhancement Effect. Used properly, it helps to deepen the light, encourage uniformity of the canopy and encourage the response of the bloom. The key word is small. A touch of far red rounds out a spectrum; he’s not there to make a show.

Matching the red percentage with the room
Cannabis addresses the entire spectrum, not a line on a spec sheet. Reds cause flowers, but blues, greens and crimsons give the plant something it needs. Where you land in red refers to how you grow.

A lower red spectrum (30-40%) captures more blue and green, gives you better morphology, reduces the risk of photobleaching, and holds up when you’re running extreme PPFD. Moderate spectrum (40-55%) is the sweet spot in commercial greenhouses: strong photosynthetic efficiency, strong flowering, balanced growth. A high-red spectrum (70%+) makes the most sense in a greenhouse, where the sun is already giving you lots of blue and green and your supplemental light can cast effective red to fill the gap.

Where does the ETS MAX series fit in?
This is the thinking behind the JumpLights ETS MAX series. Instead of forcing a spectrum into each room, it rarely comes up because a greenhouse and a high PPFD indoor flower room are not the same problem.

  • ETS MAX 4C41% red: for indoor rooms operating at very high intensity, where photobleaching is a real risk. The wider, red bottom balance allows you to push the tops without overcooking them
  • ETS MAX 4A48% red: balanced internal spectrum that maintains high output while controlling bleaching.
  • ETS MAX 5B57% Red: A high-performance indoor option. Moderate red, marked with efficiency and flower at the same time, up to 3,450 μmol/s, with efficiency that holds the spectrum.
  • ETS MAX 7A76% red: built for the greenhouse. The sun already supplies blue and green, so this leans heavily on the complementary red, up to 3,900 μmol/s in the infrastructure most greenhouses already have in place.

Bottom line
Choosing an activity is not a competition for the highest red number. The winning spectrum is the one that matches your environment, your intensity, your genetics, and what you’re trying to produce. Combine spectrum, intensity, environmental control, light distribution and genetics, and you’ve got a lighting strategy. Keep a spec isolated and all you’ve got is a bright room.

The ETS MAX line was created around this idea: choose the spectrum of the room you actually have, indoor or greenhouse, and let the device work with your grow rather than against it.

For more information:
JumpLights
www.jumplights.com

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