Chronicle AM: OK Pot Init Group Lied About Signatures, Ted Cruz Attack Backfires, More… (8/7/18)

The Oklahoma pot legalization initiative has far fewer signatures than organizers claimed last week, marijuana is seeping into congressional and senatorial campaigns, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Ted Cruz Attack Ads Backfire as Beto O'Rourke Has Huge Fundraising Weekend. Incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R) last Friday released a trio of ads attacking Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke, including one that falsely claimed O'Rourke said "we should consider legalizing all narcotics, including heroin." O'Rourke supports marijuana legalization and, as an El Paso city council member, called in 2009 for a discussion about ending the drug war, including drug legalization, which is distinct from endorsing drug legalization. In the wake of the Cruz attack ads, though, O'Rourke reported raising $1.2 million over the weekend from some 39,000 grassroots contributions.

Oklahoma Legalization Initiative Organizers Lied About Signature Numbers. Last week, Green the Vote, the group behind the State Question 797 legalization initiative, claimed it had more than 132,000 raw signatures—slightly more than the number of valid voter signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot—but the group admitted Tuesday morning that the actual raw signature count was actually around 75,000. The deadline for handing in signatures is Wednesday. "I've been working 24 hours a day to bring in those signatures to try to make up for it so that I wouldn't be letting you down, and I understand I have let you down," Green the Vote's Isaac Caviness said. "No matter what — if we have the signatures, if we don't have the signatures — I have let you down, and I accept that."

Wisconsin US Rep. Sean Duffy Slams Democratic Opponents Over Marijuana Legalization. Incumbent Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) is attempting to use support for marijuana law reform as a cudgel with which to attack his Democratic opponents. Both 7th District Democratic primary contenders, Margaret Engebretson and Brian Ewart, have come out in support of marijuana legalization. When asked about his reaction, Duffy responded thusly: "I'm the father of eight kids and as a former prosecutor and now a congressman, I see what's happening in America with a drug epidemic, from opioids to meth to heroin. I think marijuana is a gateway drug to these other drugs," Duffy said

Medical Marijuana

Oklahoma Governor Signs Revised Emergency Rules for Medical Marijuana. Gov. Mary Fallin (R) on Monday signed a revised set of emergency regulations to govern medical marijuana use in the state. The first attempt at emergency rules blew up in Fallin's and the state Health Department's face, being widely criticized for provisions banning the sale of medical marijuana, requiring a pharmacist to be present in dispensaries, and requiring that women "of child-bearing age" undergo a pregnancy test. None of those provisions remain in the new rules, which Fallin called "very basic" and a good basis for developing a comprehensive regulatory regime. 

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