On November 8 2016, 58% of Oklahoma voters supported State Question 780, which makes all marijuana possession offenses misdemeanors effective July 1, 2017.
Oklahoma still has further to go, as the penalty for first-time marijuana possession will remain up to one year of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000. Removing possible jail time for marijuana possession altogether, as 21 states have already done, will allow police to focus on solving violent and property crime. In addition, enforcement of these laws is racially biased.?According to this report by the ACLU, African Americans in Oklahoma are 2.9 times more likely than whites to be arrested for possession of marijuana, even though blacks and whites consume marijuana at similar rates.