‘Green The Vote’ Volunteers Work To Collect Last Minute Signatures

<p>Time is running out for supporters of medical marijuana to get voters to sign their petition.</p>

Monday, December 28th 2015, 6:44 pm

By: News 9


Time is running out for supporters of medical marijuana to get voters to sign their petition.

Monday, volunteers with the group Green The Vote went to 150 businesses all over the state to gather the last of the petitions in order to turn them in to the state by this week’s deadline.

Green The Vote is a grassroots organization pushing to legalize medical marijuana in Oklahoma.

“As far as people who are out in this weather today, probably around 50 or so people across the state,” said volunteer Bonnie McGuire.

The group has been collecting signatures since October.

McGuire volunteered because her friend's toddler has a rare syndrome.

“This is the only thing that works for her,” McGuire explained. “The legal CBD oil that they've legalized here helps her from having so many seizures, but she needs the whole plant and the THC to be able to develop cognitively."

Supporters argue medical marijuana provides relief from the symptoms of cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma and other illnesses.

Some sick Oklahomans are even moving to other states where it is legal.

Opponents argue medical marijuana is not FDA approved and it is a gateway to harder drug use.

“People who are going to smoke it to get high, they are already doing that, we are not keeping that out of their hands, it's already here,” McGuire told News 9. “We are only hurting the people who really need it for medical reasons."

Green The Vote has to collect nearly 124,000 signatures in order to put the issue in front of voters on the November 2016 ballot.

“We will just start this all over again if this doesn't go through,” McGuire said.

Green The Vote will be at the state capitol on the south lawn from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday for anyone who wants to swing by and sign the petition.

The group has to turn in the all the signatures by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Click here to learn more about Green The Vote.

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