By James Bridges,
Herbage Magazine
Oklahoma doesn’t need a permission slip to be who we already are.
We’ve been living this reality long before any politician decided to label it “legal” or “illegal.” For some of us, it’s medicine. For others, it’s art. For many, it’s a way to breathe through the whirlwind of life without reaching for something that destroys us.
When I look at State Question 837 I see the system finally catching up to what people have been saying in quiet conversations and backyards for decades. Cannabis lovers and supporters don’t need to be punished for peace.
Oklahomans have this self-imposed streak of independence. We’ll handle it ourselves… We grow our food, fix our own engines, and help our neighbors whether they’re blood or not. Cannabis fits into that same rhythm. It’s part of our soil, our sweat, and our stories.
For way too long, good people have lived under fear because of outdated laws built on propaganda. People have lost jobs, custody, and dignity. Imagine that… And not for hurting anyone, but for lighting a plant that grows in the same dirt as our wheat and wildflowers.
State Question 837 isn’t a cultural revolution. It’s an admission of hypocrisy. It’s the state saying, “Alright, maybe we were wrong.” Its about cannabis standing up and saying enough-is-enough!
Its not about “morality”. Its about freedom! It’s about getting honest.
Honest about the veterans using cannabis to sleep instead of swallowing another prescription.
Honest about the parents choosing a joint over a bottle because they don’t want their kids growing up around the same alcohol-fueled anger they did.
Honest about the farmers, the builders, the nurses, the artists, and those of you who all deserve the right to choose something that doesn’t destroy them.
Legalization doesn’t turn Oklahomans into something new. It frees us to be who we’ve always been. And that’s real, hard-working, self-reliant people who don’t need to be told how to live. Especially by a suit behind a money driven agenda.
Let the politicians argue over taxes and control. We’ll keep growing, healing, creating, and helping our neighbors like we always have.
Because cannabis didn’t change us.
It just revealed us. Here we are!
Yes on SQ837!