It’s no secret that Oklahoma is the oddly shaped buckle of the Bible Belt. It’s one of the main reasons our incredibly liberal medical marijuana program was — and is — such a shocker. No one thought it would happen…because Jesus. Evangelicals.
But the flood of flower came anyway. The bong water can’t be returned, and Moses is in his boat, happy and higher than God’s expectations of a 900-year-old drunk dude. And according to a recent report, it looks like Oklahoma Christians are getting stoned with us, rather than throwing stones at us!
Who knew it would take weed — and a global pandemic — to bring us together (but not too together; we aren’t shaking hands and sharing joints). Peace be with you, so long as you are not anywhere near me.
Via Pathos:
“…the “medical” aspect is so lax in this Bible-belt state that anyone with any ailment, real or imagined, can get a license to buy pot with a doctor’s approval. So far almost six percent of the state’s four million residents have obtained their prescription cards.
This has made Oklahoma the go-to state for cannabis entrepreneurs – and Oklahomans, many of them devout Christians, no longer have to get surreptitiously stoned or grow weed in secret.”
That’s right, friends! A site that prides itself on “hosting the conversation on faith” is hosting a conversation about how the good, Christian folk in Oklahoma are partaking of dat sticky icky! They “no longer have to get surreptitiously stoned or grow weed in secret.” Thank God Oklahoma voters for that!
None of this should come as a surprise. Assuming that all Christians are narcs with antiquated ideas on cannabis is as ignorant as assuming all people who use cannabis listen to Phish.
The most awesome parts of the report were the interviews with local law enforcement.
Canadian County Sheriff Chris West, a fifth-generation Oklahoman, told Patheos:
“I’ve had them call me and tell me, ‘Sheriff, we’re going to venture into this business and we’d like for you to come out and see our facility, because we want you to know what we’re doing.’ And these are longtime, good, godly, Christian families that see it as an income opportunity.”
Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott, previously said:
“There are many, many people out there who like to go on their back porch in the evening in the privacy of their own homes and they like to smoke marijuana. These are not what you would consider druggies or seedy people. These are people who work, they pay taxes and they go to church. And they’ve had to sneak around because they’ve lived in fear of me, law enforcement.”
Sheriff Elliott’s self-awareness is to be commended.
Something about this weird little story made me feel hopeful for humanity, despite the worldwide health crisis. Sane people never wish for crisis, but — certainly in Oklahoma — crisis has always been a catalyst for strengthening the common ties that bind us.
We aren’t likely to see each other in church or at our favorite local watering holes anytime soon. But it’s comforting to know that we can step outside the stereotypes and prejudices that divide us; step outside under the endless expanse of Oklahoma sky; light a fatty…and know we are all wishing for the highest and greatest good of all humanity.
