Oklahoma Religious Group Opposition against Cannabis Legalization and Expansion
The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma has been a long time opponent of legalization and an outspoken opponent of SQ820, here's what they have been up to lately.
*This post includes content from “What a Widely Circulated Church Newsletter in Oklahoma is Saying about Cannabis” from the old version of this blog. This combined with recent continued actions by the group has made this a bit of a lengthy piece. Thank you again for reading.
As a major component of the “Bible Belt” in the United States, Oklahoma has a reputation for its many churches and evangelical practices. The state in particular is dominated by Protestant denominations such as Southern Baptist, and at the helm of those is the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. The first issue of their newsletter, the Baptist Messenger, was published in 1912, and has been in continuous publication ever since with both paid subscriptions and a mobile app and digital version since 2011. Before the age of smartphones and mobile applications, one could find copies of this newsletter strewn in church pews and lobbies and tucked into hymnals; it was easily accessible for the regular church attendee, and if you grew up in a Baptist church, you’ve probably seen, or forgotten, an old print copy of it before.
Today the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, or the “Oklahoma Baptists” as their newest sign on May Avenue in Oklahoma City calls them, are outspoken opponents of State Question 820.
What does the Baptist Messenger tell its readers about cannabis?
The newsletter has been speaking to its readers on this topic for some time, including before the passage of SQ788 by over 57% of Oklahoma voters in June 2018. The current editor of the Messenger, Brian Hobbs, wrote a piece in April 2018 claiming that Oklahoma passed a legalization bill in the legislature in 2015. This is not entirely accurate, as what was passed was known as ‘Katie’s Law’ and was for trace amount THC hemp oil containing CBD, for approved individuals 18 years of age or younger, and at the time only allowed for a trial basis overseen by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, with all other uses of cannabis still being illegal. You can read the text of the enrolled version of Katie’s Law here. Regardless, Hobbs’ 2018 piece on medical cannabis advised readers of a “no” vote, in the church’s newsletter.
Most Recently — Over the December 2022 holiday (and very similarly in a January repeat/follow-up), Hobbs put out a “NO on 820” editorial, calling cannabis a “cultural bad habit” and that passage of the question would turn the state into a “pot smokers paradise”…
Pot smokers’ paradise? Now you’re just threatening us with a good time, and weed tourism…
In December 2020, the Baptist church organization newsletter covered the MORE Act, re-hosted via the Baptist Press. Included are statements from the Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission, which is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. They expressed concern after the bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said in written comments, “Marijuana legalization is unwise and disastrous for communities vulnerable to substance abuse. Pastors know this firsthand as they minister to families in their churches who have been harmed by the marijuana industry’s profit-driven efforts to romanticize mind-altering drugs.”
Due to federal law and tax codes, there is a great deal of overhead in retail cannabis- one cannot simply write off many expenses like one can in say for example, a non-profit. Revenue is generated at the state level from the taxes including both the medical cannabis tax and regular sales taxes- this is actually something lauded by multiple politicians in Oklahoma due to our frequent budget shortfalls. One can view the revenues generated by the industry here on OMMA’s licensing and tax data page.
Lifeway Research
In May 2021, the Baptist Messenger shared another Baptist Press piece that was re-hosted on several other church-based blogs - a survey piece title “Most Pastors Oppose Marijuana Use, Legalization”.
Evangelical pastors are almost twice as likely as mainline pastors to see smoking marijuana to get high as morally wrong (89 percent to 47 percent). Denominationally, Pentecostals (97 percent) and Baptists (92 percent) are more likely to see it as immoral than Restorationist movement (74 percent), Methodist (66 percent), Lutheran (63 percent) and Presbyterian/Reformed pastors (57 percent).
The percentage of pastors who view getting high from marijuana as sinful is less than the percentage in a previous study who say the same about getting drunk.
This survey was conducted by Lifeway Research out of Nashville, Tennessee. Lifeway Christian Resources is the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, with their funds coming from sales, including non-SBC products, provided they do not conflict with church views or beliefs. An example of this comes from their choice to stop selling works by authors who affirm same-sex marriage or other views against their religious tenets. The Lifeway Research branch conducts surveys and polling, and the methodology in the piece included in Baptist Press and the Baptist Messenger was from a panel of pastors willing to participate on the selected “Lifeway Pastor Panel.”
Also, though not recent news, it is interesting that when former CEO Thomas Rainer stepped down in 2018, it is rumored he was given a “sweetheart deal” in a transition agreement while a new CEO was appointed. There were disputes over his transition involving board members including Okahoma Baptist pastor and Lifeway member Todd Fannin of Pryor, Oklahoma. Rainer has since started a group called Revitalize Network, most recently known for hosting a 2-day online event for pastors, and it has made several hundred thousand dollars every fiscal year in its first few years. Both Revitalize and Lifeway push the concept of “church planting” a rapid growth strategy for evangelicals.
It should also be noted while on financials, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma itself, received a coronavirus bailout, a PPP loan forgiven of $2,347,291 including interest. This is a separate entry than other Baptist churches and universities in Oklahoma, or other Baptist Convention organizations in other states which have their own respective PPP loans and forgiveness on file.
“…And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
In past months, the Baptist Messenger put out pieces that lamented the ‘decline’ of the church specifically casting blame to the rise of commercial cannabis as a vice industry. The first one was released November 9, 2021, and also had a ‘teaser’ released before it was published, noting it was “quite alarming.”
The piece laments that there are more dispensaries than [Baptist] churches, as the author seems to assert that the existence of cannabis and the existence of faith are mutually exclusive.
We must acknowledge that people are turning to marijuana for a reason. Perhaps that former church building in that small town along Highway 77 is more telling than we might think. The decline of the church has left a void. A void that causes boredom, anxiety and seeking a heightened experience.
What might happen if your congregation had a co-op medical garden, or simply a community garden of any sort? More aid for your poorest members year round? Sheltering during the coldest and hottest parts of the year? Any other creative collaborative community efforts? At the end of the day your church is also a form of business or must conduct some business, you want to keep your non-profit lights on for your parishioners- if you ease the burden in one area of your attendees’ lives, you may provide fellowship and also a way for the sick to have this form of medicine in their lives while also safely attending services. And if you are reading this and work in a church that already does this- thank you for helping your community in productive ways!
(It’s ironic that one of these pieces opens with “my drive back from Falls Creek this summer,” a BGCO-funded church camp that has dealt with allegations of well, not being so safe.)
There are many opportunities to minister and share in a more productive way here, without vilifying palliative care. Shaming cannabis users or purity-testing the medical needs of a population will only do more harm than good, in a state that has very poor health care access and mental health services already. Particularly in rural areas, some of these businesses are helping the community in ways that have nothing to do with illicit activity under current state laws, but rather aiding in charity and tough times. These acts of social good run contrary to the prosperity gospel doctrine that nudges donations-4-miracles. Claiming medical patients who are licensed under state law with certain chronic conditions turning to marijuana instead of ‘allowing God’ to cure them harkens back some very archaic and ableist tropes— a harmful narrative to perpetuate for many health conditions.
A piece by the Baptist Messenger’s editor on November 11, 2021, in which the author feels that Oklahoma once had a “good old days” before legalization, utilizes an “It’s a Wonderful Life” Bedford Falls/Pottersville analogy. Hobbs notes that “every generation had its own sins, shames and problems. As great as the 1950s were, racism and segregation were tragically widespread at the time.” He may not notice that racism is still very much alive in Oklahoma, and it is a major feature fueling the war on drugs in general. NOTE: a similar piece from Hobbs was tailored more to SQ820, and published September 2022
In local actions by churches, one Baptist minister in Prue is asking his congregation to write the governor and sign petitions to remove SQ820 from the ballot. At this time there are no petitions to repeal SQ820, SQ788, or any related laws filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office, and the Oklahoma Supreme Court has cleared the question of all legal challenges.
From NewsOn6:
…McDevitt says the tax revenue isn't worth, what he says, are the risks of marijuana being in schools.
"There are no amount of tax dollars’ worth the dangers that marijuana poses to our culture,” McDevitt said.
He hopes people will take the time to educate themselves about the question and marijuana legalization before they make their decision.
"Do the research, find out for yourself,” said McDevitt. “But evaluate it based on what is said, and not what you think."
Voters will head to the polls on March 7 to decide if marijuana will be legal in Oklahoma.
All of these opposition efforts seem to disregard any past cultural, historical, and spiritual context of cannabis use, and that even cannabis churches exist (where no sales are made) and one could creatively embrace legalization rather than shun it. Even the LDS church in Utah, whose members traditionally eschew caffeine and tobacco in addition to alcohol, have been somewhat amenable to the idea of cannabis as medicine when looking at their policy, though they are opposed to recreational legalization and currently have a more limited program than our own state laws - though in 2022 they expanded their medical program via a bill to treat medical cannabis as other medicines.
Utah does have a similar problem as Oklahoma and some other states when it expanding freedoms and rights when it comes to cannabis, and that deals with decriminalization. In our legislature there are always little tweaks in policy filed, to add more fines and fees, or criminalize something related to cannabis use just enough to yield more prosecutions.
From Politico in 2021 on Utah:
Utah ... probably will be one of the last states to legalize marijuana recreationally,” O’Keefe said. “There is no push at all, even to decriminalize simple possession of marijuana.”
The state of Utah however does not have laws for petitions of the people for ballot questions as Oklahoma does, they must be legislatively referred with a 2/3 majority in both chambers, or expansions must happen through legislation.
With the OK Baptists’ newsletter being the “third-largest newspaper in terms of paid subscriptions in the state of Oklahoma” per their website, and religion and state separation being more of a gray area in our “Bible Belt”, this makes for a wide reach of potential influence.
Oklahomans go to the polls for the special election to vote on SQ820 for over 21+ adult cannabis use on March 7, 2023. You can check your voter registration and make updates at the OK State Election Board Voter Portal website here. You can read the full details of the question here.