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Marijuana Petition Signature Collectors May Get Paid

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Signatures to get a state question about medical marijuana on the November ballot are due in three weeks, and the group behind the initiative is going to pay signature gatherers if they succeed.

Oklahomans for Health is offering $1 per pair of signatures. It currently has 30,000 to 50,000 of the necessary 86,000 signatures. Board member Frank Grove said interest should pick up in the last few weeks of the campaign.

"Based on that information, we're looking at a good chance of getting the ballot, so that's part of the reason we've deployed this new paid program to kind of ensure our success," Grove said.

Donors are putting up the funds, and Grove said it's a common practice, so they're not worried about how it looks to opponents or people on the fence.

"Our supporters and volunteers are happy that this is happening because it gives us a better shot at success, and any detractors that might have an issue with this will ultimately vote for or against medical marijuana at the ballot box, not really based on this issue," Grove said.

Representatives from the Oklahoma Election Board and Secretary of State's office declined to be interviewed but said state laws don't prohibit groups behind initiative petitions from paying signature collectors. They also said it happens in many of these cases.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.