Oklahoma's courts and law enforcement agencies have six months to prepare for State Question 780 to take effect.
The initiative reclassifies certain crimes as misdemeanors rather than felonies. Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado said that could mean a strain on his agency.
"Potentially, we could see an influx of state misdemeanor inmates that have been sentenced to a year in the county jail," Regalado said. "When you talk in terms of the amount of people that get arrested on drug offenses that will now be misdemeanors, we could be looking at a serious problem in terms of the inmate population."
The new law's effects won't be known for some time after it becomes law on July 1. Proponents say it will save the state money on prison costs.
"Fingers are crossed. I hope that the bill, the way it was created and what it was intended to do works out, and if it does, I think we'll see a successful transition of inmates that will be able to get out and, hopefully, not come back in," Regalado said.
SQ 780 passed in November with 58 percent of the vote.
A companion state question, 781, also takes effect July 1. It directs savings from implementing 780 back to counties for things like drug treatment and mental health programs.
