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Podcast Ep. 45 | Carpathians, Kardashians, and Cardassians

We manage to give you a recap this week's Oklahoma political news while also being distracted by Ghostbusters, Star Trek, and easily accessible barrier protection. 

News Round-Up

Take-Aways

  • First of all, you probably should know the difference between Carpathians, Kardashians, and Cardassians.

    • And here's the article we discussed about the actor who played Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters 2.

  • Despite the behavior of some of the folks at the top, most rank-and-file employees at the Oklahoma State Department of Health do really great (and important) work. During this episode we mentioned that Oklahoma has a high teen birth rate as well as high rates of STDs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. To help reduce all those things, OSDH is now able to distribute free condoms to organizations who request them, and all you have to do to request them is send them an email.

  • Beyond that, this week was primarily a discussion of the articles listed above. 

  • Oh, and we announced our Let's Fix This Election Watch Party on November 6th! Details are on our website and our Facebook page. 

 

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Podcast Ep. 44 | Reefer Madness Continues, plus an interview with state auditor Gary Jones

We discuss the bizarre things that happened this week in Oklahoma's medical marijuana saga, and then we speak with State Auditor Gary Jones to learn about the role of that position in our state government. 

Summary

We discuss the bizarre things that happened this week in Oklahoma's medical marijuana saga, and then we speak with State Auditor Gary Jones to learn about the role of that position in our state government. At the end, a surprise edition of Pruitt Watch!

News Round-Up

Take-Aways

  • Let's start with our ongoing timeline of events related to SQ788, as we now know them:
    • June 26: The measure passed with 57% of the vote. Subsequently, the State Board of Health published and began accepting public comments on a set of proposed rules to guide the medical marijuana industry.
    • July 7: Julie Ezell, general counsel for the State Department of Health, has a text message conversation with Chelsea Church, who is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Board of Pharmacy, in which it appears that Church offered Ezell a higher-paying job at the Board of Pharmacy if Ezell would recommend a rule that all medical marijuana dispensaries must be managed by an in-house pharmacist. (The public would not learn of these messages until July 19th.)
    • July 8: Julie Ezell creates an email account made to look like a pro-medical marijuana activist and begins emailing fake threats to herself. 
    • July 10: Board of Health meeting, passes previously-discussed rules along with two additional, previously unannounced rules: (1) ban smokable marijuana and (2) require a pharmacist to be on-site at every dispensary. Both of these motions passed on a 5-4 vote. During the meeting, Ezell told the board that she did not believe those rules were legal and advised against passage.
    • July 11: Governor Fallin approved the rules as they were passed.
    • July 12: Speaker McCall and Pro Tem Treat issued joint statement saying they would establish a "working group" of legislators next month to look at the issues. House Democrats call for special session to address the issues.
    • July 13: Two lawsuits filed against the Governor, legislature, and Board of Health, alleging that the five members of the BoH had a secret meeting prior to the full board meeting, which was in violation of the Open Meeting Act. Julie Ezell resigns as general counsel for OSDH, but that is not made public until July 17th.
    • July 16: Attorney General Mike Hunter announces his office will review the rules passed by the Board of Health.  
    • July 17: It is publicly announced that Julie Ezell resigned. It is also made publicly known that she is charged with two felonies and one misdemeanor related to her fake emails and reporting false threats. 
    • July 18: Attorney General Mike Hunter advises the Board of Health to amend the rules they passed on July 10th. 
    • July 19: NonDoc publishes texts messages between Ezell and Church. Senate Democrats call for a special session to address the medical marijuana issue.
       
  • Interview with State Auditor & Inspector Gary Jones:
    • Jones shared lots of insights into what the State Auditor does, how his office responds to requests for audits, the state of the state economy, and, of course, the ongoing debacle at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. 
 

 

  • Pruitt Watch - A court has blocked Scott Pruitt's final act as head of the EPA. Still making news, even though after he resigned. 

Closing

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Podcast: A Doctor, a Lawyer, and a Therapist Walk Into a Bar

Ep 43: "A doctor, a lawyer, and a therapist walk into a bar." Scott (a doctor) and Andy (a therapist) have an unusually candid discussion about SQ788 (medical marijuana), ridiculous voter outrage, and how the issue is playing out in Oklahoma. The lawyer couldn't make it. Also a very brief "Pruitt Watch."

Summary

In this episode, Scott (a doctor) and Andy (a therapist) have an unusually candid discussion about SQ788 (medical marijuana), ridiculous voter outrage, and how the issue is playing out in Oklahoma. (The lawyer couldn't make it.) Also, a brief "Pruitt Watch" segment.

News Round-Up

Take-aways

  • Quick recap of SQ788:
    • On June 26th, the measure passed with 57% of the vote.
    • Governor Fallin initially said she'd likely call a special session to deal with the issue, but then backed off and said she would not call it, leaving it up to the State Board of Health.
    • The State Board of Health published a set of proposed rules to guide the medical marijuana industry and accepted public comment on those rules. 
    • Then, during the BoH meeting, there were motions to recommend two additional, previously unannounced rules: (1) ban smokable marijuana and (2) require a pharmacist to be on-site at every dispensary. Both motions passed on a 5-4 vote, and Governor Fallin approved the rules the very next day.
    • Big public outcry, as you might expect.
    • Speaker McCall and Pro Tem Treat issued joint statement saying they would establish a "working group" of legislators next month to look at the issues. 
    • On 7/13, two lawsuits were filed against the Governor, legislature, and Board of Health, alleging that the five members of the BoH had a secret meeting prior to the full board meeting, which was in violation of the Open Meetings Act.
       
  • During the episode, Scott speaks from his personal perspective and that of a medical doctor; Andy speaks from his personal perspective. Andy argues that the some of the issues that upset supporters are misguided and distract from the larger, more pressing legal issues. Scott argues that the rules attempt to treat medical marijuana like an actual medication and people don't like that. Both Andy & Scott agree that the real issue is that SQ788 supporters actually want full recreational marijuana and therein lies the rub. 
     
  • Pruitt Watch - Have we seen the last of Scott Pruitt in politics? (Spoiler: probably not.)

Closing

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