Back in July of 2018, only a few weeks after Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of medical marijuana via SQ 788, the Oklahoma Board of Health and GOP political establishment went full reefer madness and tried to sabotage the law by enacting emergency rules that would do things like ban the sale of smokable products, limit THC amounts and require dispensaries to have a pharmacist on ring up pre-rolls of your favorite flower. Here's my glorious post about it.
When the board met to discuss these rules, the only sane person in the room appeared to be State Health Department attorney Julie Ezell. With worried eyes and puzzled gazes, she repeatedly told the board that they were overstepping their authority and their emergency rules wouldn't hold up in the courts. Then, about a week later, word came that she was caught emailing fake threats to herself, received a bribe offer from another state employee, and had an affair with a co-worker.
As Stitt's indicted cabinet member David Ostrowe mused back in December – Only in Oklahoma.
Two years after pleading guilty to a couple of misdemeanor charges, being disciplined by the Bar association, and going through recovery for opioid addiction, Julie stopped by The Lost Ogle Show podcast presented by Fire Leaf to talk all about it. It's a pretty wild listen.
Julie gave us an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the attempts the ruling class made to usurp SQ 788. We talked about her fake emails (from both an ethical and creative writing standpoint), the resulting fall from grace, and what it's like to be tabloid fodder. We also discussed trying marijuana for research purposes, her road to recovery from opioid addiction, and restarting her career as a private practice attorney specializing in medical marijuana law.
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