Organizers collecting signatures of registered Oklahoma voters for a law allowing recreational marijuana might miss the deadline to have a statewide vote in November.

If Green the Vote collects at least 124,000 valid signatures by Aug. 8, they can virtually guarantee a spot on a future ballot. However, certain administrative and legal requirements stand in the way of a relatively quick decision and could delay a vote until the next statewide election 16 months later.

The absolute latest that Gov. Mary Fallin can add questions to the November ballot is Aug. 27, which leaves just a few weeks for the inner-workings of state government to handle the initiative petition process for State Question 797. Once the signatures are collected and turned in to the secretary of state's office, they have to be counted.

Secretary of State James Williamson said Monday that his office would have to hire employees, train them and have them count the signatures, which could take two weeks.