Franklin noted that "we have drug addicts who, because we provide them no legal means to acquire the drugs they're addicted to, they resort to crime to fund it. They break into homes, rob you on the street. ... This is the problem of prohibition.

"For those addicted to alcohol, you rarely hear about them committing crimes to feed their addiction."

Data provided by the Tulsa Police Department show 689 arrests in the city for possession of marijuana in 2013.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation statistics show that possession of marijuana "constituted 49.7 percent of the total drug abuse arrests in 2012," the latest year such statewide data were available.

Possession crimes can net up to a year in jail, although a first offense likely will end in a court citation and probation, Tulsa Police Officer Leland Ashley said.

Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris is opposed to decriminalization. Where Franklin has pointed to the illegality of marijuana possession creating a public health and safety hazard, Harris says he sees the opposite.