What’s included in the bills aimed at overhauling Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A set of bills designed to massively overhaul the current way medical marijuana is being grown and sold in Oklahoma is sitting on the floor of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

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A group of Republican lawmakers revealed their twelve point plan Monday morning that seeks to control quality being sold to customers, improve the power of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and attempt to hinder grows linked to illegal operations and international cartels.

“The black market is not the free market,” said House Majority Floor Leader State Rep. Jon Echols (R-Okla. City).

The twelve point plan is actually multiple bills that have already passed out of committee, and have been worked on with lawmakers in the State Senate and Governor Kevin Stitt.

The 12-point plan will require:

• Making the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority a standalone agency
• A grant program for county sheriff’s departments to fund law enforcement efforts in every county (HB 3530)
• Full implementation of a seed to sale system (either via court order or new legislation)
• Provisional licensing requiring pre-license inspections and increased document submission prior to approval (HB 3734)
• Tiered grow license fees based on grow size (HB 2179)
• Separate licensing for medical marijuana wholesalers (HB 3634)
• All medical marijuana businesses to post standardized permit signage at the place of business (HB 2025)
• Stringent electrical and water data reporting by marijuana growers (HB 4055)
• Annual inspections (HB 2024)
• Product packaging standards and maximum beyond use dates (HB 3019; HB 4288)
• Standardized laboratory testing and equipment (HB 4056)
• Marijuana grows to register as environmentally sensitive crop owners with the Agriculture Department (HB 3827)

Echols said this set of bills does not cancel out or supersede other medical cannabis reforms also making their way through the State Senate. Instead, it’s expected Republicans who overwhelmingly control both chambers are open to heavy reforms on the industry.

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State Rep. Scott Fetgatter (R- Okmulgee) said he’s attended dozens of events with cannabis industry-related businesses who were open to the reforms and did not see what was being proposed as overly burdensome to their current operations.

Governor Kevin Stitt (R) made addressing illegal marijuana growing operations and sales a top priority in his State of the State speech last month.

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