Competing Bills Would Regulate Medical Cannabis in Oklahoma
Next year voters in Oklahoma will decide on medical cannabis at the ballot box. Representative Eric Proctor (D-Tulsa) introduced House Bill 1877 which would legalize medical cannabis for patients suffering from a number of illnesses, including HIV, hepatitis C, glaucoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome, arthritis, fybromyalgia and Alzheimer’s. State Question 788 would also legalize medical cannabis for a broad range of illnesses.
House Bill 1877 would create the Oklahoma Marijuana Act of 2017. Not far, across the border, medical cannabis is quickly gaining steam in Arkansas. The legislation of HB-1877 is nearly exactly the same as Arkansas’ proposed medical cannabis plan which calls for a maximum $7,500 fee for a dispensary and a maximum $15,000 fee for a cultivation license. Like Arkansas, the bill would also call for a medical cannabis commission. “It’s modeled after the laws in Arkansas,” Proctor told The Associated Press. “It was done intentionally so we can see what [Arkansas] has done right and wrong.”
Under HB-1877, The Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission (ABLE) would oversee rules, record-keeping, security and regulations. The commission already has their hands full with new alcohol measures being implemented in Oklahoma.
Oklahomans for Health, an advocacy group, is pushing for a separate statewide ballot initiative that would allow doctors to prescribe medical cannabis. State Question 788 includes no qualifying conditions, because a doctor could prescribe medical cannabis for any ailment. 75 percent of the revenue from cannabis sales would go into an education fund and the remaining money would fund rehabilitation programs. The Oklahomans for Health believe that HB-1877 does not do enough and limits the qualifying conditions for a medical cannabis prescription.
Oklahoma seems to be taking a page right out of Arkansas’ playbook. Arkansas’ medical cannabis program arrived after a rocky start. A competing medical cannabis bill was disqualified, and ultimately, the more moderate Issue 6, or the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, passed legislation. The program launch was delayed to clarify the rules of the program. Several bills have been introduced which would limit Arkansas’ medical cannabis program. Oklahomans would rather watch Arkansas make the mistakes and gains before diving into the world of regulating medical cannabis.
