Several Bills Would Change Oklahoma’s Medical Cannabis Law

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap] Republican representative from Tuttle, Oklahoma filed legislation that aims to change Oklahoma’s medical cannabis law, and other lawmakers are expected to follow suit when the legislative session starts next month. Many of the bills make small tweaks to existing legislature, while others make substantial changes.

The two biggest changes to State Question 788, which legalized medical cannabis in the state of Oklahoma, would be from the “Unity Bill,” proposed by a legislative working group, and Senate Bill 1030, proposed by Republican Lonnie Paxton. The Unity Bill would allow for state agencies to be contracted for regulatory functions under the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and SB-1030 would change or clarify some of the language in SB-788.

After Oklahoma voters approved SQ-788, law enforcement agencies issued warnings about a conflict in regard to federal law and owning guns. Since cannabis is still illegal under federal law, officials say those who consume medical cannabis would not be allowed to legally own a gun. Senate Bill 305 and Senate Bill 959, two new pieces of proposed legislation, would add concealed carry licenses as an example of licenses that cannot be withheld for patients and prohibit the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation from withholding a concealed carry license from patients solely based on their status as a medical cannabis cardholder, respectively.

Other smaller changes have been proposed, such as SB-612 which would establish a fine for patients found creating a fake patient identification card or using another patient’s card. SB-887 would allow for counties to establish and collect fees from patients who are found in violation of maximum possession limits.

The medical cannabis industry has taken off quickly in Oklahoma, with more than 30,000 patients and almost 900 businesses licensed. Numbers from the Oklahoma Tax Commission show medical cannabis sales reached almost $1 million in the month of December, resulting in almost $70,000 in tax revenue.