Bill clears medical marijuana working group
A bicameral Medical Marijuana Working Group finished work on a bill Wednesday to regulate various aspects of the cannabis industry, including packaging, lab testing and employment restrictions.
The so-called “unity bill” bill will be submitted to legislative leaders.
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said, “The original purpose of this working group was to ensure that State Question 788 would be implemented in the most efficient and responsible way possible. After the conclusion of today's meeting, I believe it is clear that the original intent and goal of this working group has been accomplished. State Question 788 will be implemented as intended by the people of Oklahoma.”
State Question 788, overwhelmingly approved by state voters last June, provided almost no regulatory scheme for medical marijuana. Legislators had completed their 2018 session before the question passed, but they did convene a working group to prepare legislation for the 2019 session.
House Majority Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, explained the bill would work its way through regular legislative procedure after receiving the working group's recommendation.
Members of the working group made some changes Wednesday to the bill. They removed language requiring a liability policy when transporting medical marijuana. Members of the group wanted to address that issue later with a separate bill.
Language was added authorizing the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to contract with one or more third-party laboratories for marijuana testing. These labs would not be authorized to operate commercial operations within the state in addition to a contract with the OMMA.
The bill was adjusted to provide new-to-market growers an opportunity to legally obtain seeds or plants to begin their operation.
Echols said he often heard the question of where licensees could legally obtain seeds in order to begin a grow operation.
“That was a very complicated question because I don't know that there was” a legal way to obtain seeds, Echols said.
The working group rejected a proposal from Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, to allow publicly traded companies to obtain a medical marijuana business license.