Pre-Rolls, Display Jars, & More In Oklahoma: Changes To State Medical Marijuana Laws

Over 350 new laws went into effect in Oklahoma on November 1st that cover everything from a new highway named after Donald Trump to access to medical marijuana. The changes that will affect the cannabis industry, published by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), will impact patients, growers, and license holders, many of which will make accessibility increasingly tricky.

Dispensaries

House Bill 2646 will offer some benefits to both dispensaries and patients. Storefronts will officially provide samples of their product, though not in the way most would hope. Medical marijuana dispensaries can now have display jars on their shelves for patients to view while deciding what to purchase. Additionally, dispensaries will have the option to sell their own pre-rolls.

• Facilities must keep a distance of 1,000 ft. between the nearest perimeter wall of the dispensary to the nearest property line of schools. Previous laws requested the measurement be between the school door to the dispensary door.
• Sample jars can only hold 3 grams, diligently labeled with the grower’s name, strain, batch number, and a sign indicating “Sample: not for retail sale.”
• Dispensaries can package non-infused pre-rolls in-house, though they can not be more than one gram.

Patients & Caregivers 

As for medical patients, a few changes could affect access to cannabis in the future. For one, physicians will now have to maintain a “good standing” with the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision or the State Board of Osteopathic Examiners. Secondly, any termination of a physician’s recommendation for medicinal marijuana will immediately void a cardholder’s license. Additionally, Oklahoma voter IDs are not valid as proof of residency anymore. 

Commercial License Holders

The commercial sector will be hit the hardest with the number of changes that will take place. Things like the need to submit the back of a driver’s license or ID will no longer be in effect, nor will certificate compliance under most circumstances. However, there will be more diligent actions taken to maintain quality control and keep cannabis out of the hands of minors.

• License fee increased to $500, including change of owner, name change, or change of address.
• New monetary penalties are in effect for “diversion to unauthorized minors.” Plus, higher fines for fraudulent reporting and refusing OMMA inspection.
• Bad actors face a five-year ban from holding a commercial license.
• All reporting, including inventory tracking and seed-to-sale data, will remain confidential.
• All commercial license holders must hold records for seven years instead of three.
• The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has the power to request testing for products up to twice a year.

Growers & Processors

• Harvest sizes have increased from 10 lbs to 15 lbs, unless specifically for concentrate, which increased to 50 lbs.
• Non-infused pre-rolls from a single batch must undergo testing for contamination and potency. They are limited to one gram.
• Concentrate processors can not exceed 4 liters of liquid medical marijuana per batch or 9 lbs of nonliquid medical marijuana. The final batch can not contain more than 1,000 grams of THC.