Mending Medical Marijuana in Oklahoma: Here Come the Bills

Oklahoma State Senate

Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Senate District 1

February 27, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Senator Micheal Bergstrom
State Capitol: (405) 521-5561

Email: bergstrom@oksenate.gov          

Capitol Considerations by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Mending Medical Marijuana

When State Question 788 was passed by the voters this past November, Oklahoma found itself in an interesting situation.

As written, it was a terrible piece of legislation.

The language that voters passed was about seven pages long, but all that most ever saw was the 150-word summary on the ballot.

What mattered to many was helping those with medical conditions get relief from their pain or illness. 

Let’s just say the state question, which was viewed by most voters as a way to do that, created a host of problems.

Now we have to fix it.

We, in the Republican caucus, view it this way.  We are going to create a way forward so that the will of the people is respected, while at the same time ensuring that Oklahoma’s citizens can be sure the medical marijuana products they purchase are safe and meet their needs, and making sure that our workplaces are safe and employers know how they should be dealing with those who have medical marijuana cards.

There will soon be a large bill, a unity bill, which will expand upon State Question 788 to deal with issues like labeling (to be sure that consumers know what they are buying), testing (to guarantee the product is safe) and, of course, workplace safety.

On its heels, there will likely be dozens of other bills attempting to fix issues.

Arkansas passed their medical marijuana laws two years ago. We are currently much further along in implementing our program, though there are issues to be resolved.

For example, the Oklahoma Department of Health is currently receiving approximately 1,000 patient license requests daily. Needless to say, it is a difficult task since it only has 14 days to respond.

The main thing is, as we move forward in this legislative session, that I intend to respect the will of the people by supporting legislation that solves the problems while clinging to the intent of the state question.

-30-