Only four months after Oklahoma voters officially approved medical cannabis legalization in their state, state regulators have gone the extra mile by approving licenses for over 12,000 patients seeking to use medical marijuana. Since November 11, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) had already issued 12,281 licenses to medical cannabis patients, while an additional 76 licenses for patient caregivers were officially granted approval. Overall, throughout the course of its activities, OMMA has approved a total of 14,345 applications for marijuana licenses, and more applicants appear to be on the way. How do 16,640 patients (at this time) sound? So what could this mean for the State of Oklahoma and the marijuana community in general? Let’s take a closer look and find out what impact that approval has left.
Application Trouble
Back on October 31, applications were concerned about security for medical marijuana business licenses after OMMA posted their applications online, but Melissa Miller (OMMA communications manager) informed these individuals that this action was required, given the fact that these applications were public records. (Only one burglary was reported after this transpired.)
Initially, OMMA started receiving applications on August 24, and all documents can be filled on the official website at www.OMMA.ok.gov. Once state regulators announced the start of the application process, Tom Bats (Interim State Health Commissioner) confirmed that the organization had worked in synchronization with State Question 788 (SQ 788), which legalized medical marijuana.
June Initiative
Back in the June statewide election, Oklahoma voters approved SQ 788, which allows for the legal medical use of the plant and distribution and sales of products in the state. However, unlike other legislative documents in other U.S. states, Oklahoma’s initiative gives doctors the right to determine if marijuana will benefit a patient.
In a recent interview with High Times, Chip Paul (chairman of Oklahomans for Health) announced that the approval of SQ 788 demonstrates an overwhelming victory for medical marijuana patients. Based on the guidelines of this legislation, patients will not have to meet qualifications for a specific illness, and doctors can wield more power for prescribing the drug.
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