Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, said the passage of five bills that he says will help rein in illegal marijuana activity in Oklahoma.
Fetgatter"Since the passage of State Question 788, the Legislature has worked diligently to implement medical marijuana responsibly, as the people wanted, while being proactive to address unforeseen issues," Fetgatter said. "These bills work together with previous legislation to create a multifaceted approach to extinguish illegal growing and distributing while focusing on product safety and public health."
Fetgatter secured passage of the following bills:
HB 3019 – allows medical marijuana packaging to be clear in order for consumers to view the product inside the container, so long as the container is child-resistant. Also requires that all medical marijuana packaging must include a warning that says "For use by licensed medical marijuana patients only" and "Keep out of reach of children."
HB 3752 – provides that it is unlawful for the owner of a marijuana grow to abandon the property without restoring the land to its previous condition.
HB 3734 – changes medical marijuana business license requirements and fees. In addition to the general requirements for licensure applications, those applying for a temporary license or applying to renew a business license must submit to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA): business formation documents, financial information, a diagram of the proposed premises, power and water usage information and evidence of workers compensation and product liability insurance. All entities seeking a license must first obtain a temporary license for 180 days. Additionally, all entities granted an annual license must pay $1,500 annually to maintain their license.
HB 2179 – separates medical marijuana grower licenses into tiers for the different types of grow facilities.
HB 3634 – creates a medical marijuana wholesaler business license, but prohibits wholesalers from growing, producing or selling their own medical marijuana and requires them to use seed-to-sale tracking. According to Fetgatter, this is the second most vulnerable area in the medical marijuana program, and this bill takes care of the problem.
"These bills are going to help root out bad actors and get them out of our state," Fetgatter said. "Oklahoma is open for medical marijuana business, but you better do it legally or we will find you."
In addition to Fetgatter's legislative efforts, he recently began hosting a weekly program called "Scott on Pot" which airs on the Oklahoma House Republican social media pages and features medical marijuana experts discussing pertinent industry issues.