New Medical Marijuana Regulations Set To Take Effect In September 2019

More than a year after Oklahoma said “yes” to legalized medical marijuana, new regulations are set to take effect.  

The changes will come next month and aim to expand the options Oklahomans have to get medical cannabis.

Read Related Story: Gov. Stitt Approves New Regulations For Medical Marijuana Program  

The changes give some new options for both patients and doctors, and they will kick in on September 14.

For starters, patients will be able to get a recommendation from licensed podiatrists, alongside other physicians.

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority will also add a new 60-day short term license for Oklahomans with a 60-day doctor's recommendation.

"It gives doctors another option for how to treat patients, I don't have any issue for them providing for a short-term license if that's what a doctor deems is medically necessary for a certain short-term condition," said Ron Durbin.

Durbin is a Tulsa lawyer specializing in the state's medical cannabis industry. He said while some of these new fixes are positive, there are some aspects that will make things tougher.

Those items include installing GPS trackers in every truck transporting medical cannabis and maintaining detailed logs of those trips.

"It's utter and complete overkill. You're requiring things you don't for any other industry in Oklahoma and applying them to this one. Pharmacies don't have to have trackers in trucks taking their pharmaceuticals," said Durbin.

Veterans with a 100 percent disability rating from the VA will be able to get a medical marijuana patient license with a discounted application fee. Also, a new online renewal system for businesses will be available starting August 30.

The Medical Marijuana Authority said nearly 170,000 patient licenses have been approved. More than 1,700 dispensary licenses have been approved in the state.