Cannabis Oklahoma
The road to legalizing medical cannabis in Oklahoma has been a long one. Oklahoma banned cannabis in 1933 following a nationwide trend towards restricting marijuana. And for the next 80 or so years, the quiet state of Oklahoma remained a state where, if you get caught with cannabis it’s not going to be a good day. However, in 2014 the Oklahomans for Health started a petition to bring the issue of medical cannabis legalization to the ballot; unfortunately, the petition did not get enough signatures. Then, in late 2015 Green, the Vote started up a new petition, with the goal of getting medical cannabis legalization onto the 2016 ballot. After getting over a few bumps in the road and over 65,000+ signatures, State Question 788 got placed on the June 26, 2018, primary election ballot.
Oklahoma State Question 788: Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative received over 500,000 yes votes (roughly 56%) and over 380,000 no votes (roughly 43%). It then went on to come into effect on July 1st, 2018, and considering it’s the 3rd right now, congrats on legal medical cannabis Oklahoma! Now time for some nitty-gritty information about medical cannabis law in the state.
To apply for a medical cannabis license you must get your application signed by an Oklahoma board certified physician. And if you are under the age of 18, you actually have to get your application signed by two different board-certified physicians instead of just one. Interestingly enough there isn’t a list of conditions that qualify you to receive your medical cannabis license. Application fees are $100 unless you have Medicaid, Medicare or SoonerCare which then reduces the cost to $20 instead.
If you have a medical cannabis card from another state and are only temporarily visiting Oklahoma you can also apply for a temporary 30-day card. And if you’re itching to apply for your card, the measure states that the application form will be available within 30 days of passage. Within 60 days a regulatory office will be set up to receive applications and dispensary growers must also start operating within that time frame.
Once you have your medical cannabis card, you may possess
- Up to Three ounces of cannabis on their person, and eight ounces at a personal residence
- Up to one ounce of cannabis concentrate
- Up to 72 ounces of cannabis edibles
- Up to six mature cannabis plants and up to six cannabis seedlings
While medical cannabis patients can grow their own, there will eventually be dispensaries opening, although you’ll have to pay a 7% sales tax. Paraphernalia for medical cannabis has also been legalized, so next time you go to a smoke shop feel free to call them bongs instead of water pipes! In addition to the legalization of cannabis paraphernalia, the door to medical cannabis research has been opened so long as researchers apply for a special research license from the health department.
State Question 788 was the first cannabis-related question to appear on a state ballot in 2018, however, both Michigan and Utah elections are coming up later this year. Regardless of it being the first of the year, voters showed up by the hundreds of thousands for this one. According to The Oklahoma State Election Board, more votes were cast on the marijuana question than all of the 2014 general election.
Including Oklahoma, there are now 31 states with medical cannabis legalized, let’s hope more follow soon!
