Oklahoma Bill To Stop MMJ Licenses From Same Address And Other Illegal Operations Heads To Senate

An Oklahoma bill to regulate a state medical marijuana program is heading to the Senate floor after being approved by the Senate Business Committee on Monday.

Senator Brent Howard (R), who is behind Senate Bill 806, says the legislation seeks to curb the number of licenses that use an identical physical address on their applications, reported KFOR. The move comes on the heels of an investigation linking sex trafficking, prostitution, and drug trafficking to medical marijuana farms across the state.

In the new bill, Howard is addressing a request from Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) and the Attorney General's Office, as they face obstacles while investigating potential illegal operations.

"Those who regulate our medical marijuana industry are running into problems when they raid a facility only to learn that there are numerous licensees who utilize that one address and all have product stored there," Howard said. "This makes it nearly impossible for law enforcement to know what product is actually illegal and to properly investigate the case. This measure would limit the number of licenses that can be listed under one address to help improve regulation and shut down illegal business activity."

Under the bill, those applying for a license will be obliged to provide proof of residence or real estate ownership where they plan to operate a business. In addition, each physical location would be permitted to have one license within the same category.

Voters To Weigh In On Rec Marijuana Next Week

Meanwhile, a special election to decide on the recreational use of marijuana is approaching.

State Question 820, would legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older, as well as overturn cannabis convictions and enable those people affected to have their criminal records expunged.

Even though the bill would also generate state revenue for essential priorities, including schools, health care, local governments and lawmakers to regulate the industry to protect public health and safety, GOP leaders are not thrilled with the idea of having marijuana legalized. They've urged their constituents to vote against the initiative next week.

"We encourage you to get out the vote on March 7 and ask you to vote NO on SQ 820," urged party leaders to voters in a letter on Monday, raising concerns around marijuana and children's safety, namely "a disallowance of evidence of marijuana use in child custody cases."

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