Latest news with #OklahomaMedicalMarijuanaAuthority
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma bill to ease marijuana license denials has uncertain future
Only a handful of medical marijuana-related bills remain alive at the Oklahoma Legislature as lawmakers head into the final few weeks of this year's session. There were fewer high-impact bills filed in 2025 than in previous years, but industry advocates hoped lawmakers would focus more on fixing bureaucratic roadblocks and less on restricting personal use or adding unnecessary regulations. Some bills, like one clarifying that consuming marijuana while driving is illegal, are now waiting for the governor's signature or veto. Others are bouncing between the Oklahoma House and Senate as legislators try to agree on specifics. One of those bills that is still alive but faces a tough road is Senate Bill 1039, which modifies the medical marijuana licensing process for businesses. The legislation is an attempt to make the process smoother for applicants who make mistakes while still allowing the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to deny improper applications. The bill faces an uncertain future as it heads to a small committee that gets to settle the differences between House and Senate versions. Unless called back in for a special session, lawmakers in Oklahoma have to finish their business this year by May 30. SB 1039 attempts to address the concerns of medical marijuana business owners, who have frequently complained about delays in getting their applications processed. The backlog has been blamed for shuttered businesses and anxiety about making sure the complex application is correct the first time it's filed. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority's third-party licensing software requires applicants to start from scratch if there is a single mistake or missing document. Since business owners have to obtain paperwork from multiple different state and local government entities, a missing document or missed checkbox can cause an application to be outright denied. After the application is submitted they can face further delays, in part because of a relatively new requirement that all businesses also acquire a certificate of occupancy approved by the state fire marshal's office. In its current form, SB 1039 clarifies that clerical or typographical errors in an application will not be a reason for denial. It also gives a 30-day grace period for missing documents to be attached, and explicitly states the "lack of a certificate of occupancy shall not be the sole cause for denial of an application." "If you've been approved through the OMMA process to receive your license, but there's been an issue or delay through the fire marshal's office getting your (certificate of occupancy) on your building complete, obviously you can't open and operate," said the bill's House author, state Rep. Josh Cantrell, R-Kingston. "What we're trying to do is clean this up a little bit to where if one agency is running a little behind, it doesn't automatically kick you out of something for another agency." In its most recent newsletter, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority acknowledged issues with the current licensing software and noted that "within the next fiscal year, the agency will launch a new, integrated licensing and inspection software platform that will decrease turnaround times and enhance regulatory efforts." Cantrell said on the House floor on May 8 that he's not sure if the bill can survive the conference committee, where select members from the House and Senate negotiate on the final version of the bill. A number of other bills tied to the medical marijuana industry have reached Gov. Kevin Stitt's desk. He can sign them into law, veto or allow them to become law without his signature: Senate Bill 786 would clarify that it is illegal to consume marijuana while operating a motor vehicle. It also bans open marijuana containers in the passenger area of a vehicle that's being driven in public. Senate Bill 522 creates a task force to study limits on the amount of marijuana someone can purchase and possess. If signed by the governor, a recommendation would be due by Nov. 1, 2026. Senate Bill 1066 would require doctors to register with the authority before recommending medical marijuana and undergo state-approved education. Several other bills have remained alive during the four-month legislative session but still need at least one more vote in the Legislature before heading to the governor. One of those proposed laws is Senate Bill 518, which is back in the Senate after House lawmakers amended it. It would add three new warnings to product labels alongside current warnings about keeping it away from children and the requirement that a license is needed for use: "It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana or marijuana products" "Women should not use marijuana or marijuana products during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects" "This product has been tested for contaminants" House Bill 2897 is waiting for approval of Senate amendments. It would require dispensaries to post a sign stating, "WARNING: INGESTING THC PRODUCTS WHILE PREGNANT IS NOT HEALTHY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNBORN CHILD." Marijuana industry employees would have to undergo annual state-approved education starting in 2027 with House Bill 2837. If it becomes law, the training would likely include an overview of state statutes and administrative rules, patient privacy requirements and the safe handling and storage of medical marijuana. House Bill 2807 allows for temporary storage by licensed transport businesses. Warehouses must be "physically and technically suitable" according to medical marijuana authority guidelines. The bill also requires dispensaries to sell or destroy any marijuana inventory that isn't prepackaged by Nov. 1. The training requirements and transport storage bills were amended in the Senate, so they still need the House's final approval in order to advance. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma medical marijuana bills in 2025 as Legislature nears end
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More pre-rolls coming back positive for mold and yeast
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A local lab says many of the products that it tested show high amounts of mold, yeast, even salmonella in pre-rolls, and this is not the first time. Havard Industries Lab first sounded the alarm last summer. High amounts of mold and yeast found in pre-rolls They're concerned that those who should be implementing and checking test samples are not. 'I believe it was 14 samples if I, if I'm remembering correctly, out of the 20 that also had failed from the mold and yeast again,' said Jeffrey Havard with Havard Industries. In July 2024, News 4 spoke with Jeffrey Havard about concerns with microbial testing in pre-rolls. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) changed the rules and regulations to mandate final form testing. 'We were just seeing if having the regulations change, if it had any effect on reducing or eliminating the failures on these prior samples,' Havard said. 'We found that the number was pretty much the same failure rate as we were seeing before.' They tested 20 pre-rolls that were on the shelves, ready for purchase. 14 came back positive for mold and yeast, two for Salmonella. 'Even though there's a regulation in place now to do testing of the mold and yeast on these panels, I think it's going to come down more to like investigating enforcement to make sure that it's being done, checking the results,' said Havard. Havard went on to say that they have shared these new findings with the OMMA. 'Communications with the OMMA has been kind of limited overall, but we have presented our reports, we have tried to discuss the topics as much as we can,' Havard said. We contacted the OMMA, and they declined an on-camera interview, but told News 4 they monitor microbial testing through a state inventory tracking system. Licensees have been required to use the state inventory tracking system since 2022. If microbial tests are incomplete, the status of the product in the state inventory tracking system is 'Testing in Progress.' Only products in 'Test Passed' status in the state inventory tracking system can be legally transferred or sold to dispensaries and then sold to patients. It is illegal to sell untested or failed products in a dispensary. Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Havard says the pre-rolls that came back positive for mold and yeast were marked 'test passed.' He worries the state isn't doing enough to confirm its own test results before sending products to the market. 'I think it's going to come down more to like investigating enforcement to make sure that it's being done, checking the results,' Havard said. We monitor state inventory tracking data and conduct inspections of licensed labs. Inspections involve a review of the lab's adherence to OMMA regulations, which include quality control and quality assurance. In June 2024, more specific testing standards, including microbiology, were implemented following guidance provided by a statutorily mandated (House Bill 4056) collaboration between OMMA and licensed laboratories in 2023. These standards provide more specifics in OMMA rules regarding quality control of testing methods. Read more about this here. Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Last November, the OMMA unveiled plans for a lab to provide more accurate testing. It was supposed to take about 90 days to get things up and running. News 4 asked about the status of the lab. The lab will be fully operational this year, with a goal of testing 400 samples per month. Our first instrument, the HPLC is on-site with more instruments being delivered in the coming days and weeks. The lab is fully staffed and construction is complete. Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority We also asked if the lab is operating at any capacity right now, and when it will be fully operational, but we did not hear back. In the meantime, Havard says they will keep doing their own tests. 'By doing these public reports like we're doing and putting the data out there, that it's actually giving information and bringing awareness to the fact that, like there a problem in these particular types of products,' Havard said. Havard said they have also been communicating with state lawmakers to try and incorporate better legislation to address the issues with microbial testing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
