Oklahoma’s Medical Marijuana Industry Struggles with Licensing Backlog
Kyle King, a businessman who invested $100,000 in Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry, is at his wit’s end. After over a year of waiting for the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) to approve his ownership, he is now considering taking his business to another state. King is not alone in his frustration, as many others in the industry are facing similar struggles due to a massive licensing backlog at OMMA.
The backlog has been caused by a legislatively imposed moratorium on issuing new licenses, which has led to a surge in demand for existing licenses. King invested in a growing business called GreenSight 2020 in May 2023, but his ownership and the transfer of the license have not been made official by OMMA. As a result, King cannot earn any money from the business he’s invested in.
The situation is not unique to King. Jed Green, director of Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action, said that hundreds of licenses are in limbo, creating a harmful situation for proprietors and prompting concerns that allowing unlicensed operations could put consumers’ public safety at risk.
OMMA has pushed back against assertions that it is failing to renew licenses on time and is out of compliance with state law. However, the agency was unable to provide Oklahoma Voice with any documentation showing how many licenses are out of date and waiting for renewal.
The licensing process has come to a “complete standstill,” according to Green. Growers have faced the most licensing delays because the state is hoping to reduce the number of marijuana grows. Green said that if OMMA cannot keep up with licensing, it won’t be able to handle its other responsibilities.
The situation is not only frustrating for business owners but also for consumers. Robert Mikos, professor of law at Vanderbilt University, said that if OMMA were to reject a license renewal and the business has been serving consumers during the review period, there could be a concern for consumers. Amie Goodin, assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, added that the danger to consumers would grow if these safety checks and inspections are not continuing during the waiting period for a license renewal.
The Oklahoma legislature has attempted to address the issue by passing bills aimed at streamlining the licensing process. Rep. Scott Fetgatter (R-Okmulgee) carried one of the pieces of legislation affecting OMMA this past session. He said the law creates an advisory council which will include
