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The laws for medical marijuana in Oklahoma are actually pretty convenient.
In fact, Oklahoma has garnered a bit of a reputation as a more cannabis-friendly state, despite the fact that it hasn’t yet legalized recreational marijuana.
One interesting thing to note is that there’s actually a special election planned in the state to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma in the spring of 2023.
But until the day comes when recreational marijuana is legal, those who wish to partake of cannabis on a legal basis will need to get a medical license to do so.
Back in 2018, Oklahoma residents voted and approved the “Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act.”
This legalized medical marijuana in the state.
And there are many benefits to this.
In this blog post, you’re going to learn the basics of some of the medical marijuana laws in Oklahoma.
Plus, you’re going to learn some of the ways in which this law has actually helped the state.
Let’s dive into it.
1.What Are The Medical Marijuana Regulations In Oklahoma?
As a baseline standard, Oklahoma residents need a physician’s recommendation in order to apply for a medical marijuana patient license.
The regulatory body that oversees Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry is known as the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.
In terms of quantities, patients in Oklahoma who are authorized to buy medical marijuana may have up to 3 oz on their person at any given time.
As far as your residence is concerned, if you are a medical marijuana patient who has a medical marijuana patient license, you may possess up to 8 oz in your home.
There are also a few laws that have to do with running a cannabis business.
For example—the state of Oklahoma requires that Oklahoma cannabis business license applicants be 25 years old, that they are official Oklahoma residents, and that they receive a certificate of good standing from the state before they’re allowed to get a cannabis business license.
It costs $2,500 to apply for a cannabis business.
Oklahoma also imposes a 7% excise tax on cannabis sales. We will talk more about this in a moment.
2.How To Become A Medical Marijuana Patient In Oklahoma
The best way to apply for your Oklahoma medical marijuana card is to talk to your physician about it.
One interesting thing to note about Oklahoma’s cannabis laws is that they don’t specify any unique qualifying medical conditions.
Instead, the law defers to ’reasonable and prudent physician standards and basically gives the power to qualify patients for medical marijuana to practicing physicians.
There is a checklist for patient applications. But the process really all starts by speaking to your practicing Oklahoma physician.
3.What Are The Benefits Of Medical Marijuana In The State Of Oklahoma?
Of course, legalizing marijuana at the medical level brings with it some pretty potent benefits for the entire state. Here are just a few of the benefits that states enjoy when they legalize marijuana to any degree.
- Lower costs associated with prosecuting lower-level marijuana crimes
- Increased tax revenue
- Increased medical access to cannabis by the people who need it
As far as taxes are concerned, the state uses the taxes collected from their marijuana sales tax revenue to fund the OMMA, to contribute to the state’s General Revenue fund for education, and to contribute to a drug and alcohol rehabilitation fund.
In other words, these are all pretty awesome uses for marijuana tax money.
Thus, this revenue is a pretty potent source of income for the state.
In fact, since July 2021, the state has collected over $111 million in marijuana sales tax revenue.
Is Medical Marijuana Good For The State?
As it turns out, Oklahoma is a state that seems to be enjoying some pretty positive benefits from the legalization of medical marijuana.
Most importantly, people who can benefit from it on the medical side of things now have access to it—and that’s actually a pretty life-changing development.
Conclusion
There you have it.
Our full overview of the benefits of medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
Now you know exactly what’s going on with medical marijuana in the Sooner State.
It’s actually pretty exciting stuff!
