In June of this year, Oklahoma residents will head to voting booths to decide the fate of State Question 788. If residents vote yes on State Question 788, it means they will have the legal right to possess and consume marijuana for medicinal purposes.
It will also mean those who already use marijuana for medical reasons can stop worrying about possible marijuana charges and the harsh penalties that accompany an arrest. In fact, approval of 788 will likely eliminate many marijuana charges across the state.
In the meantime, lawmakers are busy working on a set of medical marijuana regulations in case voters say yes to 788. For those who are anticipating a yes vote on question 788, here is a glimpse at what legal medical cannabis might look like in the state, according to a news report.
Lawmakers want to limit the number of businesses licensed to manufacture and sell marijuana for medicinal use. The state also wants the pricing structure per dose to be set by the Oklahoma Board of Health instead of the vendor.
Another possible regulation concerns just who will be allowed to purchase medical cannabis. Under the proposed regulations, only patients with certain illnesses will be eligible. Examples include chemotherapy patients, cancer patients and neuropathic pain patients among several others.
These regulations are not yet set in stone, but state Sen. Ervin Yen is critical of many of the possible components. Yen expressed concern that if voters say yes to question 788, the resulting medical cannabis laws could be some of the most restrictive in the nation.
Yen hopes that through thoughtful negotiation, any resulting medical marijuana law will be beneficial to those in need while also keeping the recreational use of cannabis in check. Only time and the election will tell what the end result of this effort will be.
Source: NewsOK.com, “Oklahoma lawmakers taking shot at medical marijuana regulations before vote,” Dale Denwalt, Feb. 27, 2018