Gov. Mary Fallin announced this afternoon that there will be no special session about medical marijuana this year as a result of State Question 788’s passage.
SQ 788 legalized medical marijuana in the state of Oklahoma, and Fallin had said for months ahead of the vote that a special session — which would have been the 56th Legislature’s third in 12 months — would likely be needed to flesh out regulations.
But the Oklahoma State Department of Health has revealed a set of its own regulations and has expressed confidence in its ability to oversee the nascent program, despite a recent scandal at the agency that resulted in mass layoffs and confusion over whether the agency had misspent state or federal funds.
Fallin issued a statement Friday with her announcement:
After conferring with House and Senate leaders, we believe a special legislative session is not necessary to implement provisions of State Question 788. The Oklahoma State Department of Health has developed emergency rules that will ensure the health and safety of Oklahomans as well as being fair and balanced for the marijuana industry. The Health Department has been working with other agencies the past several months to develop a medical and proper regulatory framework to make sure marijuana use is truly for valid medical reasons. The voters have spoken, and it’s important that our state has a responsible system up and running to meet the deadlines outlined in State Question 788. If circumstances develop that adjustments to the Health Department rules are necessary, those can be addressed when lawmakers return in regular session early next year.
View the agency’s proposed rules
The Oklahoma State Department of Health’s draft of regulations can be found below, and citizens have until July 3 to offer public comment on the proposal. To do so, visit the new Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority’s webpage.
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