Dispensaries already can’t be within 1,000 feet of a school. But a state lawmaker wants to make that law apply to child care facilities and marijuana growers and processors too, said Tulsa medical marijuana attorney Stephen Cale.
Oklahoma Sen. Michael Bergstrom (R-Adair) introduced his SB 1195. If passed into law, medical marijuana dispensaries, could not be located within 1,000 feet of a child care facility or a public or private school.
Other Marijuana-Related Bills
Bergstrom’s bill is just one of many bills concerning Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program, Cale said. Some of the bills include:
COUNTY VOTE PRE-APPROVAL
State Rep. Todd Russ (R-Cordell) recently introduced his HB2989. If passed into law, it would require applicants for a medical marijuana grower license to get voter approval in the county where the farm is located, Cale said. Read More About HB2989.
LIMITS ON NEW GROWER AND DISPENSARY LICENSES
Counties, municipalities, and the OMMA will be able to limit the total number of new marijuana dispensaries and farms if a recently introduced bill is passed into law, said Tulsa medical marijuana attorney Stephen Cale.
State Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland) introduced HB2987. The bill does not allow counties, cities and municipalities to entirely prevent or prohibit dispensaries and marijuana farms from operating within their geographical areas, Cale said.
The bill contains a grandfather clause. So, dispensaries and farms would not be impacted by any limitations if they were licensed before the bill’s enactment if passed into law. Read More About HB2987.
REMOVAL OF THE STATE AGRICULTURE TAX EXEMPTION FROM MARIJUANA BUSINESSES
Under current law, sales of certain agricultural products are exempt from sales tax. That exemption includes ”items to be and in fact used in the production of agricultural products.” But State Sen. George Burns introduced his SB1101 to change that. Read More About SB1101.
THE 2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The deadline to introduce new bills is January 20, 2022, Cale said. The State Legislature will convene at Noon on Feb. 7, 2022. The Oklahoma Constitution requires regular sessions of the Legislature to adjourn by 5:00 p.m. on the last Friday of May. In 2022, that will be May 27th.