Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s desire to trim down the number of medical marijuana businesses in his state is being fulfilled.
In March 2023, Governor Stitt said medical marijuana had gotten “way out of control” in Oklahoma and he signalled there would be a further tightening up of guidelines and monitoring. A subsequent study found the supply of regulated medical cannabis in the state was outpacing patient demand by a factor of 32. However, 43% of the cannabis consumed was originating from illicit sources.
A crackdown ensued, with thousands of businesses (legal and otherwise) inspected. While this no doubt has had an impact on illegal sales, the changing environment in Oklahoma and level of competition is also having an impact on the legal industry as well.
According to NCS’s Transparency Project, there were 6,448 active commercial licences in June this year covering dispensaries, transporters, growers and processors. As at December 2024, there were 5,784.
The December 2024 breakdown:
Dispensary: 1,786Transporter: 72Grower: 2,997Processor: 929
As a comparison, around June last year, those numbers were:
Dispensary: 2,852Transporter: 148Grower: 6,563Processor: 1801
… a big difference.
In terms of patient numbers, there were more than 340,000 Oklahomans with active medical cannabis cards in December 2024 compared to 336,000 in December 2023. Given an overall population of 4.1 million, this gives the state the distinction of having one of the highest, if not the highest, population proportions in the USA.
In April this year, Oklahoma’s Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) Executive Director Adria Berry said:
“Together, we will address the oversupply of marijuana, safeguard the integrity of our medical market, and ensure the safety of our patients. OMMA stands ready to face these challenges head-on, equipped with new data, targeted insights, and the determination to build a thriving medical marijuana program for the benefit of Oklahoma.”
In November, OMMA invited public comment on proposed rules clarifying administrative rules governing proceedings before the agency. These proposed rules also implement newly passed legislation such as House Bill 3361, Senate Bill 758, Senate Bill 1635 and Senate Bill 1939. The public comment period closed on December 17.
Further information about Oklahoma’s program can be viewed here.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s desire to trim down the number of medical marijuana businesses in his state is being fulfilled. Read More
