The medical cannabis program in Oklahoma has been a whirlwind of activity. Its been moving faster than those fabled bags of sensimilla my drug dealer father would never shut up about in the 90s (love you, dad). The barrage of news about medical cannabis in Oklahoma shows no signs of slowing. As a public service, we bring you the three most important stories this week:
NEWS: Mandatory testing is finally becoming a thing.
Via: ktul.com
The new law takes effect on April 1 and requires all medical marijuana to be tested under new state guidelines.
All marijuana products sold by a grower or processor will be required to be tested by an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) licensed laboratory.
Right now, there are 800 growers in Oklahoma, and 10 new state-licensed laboratory’s [sic].
Overall, this is absolutely fantastic news! At the end of the day, this is a medical program. Regardless, if you are purchasing something you intend to consume in any way, you should want ready access to what is in that product…duh. Honestly, the fact that it’s only taken a year and some change to require all products to be tested is a testament to how fast and efficient the Oklahoma medical cannabis program really has been.
On the business side of things, this may be a sign of darker times for a lot of folks. With the inadequate number of labs in the state and by its very nature, testing cannabis isn’t cheap — a cost many already struggling growers and dispensaries may not be able to adsorb. I expect this to contribute to the trend of dispensaries closing up shop and not renewing their licenses.
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NEWS: Calls to Poison Control have tripled!
All the news can’t be great. According to a report by Fox23, calls to the poison control center have tripled!
Via: Fox23
In a FOX23 investigation, we found the number of calls about marijuana to the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information went from 94 in 2017 to 85 in 2018, then grew to 235 in 2019.
Of those 235, 48 calls were for a child under 5, and 71 calls were for people between the ages of 6 and 19.
This isn’t a surprise at all; with an increase in availability, you will see an increase in cases of accidental ingestion — and cases of people simply wanting information. I like to imagine how one of these calls may go:
Poison Control: “Hello, Poison Control, how may I assist you today? “
Terrified Stoner: “I GOT TOO HIGH ON WEED! PIZZA IS TOO GOOD! I CAN’T HANDLE IT! WHAT DO I DO!”
Poison Control: (YAWNS BOREDLY)…“We got another one…”
I personally find it a net positive to be reminded that poison control exists at all! PSA: Always keep cannabis — and all your medications — secured from kids, teens, college students and sketchy friends.
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Home Delivery Could be Coming!
The Tulsa World just published an article outlining seven medical cannabis bills being decided in Oklahoma. Notably, one of the bills intends to give our OMMA Overlords their very own state department. But even more notable and totally awesome, another of the bills intends to allow medical cannabis to be delivered in certain circumstances. Let’s just hope those qualifications are as low as the ones to get a medical marijuana card!
Via: Tulsa World
HB 3227, by Echols, would allow home delivery of medical marijuana products under certain circumstances. The bill also would reduce the annual cost of the transporter license from $100 to $25.
Depending on the “circumstances” to qualify for delivered cannabis, this bill could signal the emergence of a lucrative new category in our cannabis market: Cannabis delivery services! We can only hope they will deliver pizza with the weed. Folks, I gotta be honest, this terrifies me. If I no longer have to leave my house for anything, then I just may never leave my house ever again!
—Until next time…
Thanks for your research. I’m a newbie. Have you ever done a primer on these cannabis-y words? Like “shatter ” or “bubble hash”…