Medical Marijuana Regulation: OK Health Officials Share Thoughts

The Oklahoma Board of Health will vote Tuesday on emergency rules regulating Medical Marijuana.

The Health Department has been taking public comments since June 26 and released the revised emergency rules over the weekend.

Click here to read the final draft of the rules.

“They have listened quite favorably to everything we have recommended,” said Chip Paul of Oklahomans for Health.

Oklahomans For Health initiated the original petition drive to get State Question 788 on the ballot and said they worked closely with the Health Department in crafting the emergency rules.

For the most part Oklahomans For Health agrees with them but said there are some big issues, including a limit on THC content.

“Most of the medical marijuana strains run between 15% THC and 25% so that’s pretty standard average,” Paul explained. “Again, that’s not something we need to regulate. That’s something nature determines about a plant. Let’s identify it properly, give you the proper date to insure your safety, let’s not cap it.”

Meanwhile, Monday, July 9, several medical organizations held a news conference with their own opinions on the rules. They have three additional recommendations:

1. Eliminate the sale of smokable cannabis
2. Require pharmacists to be in the dispensaries
3. Limit the initial number of dispensaries and locations to 50

“This issue is not an option, but really an absolute demand,” said Jean Hausheer, M.D. President of Oklahoma State Medical Association referring to the recommendation to not allow the sale of smokable marijuana.

“In these forms the product contains hundreds of unknown active chemicals all of which can post health hazards to both the smokers and those around them,” said Leroy Young, D.O. with the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association.

The Board said it will not take public comment before the vote.

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