Gov. Fallin: No special session for medical marijuana

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin announced Friday in a press release that she will not call a special legislative session to implement State Question 788. SQ 788 was passed easily by voters in Tuesday’s primary election, with a 57 percent majority.

Gov. Fallin said, “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 debate in Oklahoma about medical marijuana was fierce. See Medical Marijuana: What the Research Shows and Doctor's duel on medical use of marijuana.

“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.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has worked for the past three months to develop a framework for implementing the requirements of SQ 788.

The statement by Gov. Fallin said, “Now that Oklahoma voters have approved the measure, OSDH is prepared to meet those requirements by the specified time, and that the process will be handled with integrity. The proposed emergency rules are available online for review and comment. Should individuals or entities wish to submit comments to these draft emergency rules, they must be submitted in writing via e-mail on or before July 3. Proposed emergency rules will be presented to the Oklahoma State Board of Health for its consideration on July 10.”

OSDH has established the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) to develop the rules and provide information on licenses for patients, doctors and hopeful business owners. The OMMA website can be viewed here. It contains the text of SQ  788, an updated draft of the emergency rules for implementation of SQ 788, FAQs, and a public comment form.

Copyright The Gayly – June 29, 2018 @ 3:50 p.m. CDT.