Oklahoma medical marijuana licensee arrested for possession
Oklahomans are going through the process of getting licenses to grow, sell and possess medical marijuana. It appears that some law enforcement departments aren’t quite getting that, with a medical marijuana license, it is now legal to possess marijuana.
Regina Gist was pulled over in Adair County, Oklahoma, last month for a broken brake light. The officer asked if she had anything on her person, and since Gist had obtained a medical marijuana patients license she said she had a small amount of pot with her.
The officer said that since there were no dispensaries open yet, the marijuana was illegal. He then arrested her.
The law passed overwhelmingly by Oklahoma voters on June 26 allows people with a license to possess small amounts of weed and to grow their own. It says nothing about having to buy it from a legal dispensary.
Gist made her first appearance in court Tuesday this week. Her attorney, savvy in the new law, pointed out that the law didn’t require patients to obtain their marijuana in a legal dispensary.
On Wednesday, October 17 (the next day) charges against Gist were dismissed.
Thousands of Oklahomans have already obtained medical marijuana licenses. The process is relatively swift with the biggest hurdle getting an appointment with a doctor who is examining patients. The demand is high.
The Oklahoma law is extremely legal. It doesn’t specify conditions that qualify for a license; rather it leaves the decision up to doctors and patients. License seekers apply online, with a scan of the doctor’s certificate, their own ID to prove they live in Oklahoma, a passport type picture and a payment of $100. Response is swift – the law requires the state to issue a license or explain why they did not within 14 days. Most of those approved have experienced shorter waits.
The Oklahoma medical marijuana law requires licensees, growers, processors and dispensary owners to be Oklahoma citizens and residents.
Copyright The Gayly – October 20, 2018 @ 3 p.m. CDT.