Oklahoma proposes extending marijuana grow license moratorium

A bill that would extend Oklahoma’s moratorium on issuing new medical marijuana cultivation licenses to Aug. 1, 2026, advanced in the state House and is headed to the Senate.

House Bill 2095 is one of four proposed house and senate bills aimed at battling the illicit market, according to The (Oklahoma City) Journal Record.

The current two-year moratorium is scheduled to end in August 2024.

In addition to extending the moratorium another two years, House Bill 2095 would:

• Allow the state attorney to help the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) investigate cultivation sites.
• Give the OMAA the right to inspect cultivation facilities without warning.
• Allow the agency to review land ownership documents “upon reasonable suspicion.”

Oklahoma currently has 6,975 registered cannabis growers, according to the OMMA.

It’s estimated that nearly half those growers are illegal.

The other bills at play are:

• Senate Bill 806, which would force licensed growers to show proof they own the land they’re operating on and ban more than one licensee to be registered under an address.
• SB 913, which would require cultivators to post a $50,000 bond if a property is abandoned or a license is revoked.
• SB 808, which authorizes the OMMA’s director to issue cease-and-desist orders to cannabis operators in the case of environmental damage.

Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/oklahoma-proposes-extending-marijuana-cultivation-license-moratorium/