Senate Review

Medical marijuana regulations 'top of mind'

 


As of 4:30 p.m. on May 27, the Second Session of the 58th Legislature was officially adjourned. We had a busy few months addressing some of our state’s most pressing issues, including strengthening regulations dealing with the medical marijuana industry, increasing the teacher-to-classroom pipeline and investing in our core services while still prioritizing savings.

Creating a framework for the medical marijuana industry has been top of mind for the Legislature since this industry was approved by Oklahoma voters via State Question 788 in 2018. We’ve continually worked to strengthen the industry regulations and close loopholes that have been found as medical marijuana has grown over the past four years.

We approved a handful of laws this year addressing this industry, including a measure that would require commercial growers to post easy-to-read signage with their business name, license number and phone number at their grow location. This will ensure transparency and compliance with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA). Another bill dealing with marijuana was signed into law, which would crack down on dealers selling marijuana illegally to those without a medical card by increasing the fine for this crime.

We also gave approval to making the OMMA their own stand-alone agency, removing them from under the State Department of Health. This will give the agency more authority to investigate crimes and illegal grows dealing with the marijuana industry.

A major incentive to encourage Oklahoma students to choose teaching as a profession and stay in Oklahoma was also approved and signed into law. The Oklahoma Future Teacher and Employment Incentive Program will provide a $1,000 scholarship each year for three years for an education student who’s committed to teaching in Oklahoma for five years. The fourth year of college, they’d receive a $2,500 scholarship. Upon entering the classroom, the teacher will receive a $4,000 employment incentive each year for the first five years of their teaching career. This is a $25,500 total incentive to stay in Oklahoma and teach our next generation of leaders. I’m thrilled we were able to pass this measure and get it signed into law.

​Prioritizing savings in our budget was a goal of the Legislature all year, and after this year’s deposits, we’ll have about $2.6 billion in savings – the most ever in state history. To put it in perspective, the state had $2.03 in savings in 2010 when we were dealing with Great Recession. This has been a priority due to the up and down nature of our state’s economy. While our economy may be strong now, a recession could be on the horizon, and this cushion will be extremely beneficial to ensure our critical state services are funded in the future.

We also appropriated additional dollars into specific funds dedicated to advancing rural Oklahoma – the Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) and the Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund (PREP). These dollars will go towards infrastructure projects in rural Oklahoma and help develop economic development initiatives in our communities. I’m very thankful we are investing in our small towns – because our state is stronger when all of Oklahoma thrives.

It was an extremely busy session, and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish. If you have any questions about legislation or the budget, please feel free to reach out to my office. You can contact me at 405-521-5630 or via email at [email protected].

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Arc
Newsgram

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024