It was this week that Governor Ken Stitt (R) of Oklahoma, signed HB 2612, which clarifies regulations and patient protections specific to the medical use of cannabis in the state.
It was last summer that a majority of Oklahoma voters had approved a statewide initiative authorizing the use, cultivation, and dispensing of marijuana.
HB 2612 arranges for a new regulatory bureau, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, within the State Department of Health. The legislation also establishes a registry for qualified patients and their caregivers, and establishes a revolving fund to address oversight matters.
The bill states, “No employer may refuse to hire, discipline, discharge or otherwise penalize an applicant or employee solely on the basis of a positive test for marijuana components or metabolites.”
The legislation also looks to facilitate standards for banks who wish to partner with medical cannabis businesses. It prohibits local governments enacting “guidelines which restrict or interfere with the rights of a licensed patient or caregiver to possess, purchase, cultivate or transport medical marijuana.”
Oklahoma’s House voted 93 to 5 in favor of the legislation and Senate members voted in favor of the bill by a margin of 43 to 5.
