WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority or OMMA is making changes to the state's medical marijuana program due to statutory modifications made by lawmakers during the 2019 legislative session.
The changes to the program will affect the application process, physician requirements, residency requirements, tracking and testing rules, and product disposal.
OMMA said in a statement on Tuesday that it expects the changes to be implemented over the next few months.
'OMMA has reinstituted a project management structure to ensure compliance and timely implementation of the changes. Implementation activities will include rule promulgation, procurements, information technology changes, application developments, and operational planning,' said Tom Bates, Interim Commissioner of Health.
Some of the changes to the program include that doctors who issue recommendations to patients for medical marijuana are no longer be required to be board certified.
In addition, physicians licensed by and in good standing with the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners will be able to recommend medical marijuana to patients.
A short-term, 60-day medical marijuana patient license can be issued to Oklahoma patients whose physician recommendation is only valid for 60 days. The application fee for veterans with a 100 percent disability rating has been reduced to $20, compared to the standard application fee of $100.
OMMA has also extended the timeline for review of business applications to 90 business days. The time to review patient and caregiver applications is now 14 business days, compared to 14 calendar days earlier.
An online system for renewing applications will be available starting August 29. Licenses will remain valid and active while the renewal is being processed, even if the renewal processing time goes beyond the expiration date of the license.
OMMA also said it will add five new license categories - transporter, transporter agent, testing laboratory, education facility and short-term patient licenses.
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