Oklahoma Begins Accepting Applications for Marijuana Business Licenses

Over the weekend, Oklahoma began accepting applications for marijuana business licenses and medical marijuana patients. Ever since voters approved medical marijuana in June, Oklahoma State Department of Health and the OK Medical Marijuana Authority have been finalizing permanent cannabis regulations.

Accepting Applications

When the application portal opened on Saturday, over 1,600 business owners and patients with qualifying medical conditions can completed and submitted applications for their marijuana business licenses using the OMMA website. Health Department spokesman, Tony Sellers, noted that they had received 1,054 patient, 634 business and three caregiver applications just in the first 24 hours collecting over $1.5 million in application fees.

All licenses are expected to be issued two weeks following the application review and once issued cultivators can begin growing to support the supply chain. In the first day of applications, officials at the Oklahoma DOH approved 23 licenses to check that the process was functioning smoothly.

There were a few issues for applicant’s using email account hosted by Yahoo or iCloud, however those seemed to be resolved by late afternoon on Saturday. Some of these applicants didn’t receive the confirmation email but it seems that this will no longer be a problem moving forward.

Fast Turnover Time

Chip Paul, Chairman of Oklahomans for Health, played a vital role in drafting SQ 788 and is largely responsible for setting the timeline in which the industry was to be established by state officials.

The president of the Oklahoma Cannabis Trade Association, Chance Gilbert, noted that “Chip definitely deserves a lot of credit for that because the language that he put in 788 really established the timeframe that no state has ever had to stick to [in order] to implement this industry. It’s definitely a unique aspect of it.”

The Oklahomans for Health organization didn’t waste any time recommending their proposed cannabis regulations to the Department of Health only 5 days after the law was approved. Now it seems the licensing process will move swiftly to get the cannabis supply chain up and running to meet demand of medical patients.

Patients and Retailer Prepare

Patients must receive a medical recommendation from a certified physician before submitting an application. Once approved they will be issued a state medical card that is valid for two years. There are no restrictions on qualifying medical conditions as long as the physician concludes that a patient’s symptoms could be alleviated with cannabis. Dispensaries who possess marijuana business licenses will need to renew after one year to continue operating in Oklahoma.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are taking steps to prepare for the recreational market including selecting the perfect marijuana POS system for their storefront. IndicaOnline has already worked with some Oklahoma cannabis retailers and is taking steps to integrate with their compliance reporting software. Contact us to learn more about how we can streamline your medical marijuana dispensary.