IN DEPTH: 2 News talks to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority director

3 years ago 307

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — With its unlimited growth, immoderate telephone Oklahoma's aesculapian marijuana manufacture the 'Wild West of Weed.'

In a escaped marketplace with fewer regulations, Oklahoma's aesculapian marijuana manufacture grew rapidly successful the 3 years since voters approved it.

"A batch of it was conscionable the mode this manufacture was acceptable up," said Adria Barry, the enforcement manager of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. "No 1 was rather acceptable for it."

Barry told 2 News Oklahoma erstwhile she took office; she inherited a tiny unit doing a tremendous job. OMMA employed hardly 100 radical connected unit charged with processing licence applications from patients, caregivers, growers, producers, dispensaries, and more.

As the 4th enforcement manager successful 3 years astatine the OMMA, the Tulsa autochthonal and University of Tulsa Law School postgraduate is managing the fledgling industry. Indeed, applications are inactive pouring successful from entrepreneurs who spot an accidental successful supplying the much than 381,000 patients present licensed to bargain aesculapian marijuana. (link present to database of businesses)

"There was nary connection successful that authorities question astir immoderate benignant of headdress connected licenses. They near it wholly unlimited, which created a precise free-market attack to the aesculapian marijuana industry, and that's what we're seeing successful Oklahoma close now," according to Barry.

Inspections are a captious portion of managing this caller industry. The situation is accomplishing those inspections with the 24 compliance inspectors presently connected unit to screen the full authorities of Oklahoma. Barry precocious hired six much and started their grooming sessions. She says the extremity is to prosecute 62 authorized inspectors.

"Is 62 going to beryllium capable to negociate and screen and inspect each of the businesses that are successful 77 counties?" asked Karen Larsen, 2 News Oklahoma journalist.

"I deliberation that that's the nonstop question that we person to look astatine and see, you know, arsenic we get to that fig of 62," Barry responded. "If it's not enough, we've got to support going. We've got to support hiring and support grooming folks to get retired there."

Yet since they enactment successful pairs, determination would inactive lone beryllium 31 teams to inspect 13,000 licensed businesses each year. Barry admitted the mathematics makes it wide it is astir apt not capable inspection teams. She plans to beryllium flexible and prosecute arsenic galore arsenic needed.

There are truthful galore turn operations successful Oklahoma, the drain connected h2o and powerfulness resources is besides a concern. The Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, Oklahoma Dairy Producers Association, Oklahoma Agricultural Aviation Association, and Oklahoma Soybean Association precocious drafted a missive to the OMMA asking Barry to enactment a impermanent moratorium connected turn licenses. (letter here)

Barry said she understands their concerns. However, "I don't person the statutory authorization oregon law authorization to bash a moratorium myself, but the legislature has that authority."

Working with the legislature is 1 of her large goals. Barry precocious held a brainstorming league with unit to found moving groups designed to tackle captious issues to negociate specified manufacture challenges and concerns. The groups see environmental, business, aesculapian and legislature, etc.

"As you tin see, it's broad," Barry stated portion lasting successful beforehand of a ample whiteboard successful her office. "Everything from biology to concern to aesculapian - each of these are incredibly important, and each of these interaction the aesculapian marijuana manufacture successful immoderate way."

Barry is uniquely qualified to bring divers groups to the table. She precocious served arsenic elder vice president of authorities affairs and nationalist argumentation for the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma. In addition, she served arsenic argumentation counsel for Governor Stitt's medication and was the vice president of authorities affairs for the State Chamber of Oklahoma. Barry plans to utilize her acquisition and contacts to physique stronger relationships with those impacted by the aesculapian marijuana industry.

There is yet different increasing concern. Authorities accidental Oklahoma has present go 1 of the largest sources for the achromatic market, amerciable marijuana. Barry says OMMA is missing 1 cardinal constituent to managing the issues better.

"We are the lone aesculapian marijuana authorities that does not person a seed-to-sale tracking system. And so, to me, arsenic soon arsenic we tin get that seed-to-sale tracking strategy online and successful use, we volition spot it, a tremendous alteration we'll beryllium capable to radiance a airy connected the atrocious actors and unopen them down."

Currently, the OMMA's seed-to-sale tracking strategy is tied up successful litigation filed by growers. While waiting for that, plans are underway to prosecute much unit with instrumentality enforcement backgrounds and to enactment much intimately with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and section instrumentality enforcement erstwhile citizens telephone with concerns astir amerciable turn operations successful their area.

"We request to really enforce those rules. I mean, that's precedence close present precedence fig 1 is getting retired and enforcing those rules. That volition marque it harder for the atrocious actors to really past successful this manufacture successful Oklahoma. Get them retired of here," she stated emphatically.

With amerciable operations to weed out, and ineligible businesses to inspect for compliance, Barry feels compelled to guarantee determination is beardown oversight for Oklahoma's aesculapian marijuana manufacture to support Oklahoma patients safe. To execute her goals, she envisions astir doubling the OMMA unit of call-center representatives, licensing processors, compliance inspectors, ineligible advisors, and communications squad members by the extremity of 2022.

"Everything we bash here, each day, really impacts Oklahomans, and we get to spell location each day, knowing we made a difference." Barry added, "At the extremity of the day, that each boils down to making definite that patients are safe."

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