Now that the Health Dept has fixed 99% of their rules, the governor is expected to move quickly to enact them and help the patients begin making plans for new health options. Patients are going to schedule appointments with their current doctors or consult new specialists, if they wish to get a 2nd opinion on additional treatment options with the new class of Cannabis Medicines. When a physician grants a directive for cannabis treatments, the patient will have just 30 days to get the necessary photos, residency evidence, and license fees; and get that content submitted to the Oklahoma Dept. of Health's new Medical Marijuana Authority. On August 27th, the OMMA will begin processing completed applications. When that license is granted, the patient is legal to possess cannabis medicine. But that doesn't mean it is a legally-obtained medicine. |
During 2018, there will likely be the current 'over-the-counter' CBD products, but plants will also be available for sale by mid September. Many dispensaries will likely also be grower operations, so that they can effectively meet the high demand for plants that the patient home-growers can get started.
Only late in the year will we likely see any consumable cannabis medicines at the dispensaries.
Here's a timeline of what the rollout of Cannabis medicines looks like, given today's rules.
Voters passed Medical Marijuana Question 788 by a 14% margin in the largest turnout of any primary election. This set in motion a prompt implementation calendar. On 7/26 the process for this law was published by the ODH. (30 days) On August 27th the ODH will begin accepting completed applications for all commercial(grower, processor, dispensary, transport, & research); as well as patient, and caregiver licenses. This will be an online-only process. Legal plants can't exist before 9/3 While some licenses may arrive sooner, the ODH has 14 days to process and decide on every application. No legal plants will exist until an entity is licensed. There appears to be a sorta... "don't ask - don't tell" policy for the initial seeds. Perhaps several people will just happen to find them laying out on the street somewhere and decide to plant them? ;) Since we're late into the fall months before cannabis plants can finish flowering, there will probably not be many patients or growers deciding to grow in the ground. Indoor potted plants will be preferable and the fast-blooming strains will dominate the market during 2018. Look for the first dried cannabis medicines to be at the dispensaries in December. The spring crops of 2019 will be better strains at better prices. |
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