Sooner Politics.org
  • Front Page
  • Oklahoma News
    • Oklahoma Reports
    • OCPAC
    • Oklahoma Constitution News
    • Citizen of the Year
    • Oklahoma History
    • Today, In History
    • Oklahoma Center Square
    • Faked Out Sports
    • AP Wire
    • NewsBreak Oklahoma
    • Inside the Capitol
    • Lawton Rocks
    • Muskogee Now
    • OSU Sports
  • Podcasts
  • SPTV
    • Fresh Black Coffee, with Eddie Huff
    • AircraftSparky
    • Red River TV
    • Oklahoma TV
    • E PLURIBUS OTAP
    • Tapp's Common Sense
  • Editorial
    • From the Editor
    • Weekend Report
    • 3D Politics
    • Reagan Speaks
  • Sooner Issues
    • Corruption Chronicle
    • Constitutional Grounds
    • State Groups
  • Sooner Analysts
    • OCPA
    • Muskogee Politico
    • Rooke Report
    • SoonerPoll
    • Everett Piper
    • Andrew Spiropoulos
    • Tulsa Devil's Advocate
    • Eddie Huff & Friends
    • 1889 Institute
    • Steve Byas
    • Michael Bates
    • Steve Fair
    • Josh Lewis
    • Tulsa Today
    • OK2A
    • Dr. Jim Meehan
    • AFP Oklahoma
    • Sooner Tea Party
  • Nation
    • Bongino Report
    • Breitbart News
    • Daily wire
    • Steven Crowder
    • InfoWars News
    • Jeff Davis
    • Alex Lains
    • The F1rst
    • Nigel Farage
    • NewsMax
    • America's Voice
    • Ron Paul Institute
    • Bill Gertz
    • Emerald
    • Just the News
    • Trey Gowdy
    • Fox Politics
    • National Commentary
  • Wit & Whimsy
    • Libs of Tiktok
    • It's Still The Law
    • Terrence Williams
    • Witty Cartoons
    • Will Rogers Said
    • Steeple Chasers
    • The Partisan
    • Satire
  • SoonerPolitics.org

Lawmakers & Industry Leaders Meet For Cannabis Town Hall

1/21/2020

Comments

 
Tonight, the most impactful individuals in Oklahoma's Marijuana Law Reforms gathered in Tulsa for a Town Hall on Marijuana Public Policy. The meeting, at Fellowship Congregational Church, was open to the public and dozens of issues were discussed.  SoonerPolitics & Oklahomans For Health sponsored the forum. Rep. Scott Fetgatter & Rep. TJ Marti discussed the several matters still left unresolved in Oklahoma govt. agencies. Industry Lawyers, Growers, Researchers, Processors, & Shop Owners were all in the auditorium to find solutions. 
  Among the initiatives the lawmakers revealed were;
  •  Restructuring the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to answer directly to the legislature and be funded separately. This takes the several layers of Health Dept bureaucracy out of the way, so the OMMA and lawmakers can respond more quickly to issues.
  • Removing the Certificate of Compliance rule which the Health Dept imposed on counties & cities, in order for MMBs to retain licensing
  • Push for better training in the healthcare industry, so that clinicians can better integrate cannabis medicines as a homeopathic alternative to more dangerous pharmaceuticals
  • Institute better policies in the state agriculture Dept, for Trace Hemp growing.
  • Further adjust statutory law, to reflect our better understanding of the safety of cannabis medicines
Picture
 The meeting went 90 minutes and was followed by an informal meet & greet.  Proponents for SQ807 were on hand to answer informal inquiries.  
  SoonerPolitics & 3D Politics provided a live web feed, as did Oklahomans for Health. A texting service was provided so that viewers around the state could text a question directly to the moderators, and get prompt attention from the town hall.

The gathering was a significant and very inclusive event which might become an annual tradition in Oklahoma. It helped the lawmakers get a sense of the most pressing issues to those providing the medicines.  ​

  Rep. TJ Marti (a pharmacist) provided his best research data on the established science of the endocannabinoid system and matters of reliable dosing for specific treatments. The matter of inconsistent marijuana paraphernalia laws  is something Fetgatter says "Makes no sense, when a patient is licensed." But TJ Marti declined when asked if he'll be selling bongs in his drugstores.
  When asked about the idea of SQ807 and broad legalization, Fetgatter said; "I will not support a 15% excise tax". SQ807 would add full legalization to the Oklahoma Constitution, and establish a 15% excise tax in our constitution.
  Regarding the two most radical bills to further harm patient access to medicines, Fetgatter said; "a 1000ft zone around churches is not going to be acceptable." He also said that a bill to increase the MMB fees is also not going to go anywhere.
​  Rep. Fetgatter updated citizens on the vast improvements of the OMMA, in the past 4 months. In August, the industry leaders marched on the OMMA in protest of the many unworkable rules. this led to the resignation of both the OMMA Director and the Interim Commissioner of Health.   Fetgatter gave very high marks to the new OMMA Director; a sentiment which was echoed by many people in the room.
 Until Director Fitzpatrick reopened the OMMA Call Center (October), Fetgatter said he was doing most of the call center work of resolving the very worst failures of the OMMA to serve the needs of over 200,000 patients who were suffering ailments like Cancer, Nerve Pain, Seizures, Severe PTSD & Anxiety, Glaucoma, and many other health conditions.
​  Despite some very unworkable and financially troubling issues for MMBs, the dialogue remained very productive and at several times both the questioners and lawmakers enjoyed some self abasing humor, to keep the discussions friendly.

  Chip Paul (author of SQ788 and founder of Oklahomans For Health) served as a moderator of the town hall. Tulsa Businessman and broadcaster, Tom McCay, also moderated. the Panelists of the Oklahoma Political Podcast, 3D Politics Live, also hosted the night.
  After the meeting, industry attorney, Ron Durbin, said many challenges remain for growers, processors, & Dispensaries. Durbin pledged to engage with the lawmakers much more, this year, so legislators can get quicker feedback  about laws that might unnecessarily put too much burden on the industry, or create obstructions separating patients from the medicines that are working best for them.
Comments

    Sooner Politics
      Editorial  

    Picture
    David Van Risseghem reports the events and adds some perspective. 


    Search Our Archives.

    Get A Daily News Email

    * indicates required

    Get new posts by email:


    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2015
    January 2015


    Subscribe in a reader
    ​We recently moved our blog. Our archives are still partially stored at our old site. 

    Author

    David Van Risseghem  is the Publisher of SoonerPolitics.org. The resource is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform.  This endeavor seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement...

    ​"No politician 'checks off every box" in your list of issues. You have to prioritize and use personal discretion regarding every current and future issue that you can imagine. Then you have to also judge integrity & consistency. A candidate's openness to study the issues & courage to think for themselves. Then you need to review their honesty & work ethic.  I respect any voter's decision, when they've informed themselves and took voting seriously." - David Van Risseghem
​FRONT PAGE •  OKLAHOMA NEWS • EDITORIAL • SOONER ISSUES •​ STATE GROUPS •​ SOONER ANALYSTS •​ LAWMAKER'S JOURNAL •​ NATION •​ NATIONAL COMMENTARY •​ CARTOONS •​ ​
Picture

918 . 928 . 7776

 SoonerPolitics.org is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform & restored liberty. We seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement... Content of the diverse columns are solely at the discretion of the dozens of websites who create the content.   David Van Risseghem  is the founder of this platform.
 Sooner Politics News is a platform, not a media site. All our bloggers get their feeds promoted regardless of content. As soon as We suppress or delete even one posting, we become an endorser of whatever We didn't censor..The publisher doesn't (and could not) logically agree with all the content, so we would not expect any rational reader to agree, either. What we do hope, is that readers will think for themselves, and at least be better informed of the issues, events, and values that our citizen journalists work hard to provide for free.. We automate much of the tasks so that our sources' content gets as much exposure as possible. We encourage constructive discussion & debate. The solution is more free speech, not less.​

  • Front Page
  • Oklahoma News
    • Oklahoma Reports
    • OCPAC
    • Oklahoma Constitution News
    • Citizen of the Year
    • Oklahoma History
    • Today, In History
    • Oklahoma Center Square
    • Faked Out Sports
    • AP Wire
    • NewsBreak Oklahoma
    • Inside the Capitol
    • Lawton Rocks
    • Muskogee Now
    • OSU Sports
  • Podcasts
  • SPTV
    • Fresh Black Coffee, with Eddie Huff
    • AircraftSparky
    • Red River TV
    • Oklahoma TV
    • E PLURIBUS OTAP
    • Tapp's Common Sense
  • Editorial
    • From the Editor
    • Weekend Report
    • 3D Politics
    • Reagan Speaks
  • Sooner Issues
    • Corruption Chronicle
    • Constitutional Grounds
    • State Groups
  • Sooner Analysts
    • OCPA
    • Muskogee Politico
    • Rooke Report
    • SoonerPoll
    • Everett Piper
    • Andrew Spiropoulos
    • Tulsa Devil's Advocate
    • Eddie Huff & Friends
    • 1889 Institute
    • Steve Byas
    • Michael Bates
    • Steve Fair
    • Josh Lewis
    • Tulsa Today
    • OK2A
    • Dr. Jim Meehan
    • AFP Oklahoma
    • Sooner Tea Party
  • Nation
    • Bongino Report
    • Breitbart News
    • Daily wire
    • Steven Crowder
    • InfoWars News
    • Jeff Davis
    • Alex Lains
    • The F1rst
    • Nigel Farage
    • NewsMax
    • America's Voice
    • Ron Paul Institute
    • Bill Gertz
    • Emerald
    • Just the News
    • Trey Gowdy
    • Fox Politics
    • National Commentary
  • Wit & Whimsy
    • Libs of Tiktok
    • It's Still The Law
    • Terrence Williams
    • Witty Cartoons
    • Will Rogers Said
    • Steeple Chasers
    • The Partisan
    • Satire
  • SoonerPolitics.org