State Question 788

In June of 2018 state question 788 was introduced to the ballot following a successful initiative petition process by several members of grassroots organizations that banded together to collect the nearly 66,000 signatures required to put the bill up for public vote.

Upon completion of the initiative petition campaign, SQ788 passed with an overwhelming majority of 57% of voters who cast a ballot in that election opting to support the measure. SQ788 gave loose guidelines on what was required of the Oklahoma legislature to enact Oklahoma’s groundbreaking medical cannabis program.

Among the things SQ788 established was the implementation of a new government agency called the Oklahoma medical Marijuana Authority. Originally ran as a subset of the Oklahoma department of health, the OMMA has since enacted several emergency measures and eventually became its own independent agency.

SQ788 also established a fixed tax on medical cannabis sales as an excise on top of regular sales tax of 7% to cover administrative costs associated with running the medical cannabis program. Any excess was intended to fund the public education sector of Oklahoma.

Additional guidelines have since been established to address testing requirements and safety concerns to ensure medical cannabis is contaminant free and safe for human consumption.

For a full breakdown of the regulation visit the OMMA’s website.