Oklahoma drug officials have issued guidelines requiring medical marijuana companies to register with the federal government to avoid penalties, including revocation of state registrations.
Donnie Anderson, director of the Oklahoma Office of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Enforcement (OBNDD), said in a letter to cannabis industry stakeholders on Friday that they are under pressure. complete a new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration form with that it was launched The Trump administration’s move to federally regulate cannabis.
Citing state law, he said “any registrant who is a distributor or manufacturer of medicinal marijuana products must comply with federal law and, as a result, must obtain DEA registration.”
“Failure to obtain DEA registration may result in OBNDD administrative penalties, including revocation of a registrant’s OBNDD registration,” the letter states. “This is consistent with the requirements currently in place for Schedule Ill registrants regulated by the OBNDD.”
“To ensure compliance with these federal regulations and to minimize the impact on legally operating entities, OBNDD will not consider OBNDD-registered medical marijuana businesses without a DEA registration required to manufacture or distribute marijuana until January 1, 2027. It is strongly recommended that all OBNDD registrants authorized to manufacture marijuana or medical marijuana licensed by OBNDD apply for or be required to register. April 28, 2026 Once After the publication of the permanent Order, upon timely submission of an application to the DEA, the registrant will not be subject to OBNDD administrative action, without DEA registration, to distribute marijuana, DEA applications submitted within sixty days will be distributed in any DEA case and products without DEA registration within the interim period These activities in violation of the Final Order may be subject to OBNDD administrative sanctions until a registrant’s OBNDD registration is revoked.
Anderson concluded by saying, “nothing contained in this letter is intended to be construed as legal advice regarding a registrant’s obligations under federal law or Oklahoma statutes.”
“This letter is simply being issued to inform medical marijuana companies of their administrative responsibilities,” he said. he wrote. “If there are additional questions regarding compliance with federal, state, or administrative law, the registrant should consult with an attorney.”
The Oklahoma Medical Marihuana Authority (OMMA), which licenses and regulates the state’s medical cannabis businesses, released the guidelines separately earlier this week. a recently litigated case of federal reorganization and reform.
“This is an evolving federal conversation, but our focus remains the same: protecting patient health and safety and responsibly regulating the industry,” said OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry. “These announcements have raised many questions, but very few answers. OMMA will continue to relay information released by the DEA and the federal government, but ultimately, we encourage licensees to seek professional advice as they make the best decisions for their business.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), meanwhile, recently suggested that lawmakers should pass one. measure on the ballot to roll back the state’s medical cannabis program. In his State of the State address in February, he said voters should “shut him down”, arguing that “liberal activists” had defrauded the state and “opened Pandora’s box”.
Legislative leaders have pushed back on that idea, however.
Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R), for example, initially expressed an open mind, but ultimately decided against it It would be “very difficult” to legalize and unfair to licensed cannabis operators who “invested their life savings into this program” and are “trying to do this for Oklahomans who need this product, not for recreation, but for real medicine.”
“It’s hard to undo that bell,” he said. “What I’m going to suggest to the governor is that we don’t ask questions about the situation, but we continue to push regulations (and) we continue to regulate the industry.”
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So has House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R). he largely dismissed the possibility of overturning the state’s medical cannabis program. He said Oklahomans have already made a clear distinction: they support medical marijuana and are “very strong” against legalizing adult use, based on past election results.
Stitt is not, however, saying yes in a recent interview “He had great conversations with the House and the Senate.”
“They know it’s a problem. Oklahomans are calling our offices saying it’s a problem,” Stitt said. “So I think we’re going to give something back to the people.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) was asked about a call by voters to overhaul the state’s medical marijuana program, and He said he would “like” to eliminate the state’s medical marijuana program.
However, he warned that doing so would result in the return of hundreds of licensees participating in the market, as the state would “take away” a source of income from them.
In 2022, Stitt used his State of the State address as an opportunity to discuss the voter-approved medical marijuana law, arguing that the residents were deceived by the supporters of the voting initiative.
Meanwhile, in November, Oklahoma activists withdraw initiative to legalize adult marijuana They hoped to put it on the 2026 state ballot.
After a brief but aggressive signature push to secure ballot placement, Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) ultimately failed to submit petitions by the deadline, according to the secretary of state.