In the face of Oklahoma’s upcoming medical cannabis legalization vote on June 26, the state’s Senate and House of Representatives each passed medical marijuana regulation bills.
The measures – Senate Bill 1120 and House Bill 3468 – would respectively restrict MMJ patients to those suffering from “serious” medical conditions and create an MMJ commission to help craft rules for a potential industry, Oklahoma City TV station KFOR reported.
Both measures were approved Thursday by their respective chambers.
The Senate bill is tantamount to MMJ legalization, according to KFOR.
But it’s a much more conservative approach than State Question 788, which would allow any adult 18 or older to become an MMJ patient for any medical reason with the approval of a board-certified physician.
Because of the measure’s open-ended nature, some lawmakers view the ballot question as de facto recreational legalization.
SB 1120, by contrast, would allow for only a restrictive qualifying condition list, including:
- Neuropathic pain
- Persistent muscle spasms due to multiple sclerosis or paraplegia
- Intractable nausea, vomiting or weight loss due to cancer or HIV/AIDS
- Terminally ill patients with a life expectancy of one year or less
According to KFOR, conditions not covered for MMJ patients under SB 1120 include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Seizures
- Anxiety