Oklahoma legislators seek medical marijuana billboard restrictions - OKC, OK - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

A billboard at Broadway and 63rd that advertises medical marijuana was shown on a news article that talked about proposed legislation to ban such advertisements.

Article text:

Some GOP state legislators want to ban billboards advertising medical marijuana, prevent future dispensaries from being located near churches and bring more transparency to the state entity that oversees Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program.

Those legislators have prefiled bills to regulate the state’s fledgling medical marijuana industry, some of which already have medical marijuana supporters up in arms.

However, the legislators who helped pass last year’s “Unity Bill,” a compromise between lawmakers and industry leaders that set up a legal framework for State Question 788, have indicated they don’t want sweeping medical marijuana changes this year.

Senate Bill 1257 by Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro, would prohibit medical marijuana from being advertised on billboards anywhere in the state. Allen did not return a call seeking comment, but others have complained about the billboards that have spread to even the most rural parts of the state.

Chip Paul, who wrote the medical marijuana petition Oklahoma voters passed in 2018, said people in the medical marijuana industry have discussed the billboards issue often as business has boomed across the state.

“We all agree that there’s a line there, but what is the appropriate line is debatable,” he said.

A proposal by Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, would prohibit future medical marijuana dispensaries from being located within 1,000 feet of churches or other places of worship. His House Bill 2779 would not apply to current medical marijuana businesses.

The idea came from a local pastor who was worried about how the businesses would influence children attending worship, Olsen said. It’s similar to the reasoning that SQ 788 included language prohibiting dispensaries within 1,000 feet of school entrances, he said.

“We don’t really want children to think that marijuana is the answer to their problems,” he said. "Now, that’s not to dispute what many people, older people say that it has helped their pain. I wouldn’t dispute that for a minute."

The state question very clearly spelled out that dispensaries could not be located near schools, but it did not say anything about churches. People knew what they were voting on, Paul said.

He said lawmakers are just doing their jobs, but predicted these controversial bills are doomed.

Meanwhile, Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, introduced legislation to change how the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is funded.

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 01/17/2020 Publication: Oklahoman Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Business/Finance

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