Oklahoma Cannabis Legalization

Oklahoma State Question 788, the Medical Oklahoma Cannabis Market Legalization Initiative, was on the ballot in Oklahoma as an initiated state statute on June 26, 2018. Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure making the state the 30th in the U.S. to legalize medical cannabis.

People with licenses are permitted to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana on their person and 8 ounces of marijuana in their residence. In addition patients could have up to six seedling plants and six additional mature plants, one ounce of cannabis concentrates, and up to 72 ounces of edible cannabis products.

A 7 percent tax would be levied on cannabis sales, with revenue being allocated to administrative costs, education, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation. The state will issue licenses for medical cannabis cultivation, processing, transportation and dispensing businesses.

In 2022, Oklahoma imposed a two-year moratorium on the issuance of new cultivation, processing and dispensary licenses, beginning August 26, 2022, and House Bill 2095, which was signed into law in May 2023, extends the licensing moratorium until August 1. 2026.

How to Start a Cannabis Business in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma Cannabis Market: Stats and Projections

As of December 2023, according to Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) information, there were 9,185 cannabis business licenses, compared to 11,487 in December 2022. There were 5,041 growers, 2,502 dispensaries, 1,482 processors, 120 transporters and 26 testing laboratories with an approved patient pool 346,371 (387,199 in December 2022) or almost 10% of Oklahoma’s population.

Oklahoma medical cannabis industry generated $1 million in cannabis sales in December 2018 and peaked almost $90 million in April 2021. Retail medical cannabis sales totaled about $786 million in 2022, compared to $945 million in 2021, according to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA). 2023 brought in $728.7 million in sales.

Oklahoma Cannabis Market Infographics

Oklahoma Hemp Industry