Req. No. 2643 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022) SENATE BILL 1693 By: Bergstrom AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to medical marijuana; amending 63 O.S 2021, Section 427.14, as last amended by Section 8, Chapter 554, O.S.L. 2021, which relates to medical marijuana business lic ense; requiring license applicants to receive water permit prior to initiating a commercial grow or process operation; requiring commercial license holder to receive permitting from Oklahoma Water Resources Board under certain conditions; providing for revocation of license under certain conditions ; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 63 O.S. 2021, Secti on 427.14, as last amended by Section 8, Chapter 554, O.S.L. 2021, is amended to read as follows: Section 427.14. A. There is hereby created the medical marijuana business license, which shall i nclude the following categories: 1. Medical marijuana comme rcial grower; 2. Medical marijuana processor; 3. Medical marijuana dispensary; 4. Medical marijuana transporter; and Req. No. 2643 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 5. Medical marijuana testing laboratory. B. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, with the aid of the Office of Management and Ent erprise Services, shall develop a website for medical marijuana business applications. C. The Authority shall make available on its website in an easy-to-find location, applications for a medical marijuana business. D. The nonrefundable application fee f or a medical marijuana business license shall be Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00). E. All applicants seeking licensure as a medical marijuana business shall comply with the following general requirements: 1. All applications for licenses and registrations authorized pursuant to this secti on shall be made upon forms prescribed by the Authority; 2. Each application shall identify the city or cou nty in which the applicant seeks to obta in licensure as a medical marijuana business; 3. Applicants shall submit a complete application to the Authority before the application may be accepted or considered; 4. All applications shall be compl ete and accurate in every detail; Req. No. 2643 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 5. All applications shall include all attachments or supplemental information required by the forms supplied by the Authority; 6. All applications shall be ac companied by a full remittance for the whole amount of the a pplication fees. Application fees are nonrefundable; 7. All applicants shall be approved for licensing review tha t, at a minimum, meets the following criteria: a. all applicants shall be age twe nty-five (25) years of age or older, b. any applicant applying as an individual shall show proof that the applicant is an Oklahoma resident pursuant to paragraph 11 of this su bsection, c. any applicant applying as an entity shall show that seventy-five percent (75%) of all members, managers, executive officers, partners, board members or any other form of business owne rship are Oklahoma residents pursuant to paragraph 11 of thi s subsection, d. all applying individuals or ent ities shall be registered to conduct business in this state, e. all applicants shall disclose all ownership interests pursuant to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act, and Req. No. 2643 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 f. applicants shall not have been convicted o f a nonviolent felony in the last two (2) years, an d any other felony conviction within the last five (5) years, shall not be current inmates , or currently incarcerated in a jail or corrections facility; 8. There shall be no limit to the number of medical marijuana business licenses or categories that an individual or entity can apply for or receive, although each application and each categor y shall require a separate application and application fee. A commercial grower, proc essor and dispensary, or any c ombination thereof, are authorized to share the sam e address or physical location, subject to the restrictions set forth in the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act; 9. All applicants for a medical marijuana business license, research facility license or education facility license authori zed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act shall undergo an Oklahoma criminal history backgro und check conducted by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investig ation (OSBI) within thirty (30) days prior to the application for the license including: a. individual applicants applying on their own behalf, b. individuals applying on behalf of an entity, c. all principal officers of an entity, and d. all owners of an entity as defined by Section 427.2 of this title; Req. No. 2643 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10. All applicable fees charged by OSBI are the responsibility of the applicant and s hall not be higher than fees charged to any other person or industry for such background checks; 11. In order to be con sidered an Oklahoma resident for purpo ses of a medical marijuana business application, all applicants shall provide proof of Oklahoma r esidency for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of application or five (5) years of continuous Oklahoma residency during the preceding twent y-five (25) years immediately preceding the date of application. Sufficient documentation of pro of of residency shall include a combination of the following: a. an unexpired Oklahoma-issued driver license, b. an Oklahoma voter identification card, c. a utility bill preceding the date of application, excluding cellular telephone and Internet bills, d. a residential property deed to property in this state, and e. a rental agreement preceding the date of application for residential property located in this state. Applicants that were issued a medical marijuana business license prior to the enactment of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act are hereby exempt from the two-year or five-year Oklahoma residence requirement mentioned above; Req. No. 2643 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 12. All license applicants shall be required to submit a registration with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control as provided in Secti ons 2-302 through 2-304 of this title; 13. All license applicants shall acquire a water use permit by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board pursuant to Section 105.9 of Title 82 of the Oklahoma Statutes prior to initiating a commercial growing or processing operation; 14. All applicants shall establish their identit y through submission of a color copy or digital image of one of the following unexpired documents: a. front and back of an Oklahoma driver license, b. front and back of an Oklahoma identifica tion card, c. a United States passport or other photo identifica tion issued by the United States government, d. certified copy of the applicant ’s birth certificate for minor applicants who do not possess a document listed in this section, or e. a tribal identification card approved for identification purposes by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety; and 14. 15. All applicants shall submit an applicant photograph. F. The Authority shall review the medical marijuana bu siness application, approve or reje ct the application and mail the Req. No. 2643 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 approval, rejection or status -update letter to the applicant within ninety (90) business d ays of receipt of the application. G. 1. The Authority shall review the medical marijuana business applications and conduct all inve stigations, inspections and interviews before approving the app lication. 2. Approved applicants shall be issued a medical marijuana business license for the specific category applied under which shall act as proof of their approved status. Rejection lett ers shall provide a reason for the rejection. Applications ma y only be rejected based on the applicant not meeting the st andards set forth in the provisions of this section, improper completion of the application or for a reason provided for in the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act . If an application is rejected for failure to provide required informatio n, the applicant shall have thirty (30) days to submit the required information for reconsideration. No additional application fee sh all be charged for such reconsideration. 3. Status-update letters shall provide a reason for delay in either approval or rejection should a situation arise in which an application was submitted properly, but a delay in processing the application occurred. 4. Approval, rejection or status-update letters shall be s ent to the applicant in the s ame method the application was su bmitted to the Authority. Req. No. 2643 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 H. A medical marijuana business license shall not b e issued to or held by: 1. A person until a ll required fees have been paid; 2. A person who has been convicte d of a nonviolent felony within two (2) years of the date of applic ation, or within five (5) years for any other felony; 3. A corporation, if th e criminal history of any of its officers, directors or stockholders indicates that the officer, director or stockholder has been convicted of a nonviolent felony within two (2) years of the date of application, or within five (5) years for any other felon y; 4. A person under twenty -five (25) years of age; 5. A person licensed pursuant to this section who, dur ing a period of licensure, or who, at the time of application, has fai led to: a. file taxes, interest or penalties due related to a medical marijuana business, or b. pay taxes, interest or penalties due related to a medical marijuana business; 6. A sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer or prosecuting officer, or an office r or employee of the Authority or municipality; or Req. No. 2643 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7. A person whose authorit y to be a caregiver as defined in the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act has been revoked by the Authority. I. In investigating the qualifications of an appli cant or a licensee, the Authority and municipa lities may have access to criminal history record information furnished by a criminal ju stice agency subject to any restrictions imposed by such an agency. In the event the Authority considers the criminal his tory record of the applicant, the Authority shall also consider any information provided by the applicant regarding such crimin al history record including but not limited to evidence of rehabilitation, character references and educational achievements, esp ecially those items pertaining to the period of time betwe en the last criminal conviction of the applicant and the considerati on of the application for a state license. J. The failure of an applicant to provide the request ed information by the Authority d eadline may be grounds for denial of the application. K. All applicants shall submit information to the Authority in a full, faithful, truthful and fair manner. The Authority may recommend denial of an application where t he applicant made misstatements, omissions, misrepresentati ons or untruths in the application or in connection with the backgro und investigation of the applicant. This type of conduct may be considered as the ba sis Req. No. 2643 Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 for additional administrative action aga inst the applicant. Typos and scrivener errors shall not b e grounds for denial. L. A licensed medical marijuana business pre mises shall be: 1. Be subject to and responsible for compliance with applicable provisions for medical marijuana business facilities as d escribed in the most recent versions of the Oklahoma Unifo rm Building Code, the International Building Code , and the International Fire Code, unless granted an exemption by the Authority or municipality 2. Be subject to the application requirements for permitting for water use by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board pursuant to Section 105.9 of Title 82 of the Oklahoma Statutes if the licensee engages in a commercial growing or processing operation. Upon failure to receive a permit by the Water Resources Board after ninety (90) days following initial application or denial of application by the Water Resource Board, the Authority shall revoke the medical marijuana business license. M. All medical marijuana business licensees s hall pay the relevant licensure f ees prior to receiving licensure to operate a medical marijuana business, as defined in the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act for each class of license. N. An original medical marijuana business license issued on or after June 26, 2018, by the Authorit y, for a medical marijuana commercial grower, a medical marijuana proces sor or a medical marijuana dispensary shall be deemed to have been grandfathered into Req. No. 2643 Page 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 the location on the date the original license wa s first issued for purposes of determining the aut hority of the business to conduct and continue the same type of business at that location under a license issued by the Authority, exc ept as may be provided in Sections 425 and 426.1 of this title. Any cha nge in ownership after the original medical marijuana business license has been issued by the Authority shall be construed by the Authority to be a continuation of the same type of business originally licensed at that location. Nothing shall authorize the Authority to deny issuance or renewal of a license or transfer of license due to a change in ownership for the same business location previously licensed, except when a revocation is otherwise authorized by law or a protest is made under the municipal compliance provisions of Section 426.1 of this title. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022. 58-2-2643 MR 1/20/2022 5:44:09 PM