A. There is hereby created the medical marijuana business license, which shall include the following categories:

1. Medical marijuana commercial grower;

2. Medical marijuana processor;

3. Medical marijuana dispensary;

4. Medical marijuana transporter; and

5. Medical marijuana testing laboratory.

B. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, with the aid of the Office of Management and Enterprise 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 for 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 section shall be made upon forms prescribed by the Authority;

2. Each application shall identify the city or county in which the applicant seeks to obtain licensure as a medical marijuana business;

3. Applicants shall submit a complete application to the Department before the application may be accepted or considered;

4. All applications shall be complete and accurate in every detail;

5. All applications shall include all attachments or supplemental information required by the forms supplied by the Authority;

6. All applications shall be accompanied by a full remittance for the whole amount of the application fees. Application fees are nonrefundable;

7. All applicants shall be approved for licensing review that, at a minimum, meets the following criteria:

a.all applicants shall be age twenty-five (25) 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 subsection,

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 ownership are Oklahoma residents pursuant to paragraph 11 of this subsection,

d.all applying individuals or entities shall be registered to conduct business in the State of Oklahoma,

e.all applicants shall disclose all ownership interests pursuant to this act, and

f.applicants shall not have been convicted of a nonviolent felony in the last two (2) years, and 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 category shall require a separate application and application fee. A commercial grower, processor and dispensary, or any combination thereof, are authorized to share the same address or physical location, subject to the restrictions set forth in this act;

9. All applicants for a medical marijuana business license, research facility license or education facility license authorized by this act shall undergo an Oklahoma criminal history background check conducted by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (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 this act;

10. All applicable fees charged by OSBI are the responsibility of the applicant and shall not be higher than fees charged to any other person or industry for such background checks;

11. In order to be considered an Oklahoma resident for purposes of a medical marijuana business application, all applicants shall provide proof of Oklahoma residency for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of application or five (5) years of continuous Oklahoma residency during the preceding twenty-five (25) years immediately preceding the date of application. Sufficient documentation of proof 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 the State of Oklahoma, and

e.a rental agreement preceding the date of application for residential property located in the State of Oklahoma.

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 residency requirement mentioned above;

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 Sections 2-302 through 2-304 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

13. All applicants shall establish their identity 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 identification card,

c.a United States passport or other photo identification 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. All applicants shall submit an applicant photograph.

F. The Authority shall review the medical marijuana business application, approve or reject the application and mail the approval, rejection or status-update letter to the applicant within ninety (90) business days of receipt of the application.

G. 1. The Authority shall review the medical marijuana business applications and conduct all investigations, inspections and interviews before approving the application.

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 letters shall provide a reason for the rejection. Applications may only be rejected based on the applicant not meeting the standards set forth in the provisions of this section, improper completion of the application, or for a reason provided for in this act. If an application is rejected for failure to provide required information, the applicant shall have thirty (30) days to submit the required information for reconsideration. No additional application fee shall 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 sent to the applicant in the same method the application was submitted to the Department.

H. A license provided by this act or by Section 421, 422, 423 or 425 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall not be issued until all relevant local licenses and permits have been issued by the municipality, including but not limited to an occupancy permit or certificate of compliance.

I. In the event that an applicant has not received the necessary permits, certificates or licenses from a municipality, but the applicant has fulfilled all other obligations required by this act, the Authority shall grant a conditional license. A conditional license shall remain valid for a period of one (1) year or until the applicant obtains the necessary local permits, certificates or licenses. An applicant shall not transfer any medical marijuana, concentrate or products to a medical marijuana business, patient or caregiver until approval is received from the Authority.

J. A medical marijuana business license shall not be issued to or held by:

1. A person until all required fees have been paid;

2. A person who has been convicted of a nonviolent felony within two (2) years of the date of application, or within five (5) years for any other felony;

3. A corporation, if the 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 felony;

4. A person under twenty-five (25) years of age;

5. A person licensed pursuant to this section who, during a period of licensure, or who, at the time of application, has failed 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 officer or employee of the Authority or municipality; or

7. A person whose authority to be a caregiver as defined in this act has been revoked by the Department.

K. In investigating the qualifications of an applicant or a licensee, the Department, Authority and municipalities may have access to criminal history record information furnished by a criminal justice agency subject to any restrictions imposed by such an agency. In the event the Department considers the criminal history record of the applicant, the Department shall also consider any information provided by the applicant regarding such criminal history record, including but not limited to evidence of rehabilitation, character references and educational achievements, especially those items pertaining to the period of time between the last criminal conviction of the applicant and the consideration of the application for a state license.

L. The failure of an applicant to provide the requested information by the Authority deadline may be grounds for denial of the application.

M. All applicants shall submit information to the Department and Authority in a full, faithful, truthful and fair manner. The Department and Authority may recommend denial of an application where the applicant made misstatements, omissions, misrepresentations or untruths in the application or in connection with the background investigation of the applicant. This type of conduct may be considered as the basis for additional administrative action against the applicant. Typos and scrivener errors shall not be grounds for denial.

N. A licensed medical marijuana business premises shall be subject to and responsible for compliance with applicable provisions for medical marijuana business facilities as described in the most recent versions of the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code, the International Building Code and the International Fire Code, unless granted an exemption by the Authority or municipality.

O. All medical marijuana business licensees shall pay the relevant licensure fees prior to receiving licensure to operate a medical marijuana business, as defined in this act for each class of license.

Added by Laws 2019, c. 11, § 14. Amended by Laws 2019, c. 477, § 9.