Oklahoma lawmakers, cannabis businesses want more marijuana tracking options this year

Pressure is mounting at the Oklahoma Legislature to rebid a contract with the state’s seed-to-sale marijuana tracking system.

Lawmakers and cannabis businesses have complained that the current tracking system, implemented by Metrc on behalf of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, is confusing and has caused problems for those trying to follow the law.

Bills have been filed in both the Oklahoma House and Senate that would force the authority to rebid the contract. State Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, has called the current system “a disaster.”

“We have thousands of Oklahoma businesses that were damaged financially because of the inability of OMMA and Metrc to either communicate or get their act together,” he told The Oklahoman last month.

Approximately one out of every five businesses regulated by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority were issued $500 fines last year because the agency said they had not set up the proper account with Metrc. While many of these were probably businesses that existed only on paper, The Oklahoman spoke with owners who said they were confused by the rules or shouldn’t have been required to set up a Metrc account in the first place.

Fetgatter’s House Bill 1347 would give the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority 30 days to ask for proposals and pick a winning bid.

[Read more at The Oklahoman]