By August 25, 2018, Oklahoma will allow patients, caregivers and medical marijuana professionals to apply for certification. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) manages all licensing and registration for medicinal cannabis patients and their caregivers.

Keeping application processing and plant maturation in mind, patients should have access to medicine by early 2019. Check back frequently with MarijuanaDoctors.com for the latest information on Oklahoma medical marijuana treatment.

Who Can Become a Licensed Medical Marijuana Patient in Oklahoma?

Both adults and minors with Oklahoma residency may apply for a standard medical marijuana card. In addition, out-of-state visitors can sign up for a temporary card if they have a medical card from another state. The application instructions do not mention recommendations. So, patients in states that do not issue cards may not be able to request a temporary card. Contact the OMMA for more information.

Homebound patients may also elect a caregiver to buy or grow medicine on their behalf. Only adults over 18 can become a registered caregiver.

Which Conditions Qualify for Medicinal Cannabis Treatment Under Oklahoma Law?

While most medical marijuana state laws include a list of qualifying conditions, Oklahoma does not. According to State Question 788, the proposed medical marijuana law approved by voters, doctors shall recommend licenses using the same judgment they would for prescriptions. In other words, a doctor can write a recommendation for any condition they see fit for medicinal cannabis treatment.

This law leaves the discretion up to the doctor, not state authorities. While one physician may consider medical marijuana appropriate for an illness, another one might not. If you feel that you could benefit from cannabis medicine and your doctor refuses to recommend it, you can visit another physician for a second opinion.

Since they have more research supporting their responsiveness to medicinal marijuana, these conditions commonly get approval from state programs and marijuana-friendly doctors:

• Chronic pain
• Severe nausea
• Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
• Terminal illness
• Spasticity
• Muscle spasms
• Glaucoma
• Inflammation
• Cachexia and wasting syndrome
• Cancer
• Neuropathic pain disorders
• HIV/AIDS
• Crohn’s disease
• Anorexia and bulimia

To learn more about conditions treatable with medical marijuana, browse our ailment guides. For evidence-supported research on health conditions and cannabis medicine, read our case studies.

How to Obtain a Medical Marijuana Card in Oklahoma

If you want a medical cannabis card in Oklahoma, take the following steps:

1. The patient and/or guardian must have Oklahoma residency to apply for a non-temporary medical marijuana card. An adult patient needs to provide digital copies of documents that prove their identity and residency. When applying on a minor’s behalf, the patient’s guardian has to submit a copy of a document proving the minor’s identity, as well as documents showing the guardian’s residency and identity.
2. The recommending doctor will complete the relevant recommendation form. Patients who require a caregiver, such as a minor or homebound patient, should ask the physician to complete the caregiver section. Your doctor must attest that you need a caregiver before your caregiver can register for a license, even as a minor patient.
3. Submit your application on the OMMA portal within 30 days of receiving the adult recommendation or the second minor recommendation. The OMMA will mail you a response within 14 days of submission, including a medical marijuana card if you meet the requirements.

For more information about the application process for patients and caregivers, visit our guide to applying for an Oklahoma medical marijuana card.

Access to Oklahoma Cannabis Medicine

Some patients mistakenly claim that their doctor gave them a prescription for marijuana. However, cannabis prescriptions are illegal under federal law. Instead, the medical marijuana industry uses the terms “recommendation” and “dispensary.” You get a recommendation from a doctor, which you then fill at a dispensary, which is considered an entirely different establishment from a pharmacy. Other medical patients can’t fill prescriptions there.

Once you have a medicinal cannabis card from the OMMA, you may visit any certified dispensary to buy medicine. The patient or caregiver has to show their medical marijuana ID and another form of identification when they buy medicine. Minor patients must make a purchase with the supervision of their guardian, who also has to show identification. These same rules apply when a patient goes to a processor to process marijuana into concentrate.

Patients and their caregivers may also buy seedlings from a dispensary to grow at home. A registered patient can have up to six seedlings and six mature plants at once. You cannot buy seedlings directly from a licensed grower. Instead, the grower brings them to dispensaries, which then sell them to patients.

Check back with MarijuanaDoctors.com for the latest updates in Oklahoma medical cannabis qualification requirements.