Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, is the Senate sponsor and the former director of the OBNDD.

“We wouldn’t allow a pharmacy, for example, to just toss their expired opioids in the garbage so somebody could come by and pick them up,” Fetgatter said. “This is another way we are working to prevent diversion that hurts our legitimate law-abiding marijuana businesses.”

Bud Scott, who leads the Oklahoma Cannabis Industry Association trade group, said his organization worked with Fetgatter to improve the bill by having the definition of “waste” amended. Scott, who is also part of the OMMA Food Safety Standards Board, said the added incorporation of the DEQ’s disposal rules into SB 882 gives businesses more options on how to dispose of unwanted and unneeded items.

“The way it was originally drafted was that the only form of compliance (monitoring) was through OBNDD rules and the only way to dispose of it would be incineration,” he said, adding that his organization did not write or push for the bill. “Really, there’s no fear of diversion from roots, stalks and stems. There’s no viable use for some of these products.”