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Oklahomans may be reaching a fever pitch in their pursuit of medical marijuana.

State officials closed, albeit temporarily, a medical marijuana call center in order to divert the staff to processing applications for state licenses.

In late January and early February, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority received more than 4,000 applications per week, OMMA spokeswoman Melissa Miller said.

The OMMA was receiving about 1,200 applications per week when it opened to patients, growers, processors, caregivers and dispensaries in late August. Miller said the office had anticipated receiving between 40,000 and 80,000 applications within the first year.

“We’re still within range of that,” Miller said. “We did know and expect that it would be a little front-loaded so that we would have more volume in the beginning and might slow down as time goes on, but what we’re seeing now is some pretty dramatic increases in the week-by-week volume.”

To cope with the volume of applications, OMMA officials diverted call center staff, who provided support for applicants, to process applications. Miller said there are usually two to three staff members working the call center but that it will remain closed until further notice.