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Number of medical marijuana applications within range of OMMA’s expectations, official says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT MARKIE: APPROACHING 9:12. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE MEDICAL MARIJUANA NUMBERS. 22,000 OF THESE THAT THE OKLAHOMA MEDICAL MARIJUANA AUTHORITY HAS TO APPROVE OR DENY. LIVE IN STUDIO THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS THE NUMBERS AND THE REMOVAL OF THE LIST OF GROWERS AND PROCESSORS IS THE OMMA SPOKESWOMAN MANAGER MELISSA MILLER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. ARE THESE NUMBERS WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTING TO SEE THREE MONTHS IN? >> THEY ARE IN RANGE OF WHAT WE EXPECTED. OVER 22,000 APPLICATIONS THREE MONTHS IN. BASED ON OUR RESEARCH, OTHER STATES EXPERIENCES, WE EXPECTED BETWEEN 40 AND 80,000. WE DID EXPECT WE WOULD HAVE MORE APPLICATIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM, SO IT MAY START TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT BUT IT IS WITHIN RANGE OF WHAT WE EXPECTED. MARKIE: PEOPLE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT OPENING DAY WHEN THE FLOODGATES OPENED. HOW MANY HAVE BEEN APPROVED? >> ABOUT 17,000. MARKIE: WHEN IT COMES TO A DENIAL OF AN APPLICATION, REJECTION, I SHOULD SAY, WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD GET SOMEBODY DENIED ONE OF THOSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSES? >> DENIAL IS DIFFERENT FROM INJECTIONS. A DENIAL SIMPLY MEANS THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE APPLICATION, MAYBE YOU ARE MISSING A DOCUMENT, OR YOUR PICTURE IS NOT QUITE RIGHT. IN THAT CASE, YOU GET AN EMAILS SAYING YOU HAVE TO FIX THE ISSUE. YOU CAN GO BACK INTO YOUR APPLICATION, FIX IT, RESUBMIT, AND WE WILL REVIEW. DENIAL IS PRETTY RARE. THAT MEANS YOU DO NOT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR A LICENSE. IF IT IS A DISPENSARY AND WE SEE THEY ARE WITHIN 1000 FEET OF A SCHOOL, THAT COULD BE A DENIAL. BUT THOSE ARE PRETTY RARE. MARKIE: IF THEY HAVE A DENIAL OR REJECTION, IF THEY WENT TO REAPPLY AFTER FIXING THE APPLICATION, ARE THEY PUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST? >> THEY DO GO BACK INTO THE QUEUE BUT WE HAVE 14 DAYS, WHETHER IT IS A RECENT MIDDLE OR INITIAL SUBMISSION, WE RESPOND WITHIN 14 CALENDAR DAYS, AND WE TRY TO PROCESS THOSE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. MARKIE: THREE MONTHS AFTER APPLICATIONS COULD BE SUBMITTED, PEOPLE CAN BUY THE PLANTS, SEEDS. A LOT OF THE SHOTS WE TALKED TO SAID THEY COULD NOT START GROWN BEFORE HAND, SO THEY DON’T HAVE SUPPLY. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM THE SELLERS, ARE PEOPLE HAVING A HARD TIME BUYING? >> I HAVE NOT HEARD A WHOLE LOT FROM PATIENTS GETTING PRODUCT. IT DOES TAKE TIME TO GROW PLANTS SO IT MAY BE A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE DISPENSARIES OPENED IN FULL. THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS, WITH ANY BUSINESS, FINDING YOUR SPACE, GETTING GOING. GETTING A LICENSE IS THE FIRST STEP FOR MANY BUSINESSES SO IT WILL BE A WHILE BEFORE THEY ARE OPERATIONAL BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE OPEN NOW. MARKIE: FOR PEOPLE THAT NEED THE REMINDER, WHAT IS THE COST, WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF SIGNING UP FOR A LICENSE? >> IF YOU ARE A PATIENT, PRETTY SIMPLE. ALL THE APPLICATIONS ARE TAKEN THROUGH THE ONLINE SYSTEM. YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF IDENTITY, RESIDENCY, OFTEN A DRIVER LICENSE OR RESIDENTIAL CARD. A PHOTO OF YOURSELF THAT GOES ON YOUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSE. THEN YOU NEED TO GO TO A DOCTOR AND HAVE THAT DR. PHIL OUT THAT RECOMMENDATION FORM AND SUBMIT THEM WITH YOUR APPLICATION. WE REVIEW THAT AND THEN GIVE YOU A RESPONSE WITHIN 14 DAYS. IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS APPLYING, PRETTY MUCH THE SAME PROCESS, BUT WE LOOK AT YOUR BACKGROUND, FROM THE HISTORY OF OWNERS, ETC. MARKIE: IT’S BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH ACROSS THE STATE, AFTER THIS PASSING, A CBD SHOP ON CORNERS, THERE ARE BILLBOARDS LINING THE INTERSTATE ABOUT THIS. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS HAS BEEN SO POPULAR, DID YOU EXPECT IT TO BE THIS WAY? >> WE TALKED TO MANY OTHER STATES. WE EXPECTED THERE TO BE DEMAND FOR THE LICENSES. WHAT I HEAR -- I WORK WITH THE CALL CENTER -- WE TAKE CALLS FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO APPLY. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THEY WANTED FOR PAIN, THEY HAVE BEEN TAKING OTHER THINGS THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN HAPPY WITH AND THAT IS WHY THEY WANT A MEDICAL MARIJUANA LICENSE. MARKIE: AS TIME PROGRESSES, WE WILL SEE MORE AND MORE OF THESE SHOPS? IS THERE A LIMIT ON COMPETITION, HOW DOES THAT WORK? WE ARE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER STATES. SOME STATES HAVE CAPS ON DISPENSARIES, GROWERS. WE DON’T HAVE THAT. WE HAVE OVER 2300 APPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESSES, WE THINK THAT WILL CONTINUE. IT MAY SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT. WE ANTICIPATE DEMAND WOULD BE FRONTLOADED A LITTLE BIT. BUT WE THINK THEY WILL CONTINUE TO GET APPLICATIONS IN. MARKIE: I WANT TO BREAK THIS UP INTO TWO SEGMENTS, TALKING ABOUT THE GROWERS AND THE PROCESSORS NEXT. DO YOU EXPECT US TO TURN INTO RECREATIONAL AT SOME POINT? >> I CANNOT SPEAK TO THAT.