At The Podium

Less than a year after Oklahoma voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing medical marijuana in the state, Governor Stitt signed into law the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act, also known as the “Unity Bill,” as a way to clarify and build the regulatory framework under which the state’s medical marijuana industry operations.

In her presentation “Medical Marijuana and the Patient Relationship” at the Oklahoma Rural Health Conference, healthcare lawyer Terra Parten provides an update on the state’s medical marijuana law and its potential impact on physicians, hospitals, and patients, especially in the light of the fact that marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I drug under federal law.

Topics include:

• Review of federal law and enforcement policies
• Who is eligible to sign off on a patient’s application for a medical marijuana license
• Why physicians may be reluctant to recommend medical marijuana to their patients
• Logistics, regulatory concerns, and risks of having marijuana on-site in a rural hospital
• Approaches other hospitals across the nation are taking to marijuana

The 2019 Oklahoma Rural Health Conference is sponsored by the Rural Health Association of Oklahoma.