MARIJUANA IN OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA CITY – New retail marijuana establishments would be prohibited within 1,000 feet – the length of three football fields – of “any place of worship” under a measure filed recently by an eastern Oklahoma legislator.
The term “retail marijuana establishment” refers specifically to any entity licensed by the State Health Department as a medical marijuana dispensary, House Bill 2779 specifies. The bill, authored by freshman Rep. Jim Olsen, defines a “place of worship” as any permanent building, structure, facility or office space owned, leased, rented or borrowed,” on either a full-time or part-time basis, “when used for worship services, activities and business of the congregation,” including churches, temples, synagogues and mosques. If approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Stitt, the measure would go into effect as a state law on Nov. 1, 2020. Retail marijuana businesses established prior to that date that are not in conformance with the distance requirement proposed in HB 2779 would be exempt from the restriction and could “continue operating in their current locations,” the bill stipulates.
State law already prohibits any retail marijuana establishment within 1,000 feet of any public or private school entrance. “Most churches have some children as their congregants, so a distance limitation is as justified for a church as it is for a school,” Olsen said. “It’s a zoning law. Some other states that have legalized marijuana also have setbacks” similar to the one he proposes, he said. After a Sequoyah County pastor suggested the limitation, “I wanted to gauge what the sentiment about it is around here,” Olsen said. “I called numerous community leaders, and none of them was against it; they all were for it, some mildly and some strongly. In my district, members of both political parties are in favor of it.” Olsen, 60, is halfway through his two-year term as a member of the state House of Representatives. He is a real estate agent and lives in Roland.
In announcing his candidacy for the Legislature in 2018, Olsen told a Fort Smith, Ark., newspaper that he was a Sunday School teacher who “operates from a core set of beliefs based on biblical principles” that include “fight[ing] against bureaucratic overreach and excessive regulations.” Olsen said he doesn’t consider HB 2779 to be an example of overreach or excessive regulation. “It really comes down to how you feel about zoning,” he said. “Some things, such as zoning, can be done in the interests of the community. I think a zoning restriction” for a marijuana dispensary “is reasonable.” The Second Regular Session of the 57th Oklahoma Legislature will convene at noon Feb. 3, 2020.