Oklahoma medical cannabis growers may be producing 64 times more cannabis than needed for the state’s patient population, according to a Cannabis Public Policy Consulting study commissioned by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA). The study used data from the state’s newly implemented seed-to-sale tracking system and surveys of more than 1,300 cannabis patients.
According to the report, “the supply-to-demand ratio of [Oklahoma’s] regulated medical marijuana supply to regulated medical cannabis demand is 64:1.” Given the general assumption that a market’s units of supply should not exceed double its demand, “the medical marijuana program has no less than 32 times more regulated marijuana necessary” — and the oversupply is “very likely adding to an illicit market both at the point of cultivation and the point of retail sale,” the report said.
Oklahoma has among the loosest medical cannabis program in the U.S. and over the last year, lawmakers have passed several bills seeking to reign it in, including requiring $50,000 bonds for cannabis cultivators, imposing a moratorium on new cultivation licenses, and giving OMMA the authority to shut down cannabis farms that damage the environment.
“The volume of