Summary
A representative of ORCA (Oklahoma's Responsible Cannabis Action) told commissioners the group opposes proposals to tax medical marijuana patients and described work on a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis with a 10% excise tax split among state, county and municipalities.
A representative of Oklahoma's Responsible Cannabis Action (ORCA) addressed the board during the public-comment period to oppose any plan to impose a tax specifically on medical marijuana patients and to preview an alternate statewide ballot initiative the group is working on.
Kevin Green (introduced as director of ORCA) told commissioners the group opposes a proposed county-level tax on medical patients and said they had opposed pending state legislation in the most recent session. "We are flat against that," Green said of taxing medical patients. He also warned that his group would organize to defeat county proposals that relied on such a tax: "We will do absolutely everything we can to kill that bill ... we will show up to do everything we can to defeat that tax and anything attached to it."
Green said ORCA is gathering signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment (state question 837 in his description) to allow adult-use sales for people 21 and older and to restructure taxation so that medical marijuana would lose a 7% tax while adult-use sales would pay a 10% excise tax in addition to state and local sales taxes. He said the 10% excise would be divided 40% to the state, 30% to counties and 30% to municipalities; in unincorporated areas the split would be 50/50 between state and county. Green said the measure is in signature-gathering mode and that the group is preparing revenue projections to share in the future.
Ending: The board heard public comment opposing a medical-patient tax and describing ORCA's alternative ballot initiative to legalize and tax adult-use cannabis sales, including a proposed revenue split that would send funds to counties and municipalities if the measure qualifies and passes.
