Lawmakers have said the fee will give the OTC resources to also conduct audits of cannabis businesses and ensure they are paying taxes.
Meanwhile, the OMMA said it has nearly 370,000 active patient licensees, as well as more than 11,500 active business licensees, as of June 1.
State Question 788, which passed in 2018, legalized the use and sale of cannabis by licensed patients in Oklahoma. It also included a provision mandating the OMMA direct 75% of surplus funds toward the state’s General Revenue fund, and that those funds must be used for common education.
The OMMA has estimated previously that it cost about $15.6 million for the agency to operate during the 2019-20 fiscal year, according to Tulsa World archives.
The World reported in May that lawmakers passed Senate Bill 229, which earmarked up to $38.5 million in medical cannabis taxes for a building fund benefiting some charter schools and school districts with “below average property tax bases.”
Also in May, lawmakers announced some of the medical cannabis tax revenue collected in 2020 would help fund a $171.8 million increase to education efforts related to reducing class sizes and obtaining updated textbooks.
