The group Oklahomans for Health still needs several thousand signatures for its medical marijuana initiative petition by Thursday afternoon's deadline.
While the group has been collecting signatures, others have been thinking about how pot could be big business here, The Journal Record’s Dale Denwalt reports:
Colorado resident and native of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, registered three companies this year that exist only on paper, for now: Oklahoma Cannabis LLC, Oklahoma Canna-Meds LLC and Pott County Cannabis LLC. The man could not be reached to talk about his business plan but his attorney, Matthew Frisby, said he is a grower for the industry in Colorado and would be interested in setting up shop back home. “He anticipates that eventually, it’s going to be legalized everywhere, on the medical side of it, even here in Oklahoma,” said Frisby, who did not have permission to divulge his client’s name. “He’s just an average guy. He’s not big business; he’s just an average Joe looking at a potential opportunity here in Oklahoma.”
If medical marijuana makes it to the ballot and voters approve it, business owners and state agencies will have to develop and consider regulations on manufacturing, storing, transportation, and sales. Jimmy Hendershot owns a vapor shop on NW 23rd Street in Oklahoma City.
“It was an unknown market,” Hendershot said. “You didn’t know if you were going to make it or not and you just had to push forward. You had to do the right thing, use the right judgment and you couldn’t cut corners.” If medical marijuana passes, he said it will be the same. Hendershot said he would probably close up his vape shop and convert his business to serve medical marijuana clients as a dispensary because of new federal regulations on vapor. “As much scrutiny as the (Food and Drug Administration) has caused us, new regulations that they put forth, I would probably switch over in a heartbeat,” he said. “I would rather have less headache, but I don’t know what that’s going to entail, either.”
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