6 minute read
2021, A LOOK BACK AT CANNABIS
by Alesha Wilson, M. Ed.
Certified Cannabis Therapy Consultant
When looking back at cannabis in Oklahoma in 2021, it’s hard to ignore the reports that mention over a “billion-dollars” in sales since 2018. It’s also impressive to see the number of dispensaries climb over 2500 and growers reach over 9400 (per the December 2021 reporting at OMMA).
One might say, “… you’re doing fine Oklahoma.” Yet, FINE isn’t going to create the change needed for cannabis to reach its full potential.
The state has an opportunity to help cannabis reach that potential but only if the people involved adjust their focus in 2022. 2021 promised new beginnings, it's time was to be spent getting over 2020 - the year from hell. Oklahoma’s 2021 did generate some good – but also showed there is room for growth.
I asked one former patient to share about her decision not to renew and she stated, “I got my license to try and get off some of my meds. But every time we went to a dispensary, they wanted to make a sale or give me an uneducated opinion.
This made me feel uncomfortable. I needed an educated opinion and for someone to take the time to do so. Most of the time, you are dealing with very young adults who are smoking just to get high and party. They don’t have the first idea of what it’s like to have depression and anxiety. This is why I chose not to renew my card and to continue my meds.” I submitted an open records request with OMMA asking for the number of patients who have not renewed their license since 2018, the record was not available before the print deadline.
Curious to see how many patients may have felt the same way, it is inevitable that not all in the industry will stay but leadership could help.
Leadership is a funny thing in Oklahoma – Sports figures do well it seems and the Governor always makes the news, so what about leadership in the cannabis industry in the state?
In August 2021, the OMMA saw its fourth Director hired and it is unclear to the public at this time in what way the controlling agency is going to go.
One suggestion is to lead Oklahoma out of the “wild west” and kill the stigma that has long plagued the plant and the people who consume it.
It seems unlikely that Oklahoma officials would include the slang term “marijuana” on patient licenses given the decades of “politically correct” campaign examples, but they did. The U.S. did not start using the term “marijuana” until it was used to categorize what they thought to be criminal usage in the early 1900’s.
In 1915, the U.S. Government published Farmers Bulletin No. 663, titled Drug Plants Under Cultivation that shows the government providing instruction on how to grow the plant.
Today, it seems hard to imagine the U.S. Government providing an instruction brochure on how to grow cannabis and categorizing it with other drug plants such as anise, dill, and thyme. It makes one wonder where the world of cannabis would be if the,
Until consumers in the state focus on the holistic healing benefits of the cannabis plant instead of getting high, there will always be reports of misuse as was seen in the media in 2021.
If Oklahoma cannabis wants a better public image, then advertisement to the masses should not include a carefree usage of the plant.
To date, it appears advertisements are geared toward a very small percentage of individuals that have the flexibility to consume without restrictions.
Upon talking with a local dispensary owner, the first two years of the sale of cannabis was filled with disappointment,
which led to the stores closing at the end of 2021,
When the legalization of cannabis came about in Oklahoma, the promise was to provide medicinal grade products that could be tailored to specific ailments, but when entering multiple dispensaries city wide, most staff are new to the industry and cannot help the consumer choose tailored products.
Getting high is a wonderful result, but wouldn’t it be better, if getting the results included true relief of the symptoms the card was issued for?
The most common ailments of those people I’ve interviewed seem to include pain and anxiety, but did you know that it can alleviate dandruff? It is a pretty cool plant and Oklahomans, including state officials and agencies,
need to delve into resources that have long been in the shadows but are valid just the same.By hiring professionals, the state could become an industry leader in research and development. The state has medical research facilities in place but federal red tape continues to plague growers, dispensaries, and consumers keeping a valuable, but widely misunderstood resource undiscovered. It is as if the state is still in the early 1900’s where it became demonized by bad research and reporting. Yet, cannabis has so much more to offer than the high as the end result. If
Oklahoma could come together in industry and legislation, the state could benefit greatly. Regardless of the number of renewed and unrenewed licenses, education should be a primary focus. Introducing recreational usage prematurely could interfere with the progression of cannabis’ potential. With some modifications, the industry can be a wealth of information.
A great place to start would be for growers to designate sections of their crop for specific cultivars proven to treat targeted ailments.
The challenge to growers will be if they can unite and commit some portion of their efforts to cultivars that may not provide a heavy yield, because make no joke about it, most are in the industry to make money just like other agricultural producers in the state.
And
for
dispensaries, displaying products in a
manner patients can see
the
recommended
cannabinoids/terpenes
for
their
medical
conditions and have the
product
tests
readily
available
for
viewing.
Going across the state to events like Harvest Fest, Cann Women Midwest Conference, and The Cowboy Cup, I have not encountered a situation where the concern is not about doing a great job.
Everyone seems to want to be in it for the common good, and make a little money; however, Oklahoma has made it easy to enter into the field of medicine by placing saloon doors at the entry and it is up to the state to remain in the wild west and at the bottom of another list, or a civilized, well-run industry that could sweep the plains.
GRASS ROOTS: A HISTORY OF CANNABIS IN THE AMERICAN WEST (BY NICK JOHNSON, 2017)
