The addresses of all business affiliated with medical marijuana i.e. the growth, processing and selling businesses, were published on OMMA’s official website on Oct 31st, without prior notification or warning.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority didn’t alert license holders before making the address list public and, a couple of days later. As a result, a property planned for marijuana plantation was robbed and vandalized.
The property was owned by a couple, who was headed out to clean it up and get it ready for plantation on the morning of Nov 3. Wishing to remain unnamed due to the threat of similar crimes in the future, the couple explained how they were on their way to install the state-required security measures when they found their farm completely wrecked. Not only had the farm been broken into, every single nook and cranny, from the cabinets to the electric junction box, was searched.
While they have filed a report with the Norman Police Department, they are now reluctant to move into the property and operate the marijuana farm. Dreading becoming a casualty again in a similar crime, the couple wants to sell the property.
OMMA communications manager Melissa Miller said that the decision to make license holders’ information public wasn’t always the authority’s plan, however, the involved parties were aware that their information could be made public at any time, and agreed to it before they received their license.
According to Miller, the license holders were alerted soon after the addresses were made public on OMMA’s social media accounts. She said that they were swamped with requests to share the grower’s addresses, and since they came under the title of the public record, she was bound to comply.
“We thought it would be easier to make the list public”, said Miller.
Miller said that the authority was working on devising a mechanism which would give room to license holders to have the option of choosing between making their address public or ceding their license and removing their address from the list. The option to transfer licenses, however, does not exist.
While they understand the security concerns, Miller says that the OMMA requires license holders to have ample security measures as a prerequisite for getting the license.
“…At the same time, we remind them they are required to have security measures by law. Security measures should be there, no matter what.”, said Miller.
Related businesses have shown concern over OMMA’s decision to publicize information about growing locations, saying that the authority might unknowingly be putting growers’ in danger.
Chip Paul, chairman of Oklahomans for Health, the organization behind getting medical marijuana legalized in Oklahoma reflects similar sentiments, saying that this step will cause security concerns for business owners, physicians, and patients.
“It doesn’t seem like the department of health is overly concerned about cannabis patients or business owners. We need better protections in place,” said Paul.
While no other Norman marijuana farm locations have reported any criminal activity, local growers and businesses remain convinced that this action is a part of an elaborate plan by external actors to jeopardize the legalization of medical marijuana in Oklahoma, so that production is hugely discouraged, if not banned altogether.