Oklahoma no longer considers FDA-approved cannabidiol to be a violation of the law.
On Monday, Governor Mary Fallin signed a piece of legislation (House Bill 1559) that tweaks the verbiage of the state’s marijuana laws in an effort to give patients permission to use cannabidiol-based medications that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, the law is utterly useless, as the federal government has not yet approved any medication consisting solely of cannabidiol. There are a couple of medications being produced by GW Pharmaceuticals that that would fit into the grand scheme of the new law, but those products are still in clinical trials and might not come to market anytime soon.
We’re not exactly sure that a state law was needed to legalize cannabidiol medications that have been given the green light from the FDA. After all, the federal government has been approving cannabis-based medications for years, making these drugs available with a prescription in all 50 states.
An email sent to Governor Fallin’s office seeking clarification was not immediately returned.
Last year, Fallin approved a medical marijuana pilot program that allows children with epilepsy to have access to cannabidiol, and state lawmakers believe the new law is the next logical step.
"This makes it clear that if the FDA does approve a cannabidiol drug for use for medical treatment, that it would be legal," State Representative Jon Echols told NewsOK.
