The Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to send the legislation known as the “Unity Bill” to the full Senate for approval.
House Bill 2612 would regulate the medical marijuana industry, which is booming since the passage of State Question 788 last summer. It addresses testing, labeling, work place safety issue and employer and employee rights.
The bill is largely bipartisan, thus its nickname.
The measure already has been approved by the state House.
Related: House approves bill to regulate Oklahoma's booming marijuana industry
Sen. Greg McCortney. R-Ada, the chair of the Rules Committee and Senate principal author of HB 2612, says the earliest the bill could come to a floor vote would be Monday.
"I want to stress that the statute that came out of the vote of the people is still 100 percent intact, 100 percent in law,” McCortney said. “This builds on top of that language in 788 so that we will have regulatory framework that addresses the safety and logistical issues pertaining to the medical marijuana industry now in our state. Whether it is the health and well-being of those choosing this type of medication or issues related to extraction and manufacturing of the product, safety has been our utmost concern throughout this process.”
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