OMMA Employee Credentialing for Medical Cannabis Businesses Begins January 1st, 2024

OMMA's website was quietly updated with this information yesterday.

Update: Since this post’s publishing last week, OMMA has put out a media release about the worker credentialing encouraging early application to allow time for background checks.

In a previous blog post we mentioned worker credentialing would start in the new year, and the information on getting medical marijuana business employees ‘credentialed’ per a recently passed state law has been added to OMMA’s website.

Here’s that information so you can stay informed if you are a bud tender, business owner, or just interested in what’s happening in Oklahoma medical cannabis and how it affects workers, patients, and stakeholders.

One of the items on the checklist for employee credentialing is an Attestation Form.

Employee Credentialing

Senate Bill 1704 (2022), a new state law passed by the Oklahoma Legislature and signed by the Governor, requires employees of licensed medical marijuana businesses to apply for and receive a credential.

Employee is defined in OMMA Rules at OAC 442:10-5-1.1(13).

The credential authorizes the employee to work at a licensed medical marijuana business.

See OAC 442:10-5-1.1(13) in OMMA Rules and 63 O.S. § 427.14b (OSCN 2023) in state statutes.

The initial application period opens Jan. 1, 2024. Current employees of medical marijuana businesses, as defined in OMMA Rules at OAC 442:10-5-1.1(13). must apply for a credential on or before Jan. 31, 2024.

Apply for an Employee Credential

The initial application period opens Jan. 1, 2024. Beginning on that date, log in to the Thentia licensing portal to apply for an Oklahoma medical marijuana business employee credential.

Credential Application Requirements

When you log in to the Thentia licensing portal to apply for a medical marijuana business employee credential, you will be asked to provide:

• Proof of identity

• State background check: An Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) name-based background check establishing that the applicant does not have a disqualifying criminal conviction. Must be dated within 30 days of application submission. (this costs $15)

• National background check: Attestation Regarding National Background Check

• A $30 application fee, plus any associated processing fees. (The processing fee according to the FAQ section is $2.68)

Helpful links to all this same information, forms, and background check information-

• https://oklahoma.gov/omma/businesses/employee-credentialing.html#apply-for-an-employee-credential

• https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/omma/content/licensing/Attestation%20Regarding%20National%20Background%20Check.pdf

• https://osbi.ok.gov/services/criminal-history

Bonus/Extras- the FAQ sections have some additional tips about this process, for example:

Q. What can I do within the licensing portal related to my employees' credentials?

A. Other than adding employee credential numbers to your employee roster, you can see status changes to the employee's credential.

and

Q. How long is the credential valid?

A. Credentials will be valid until Jan. 31 of the following year.

So it looks like so far, this will be another fee this time at the worker level, depending on how business owners seek to cover or not cover the fee for their employees. It’s also an annual fee. Every year there have been new annual fees added to the medical cannabis industry via passing bills in the Oklahoma Legislature, despite Oklahoma politicians also decrying expansion of cannabis into a full adult use program via aggressive campaigning against past ballot questions.

2024 is going to be an adventure.