Muskogee backs off stricter medical marijuana rules

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) – A city in eastern Oklahoma has rejected a proposed ordinance that would’ve required local medical marijuana patients to obtain a license if they wanted to grow cannabis.

The Muskogee City Council voted Monday in favor of adopting limited regulations regarding State Question 788 , which Oklahoma voters passed in June to legalize medical marijuana.

City Attorney Roy Tucker says commercial entities must still pay $750 annually for their licenses. But he says Muskogee wouldn’t benefit from being more restrictive on home-growing marijuana than what current state law outlines.

Some smaller municipalities statewide have taken a stricter approach and banned most commercial marijuana operations within their cities. Marijuana activists say such limitations violate the spirit of the state initiative and will likely lead to court challenges.