State Health Department names 12-member medical marijuana food safety standards board

As required by SQ788, the Oklahoma State Department of Health has appointed all 12 Oklahoma residents to the Medical Marijuana Food Safety Standards Board. Those members will provide recommendations for food safety standards for processing and handling medical marijuana.

The members include a number of representatives from state, county and tribal government, the scientific community, marijuana industry experts, and patient advocates. They will be tasked to create the food safety standards by the prescribed deadlines outlined in SQ788. These standards will be adopted by the agency and enforced by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) for medical marijuana processors.

“We tried to identify people with expertise in food handling and inspection, science and patient advocacy,” said OSDH Interim Commissioner Tom Bates. “To make sure we had a variety of different voices at the table, we took a multi-disciplinary approach in the selection process.”

Members selected include:

Becky Johnson, Pharmacist

Dr. Ravirajsinh Jadeja, Asst. Professor of Food Safety, Oklahoma State University

Scott Yates, Supervisor of Meat and Poultry Inspection, Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Scott Schaeffer, Managing Director, Oklahoma Poison Control

Fenton Rood, Asst. Director of Land Protection, Oklahoma Dept. of Environmental Quality

Mark Woodward, Public Information/Education Officer and Legislative Liaison, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs

Bud Scott, Executive Director, New Health Solutions Oklahoma

Ray Jennings, Patient Advocate

Kara Burst, Executive Officer, Business Sustainability and Auxiliary Services, Department of Commerce, Chickasaw Nation

Dr. Edd Rhoades, Medical Director, Oklahoma State Department of Health

Troy Skow, Consumer Protection Administrator, OKC-County Health Department

Travis Splawn, Field Supervisor, Tulsa Health Department

Informational forms are currently online at OMMA.ok.gov and have been updated to reflect revised emergency rules approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Health and Governor Fallin. Any forms previously completed will be accepted when applications for all medical marijuana licenses can be submitted online on August 25.

For questions about the OMMA or the application process, please contact [email protected].