Law enforcement officials took their turn before Oklahoma’s Medical Marijuana Working Group on Wednesday, including the head of the agency supporting Oklahoma prosecutors.
District Attorneys Council President Brian Hermanson said the language voters approved with State Question 788 is missing what prosecutors consider an important piece to deter abuse.
"There should be a determination of what is a medical condition. Currently — it was discussed during the election process — that it could be anything from a sore back to a headache to 'I’m feeling depressed today,'" Hermanson said.
Hermanson asked lawmakers to take steps to make edible medical marijuana products as utilitarian as possible.
"There’s no reason that this medicine, marijuana, should look appetizing to a child," Hermanson said. "You know, we see kids eating the pods for detergent. Certainly, they’re going to go after something that looks like a brownie or something that looks like a gummy bear or a candy or anything else."
The District Attorneys Council would like to see accompanying laws mandating child-proof packaging.
Hermanson said there should also be limits on where marijuana can be smoked, possibly just in someone’s home, after noting many police reports from traffic stops he reviews involve cars reeking of marijuana.
"Even if the driver’s not the one smoking, the secondhand smoke is affecting the driver, the children in the back seat. I see no reason why someone would need to be smoking marijuana in a vehicle," Hermanson said.
Hermanson said lawmakers also need to consider how to deal with child neglect cases where medical marijuana is involved.
