Some proponents for the further legalization of marijuana don’t like two new ordinances passed by the Broken Arrow City Council last week.

The new city statutes create a $2,500 annual permit to operate a state-issued license to grow and distribute “medical marijuana” in Broken Arrow. The laws put marijuana dispensaries in the same legal category as businesses that sell alcohol. And the new statutes prohibit tenants from growing their own marijuana plants without written permission from their owners.

An attorney in Tulsa is threatening a lawsuit to overturn the ordinances because they are too restrictive. Some marijuana proponents said the Broken Arrow Council is treating this as recreational marijuana rather than medical marijuana.

The Broken Arrow city attorney said the new laws are consistent with state regulations in light of the statewide vote to legalize “medical marijuana” with State Question 788.

The council voted unanimously for the new ordinances.

Also, growing and processing marijuana will only be allowed in areas zoned “industrial light” or “industrial heavy.” And all processing must be done inside a building.

There have been calls for a special session of the Oklahoma Legislature to define what is allowed under the terms of SQ788 but that is unlikely. The new Legislature will go to session in February.

Broken Arrow officials predict that they will take another look at municipal ordinances after lawmakers clarify the rules.

The new Broken Arrow statutes did not have a clause that would have expanded the current rule that some businesses should be at least 1,000 feet away from a school.

Jan Fritts, who lives within the Broken Arrow city limits but in Wagoner County, and a group of her neighbors plan to fight the opening of a “marijuana farm” near 91st Street and 241st East Avenue (Oneta Road).

Fritts has had discussions with the Wagoner County sheriff about the former tomato farm that is being transformed into a marijuana farm, complete with an 8-foot security fence.

“Everybody is on board,” Fritts said about the effort to keep the farm from opening.

Neighbors are concerned about a spike in crimes, increased traffic and more car wrecks around the marijuana complex.

Opponents of the farm plan to attend a planning meeting in October to protest that type of use in that area.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has started the licensing for medical usage.

According to the OMMA, SQ788 required that it must start accepting applications 30 days after passage, that processing of applications had to begin 60 days after the vote and mandates a response to applicants in at least 14 days after application.

It lists eight license categories: medical marijuana (patient), caregiver, dispensary, commercial grower, processing, transportation, research and temporary (out-of-state).

SQ788 does not require that medical marijuana be tested but it does allow inspection of processing sites plus monthly audit reports from dispensaries, growers, processors and researchers.

Unanswered questions include laboratory testing, recall of the licenses of unsafe operators and packaging and labeling for minors.