A key Oklahoma Senate committee has approved a bill to triple the distance medical cannabis businesses must be from school entrances.
The Senate Business and Insurance Committee today approved Senate Bill 640, which would significantly increase the required distance between medical marijuana businesses and schools.
Filed earlier this month by State Senator Lonnie Paxton (R), SB 640 would expand the current setback requirement for medical marijuana dispensaries and commercial growers. Under existing law, these facilities must be located at least 1,000 feet from any school entrance. If enacted, the bill would extend that minimum distance to 3,000 feet. The change would apply to both new and existing marijuana businesses, though locations already licensed before a school is established nearby would be grandfathered in.
Oklahoma has one of the most expansive medical marijuana programs in the country, with over 300,000 registered patients and thousands of licensed dispensaries. Since voters approved State Question 788 in 2018, the industry has generated billions in sales, including $715 million in 2024 alone, making Oklahoma one of the most active medical marijuana markets in the U.S., second only to Florida.
SB 640 now moves to the full Senate for further consideration. If approved and signed into law, the new setback requirements would take effect on November 1, 2025.
