The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) plans to eliminate 10% of its workforce in a reorganization amid an exodus of licensed operators.
The job cuts will amount to 25 to 30 employees, OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry said in an email obtained by the Tulsa World.
“With commercial license numbers decreasing, it was imperative we find efficiencies in our operations,” Berry said.
“In the coming weeks, we will introduce the new organizational structure for our agency.”
The number of active medical marijuana licenses in Oklahoma have dropped dramatically amid an oversupplied market, a crackdown on illicit operators and a moratorium on new permits.
The total number of active licenses fell by 27.4% ,to 8,555, between January 2023 and January 2024.
There are roughly 6,615 OMMA-licensed businesses in the state, according to the Tulsa World.
The Oklahoma Legislature approved a 2025 budget of $41.9 million for the OMMA, the newspaper reported.
In May 2023, a moratorium on cultivation licenses in the state was extended until 2026.
Oklahomans last year rejected a ballot initiative to legalize adult-use marijuana in the state amid a glut of inventory.
About a year ago, the OMMA published the results of a study that concluded the state was producing 32 times more marijuana than was needed for its 332,000 registered MMJ patients.
