Oklahoma House approves bill extending medical marijuana business license moratorium through 2028, Senate review next

House advances two measures reshaping licensing limits for Oklahoma’s medical marijuana market

Oklahoma House lawmakers have approved legislation that would extend the state’s moratorium on issuing new medical marijuana business licenses, continuing a multi-year pause initially adopted to slow market expansion and allow regulators to address compliance and enforcement workloads.

The House-approved proposal, House Bill 3143, would extend the current moratorium on new dispensary, grower and processor licenses to Aug. 1, 2028. The existing moratorium, in place since Aug. 26, 2022, is scheduled to expire Aug. 1, 2026, under current law.

What the moratorium extension would do

The moratorium applies to new licenses. Existing businesses would continue operating under their current licenses and remain eligible for renewal. State lawmakers described the extension as a way to maintain oversight while the industry remains under heightened regulatory scrutiny.

The proposal does not reopen licensing for new market entrants. It would preserve the current licensing environment while the state continues inspections, investigations and compliance actions.

HB 3143 passed the House 82-8 and now moves to the Oklahoma Senate for consideration.

Second bill would cap the number of grow licenses

The House also approved House Bill 3144, which would set a numerical limit on commercial grower licenses statewide. As advanced by the House, the bill would restrict the total number of licensed medical marijuana grows to 2,500. Lawmakers described the cap as a backstop designed to prevent a rapid surge in licensed grows if the moratorium is lifted in the future.

HB 3144 passed the House 82-15 and also heads to the Senate.

Current licensing landscape and recent contraction

State licensing reports show a market that has been shrinking as the moratorium has remained in place and enforcement has intensified. As of early February 2026, Oklahoma had 2,164 licensed growers, 1,421 dispensaries, 685 processors and 58 licensed transporters. Patient licensing also remains substantial, with 315,582 active patients reported in the same early-February snapshot.

Those counts reflect a continuing decline from earlier periods. State reports show higher totals in 2025, including more than 2,500 growers and more than 1,500 dispensaries at points during that year.

How Oklahoma arrived at the current pause

Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana in 2018, and the state’s market expanded rapidly in the years that followed. The Legislature enacted the first licensing moratorium in 2022, beginning Aug. 26, 2022. Lawmakers later extended the moratorium in 2023, setting its current expiration date at Aug. 1, 2026.

The Senate’s next steps will determine whether the House-approved extension and grow-license cap advance, are amended, or stall during the remainder of the 2026 legislative session.

• HB 3143: Extends moratorium on new business licenses to Aug. 1, 2028 (House vote: 82-8)
• HB 3144: Caps grower licenses at 2,500 (House vote: 82-15)
• Current law: Moratorium set to expire Aug. 1, 2026