Bartlesville officials continue to look for proper regulations for potential medical marijuana businesses. On top of requiring medical marijuana businesses to have security systems, state law will require those businesses to have ventilation systems put into place.

Community Development Director Lisa Beeman stresses the need for citizens to understand that they will keep looking toward state required regulations to help avoid future mitigations. She says when a land use is legal like the medical marijuana industry, the city has to allow that to happen in a reasonable location. That means providing non-discriminatory mechanism through zoning where the city can appropriately regulate the operating location.

Beeman says the must remain consistent with their current zoning system. She would go on to say that if the state were to pass more restrictive laws than what’s already put in place, they would have to follow those laws. State law, she says, prevails over city government.