Advisory council debates proposed potency caps as bills move through the Legislature

At the OMMA advisory council meeting, council member Katie Nail led a policy discussion about proposed potency limits that several speakers said could restrict medical dosing for patients with chronic pain, cancer and neurological disorders.

Nail said that a strict 10 milligram per-serving and 100 milligram per-package limit would ‘‘cause increased financial burden on patients’’ who require higher doses, and urged industry and OMMA staff to help educate legislators on dosing needs. She suggested that research capacity at OMMA and better laboratory instrumentation could inform safer, clinically appropriate limits.

Megan Hansen, OMMA’s new chief of staff, gave a legislative update noting a range of bills the agency is tracking; she emphasized OMMA’s role as an implementing regulator that tracks and informs legislators about implementation costs rather than sponsoring bills. Hansen summarized proposals that would place caps on the number of commercial grow licenses (she referenced figures of 2,000 and 2,550 in different bills) and said some bills modify bond and reclamation requirements.

Council discussion focused on how best to engage legislators. Multiple council members and industry representatives urged the industry to bring practical dosing proposals and data to committee hearings; one council member noted that a House amendment had removed milligram caps on the House side while a Senate measure with an emergency clause remained pending.

No formal council position was taken during the meeting; members discussed follow-up steps including outreach to legislators and possible technical briefings.