The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) has named its fourth director in less than three years.
Adria Berry, an attorney who advised Gov. Kevin Stitt on cannabis policy during her time as a counselor to the Oklahoma Secretary of State and who most recently worked for the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma, will replace Kelly Williams, who served as the OMMA director for nearly a year, according to The Oklahoman.
Berry will assume her new role on Aug. 30, the news outlet reported.
"I want to go in and set a clear mission statement for the OMMA and let folks across Oklahoma know what the OMMA is doing," Berry told The Oklahoman.
The OMMA was sued last month over its alleged lack of transparency; the plaintiffs claim the agency violated Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act when it adopted new emergency regulations earlier this year without notifying the state’s cannabis industry of the meeting or holding a public comment period on the rules.
The OMMA, a division of the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), oversees patient registration and business licensing for the state’s medical cannabis program, which was legalized in 2018.
A recent OMMA report shows a patient increase of nearly 50,000 in the past year, a 14% increase from last year.
There are currently more than 12,500 licensed cannabis businesses in the state, according to The Oklahoman.
Adrienne Rollins served as the first OMMA director, followed by Travis Kirkpatrick, who took over in 2019. Williams replaced Kirkpatrick last year, after Kirkpatrick was named deputy commissioner for OSDH. Williams will continue to work with the OMMA after Berry assumes the director role, according to The Oklahoman.
