OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma State Senate voted Thursday to confirm Adria Berry as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA).
Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Director Berry to the post in October before OMMA became an independent state agency on Nov. 1. She has served in OMMA’s top role since August 2021, when the agency was part of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“Adria is poised to continue OMMA’s outstanding progress in cracking down on bad actors in our medical marijuana industry,” said Gov. Stitt. “Oklahoma is seeing the benefits of our hard work to get the industry under control, and I look forward to her continued efforts to keep Oklahoma a law-and-order state.”
OMMA’s Executive Director is the agency’s chief executive and administrative officer, leading the mission to promote public health and safety through regulation and enforcement of responsible medical cannabis practices.
Director Berry has overseen transformational growth at OMMA as the agency matures into its role as a regulator. By staffing up agency divisions focused on enforcement, licensing and communication, OMMA is fostering a safe, appropriately regulated medical marijuana program that supports responsible growth and innovation.
Just in 2023, OMMA has filed about 80 emergency actions aimed at kicking bad actors out of the industry. Director Berry’s staff performed about 3,500 compliance inspections and 2,200 operational status visits at businesses from January to May. The agency also guided the implementation of a statewide seed-to-sale inventory tracking system and a companion analytics program to help enforcement efforts under Director Berry’s leadership.
“Adria’s style of strategic leadership ensures OMMA works well with every public safety entity in Oklahoma. Her clear communication is key to creating and maintaining a well-regulated and safe medical marijuana market,” said Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest. “I’m looking forward to more close cooperation as we continue our important work in an evolving industry.”
Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) carried Director Berry’s nomination, which the Senate Business and Commerce Committee approved May 15. Following Thursday’s full Senate approval, Director Berry becomes OMMA’s first-ever permanent Executive Director.
“It has been the honor of my career to serve alongside not only my hardworking colleagues at OMMA, but the rest of our partners across state government,” said Director Berry. “I’d like to thank Gov. Stitt, Secretary Everest, Sen. Pugh and each legislator who put their faith in me and OMMA staff to get the job done. We set ambitious goals and do whatever it takes to reach them.”
Director Berry is a licensed attorney in Oklahoma and Texas with extensive experience in government affairs and public policy.
About OMMA
OMMA is the regulatory agency for Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program. OMMA is responsible for processing commercial and patient license applications, providing customer service to licensees and applicants, facilitating the rulemaking process based on state statutes, enforcing our rules, investigating possible violations of medical marijuana laws and more.
There are more than 11,400 businesses and 378,000 patients in Oklahoma’s medical marijuana market.
Visit omma.ok.gov for more information about OMMA.
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