Vol. 5 No. 19 | May 7, 2025
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No published opinions this week.
No published opinions this week.
No published opinions this week.
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The Supreme Court of Oklahoma Court Calendar
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is in session year round, unless otherwise noted. The court regularly schedules conferences on Mondays and other days as needed.
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The May issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal is available online now! This issue focuses on cannabis law, featuring articles on navigating compliance issues, seemingly legal situations with unintended criminal consequences surrounding cannabis law, purchasing and selling medical marijuana businesses in Oklahoma and more. The May issue also features information on 2025 OBA Awards nominations, a Law Day recap, the 2025 Solo & Small Firm Conference and a farewell message from OBA Management Assistance Program Director of 28 years, Jim Calloway.
FEATURES
Navigating Compliance Challenges: Addressing Oklahoma’s Legislative Gaps in Cannabis Processing
By Rachel O. Klubeck
Up in Smoke: Seemingly Legal Situations With Unintended Criminal Consequences Surrounding Oklahoma’s Cannabis Laws
By Sabah Khalaf and Cade Russell
How To Buy and Sell a Medical Marijuana Business in Oklahoma: Background and Analysis on 63 O.S. §427.14c
By Brian Ted Jones and Max Federman
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Federal Civil Asset Forfeiture and Medical Marijuana
By Orion A. Strand
Oklahoma’s Newest Crop
By Rachel L. Bussett
"It’s time to start thinking about this year’s OBA Awards! This year’s Annual Meeting will be held in November, and we will once again have the chance to spotlight those OBA members who continually demonstrate excellence within our profession. We need to hear from you! The OBA Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2025 OBA Awards.
New this year, the OBA Trailblazer Award has been renamed in honor of recently retired Justice Yvonne Kauger. The Yvonne Kauger Trailblazer Award champions an OBA member who, through their unique visionary efforts, has profoundly impacted our profession and/or community, blazing a trail for others to follow."
"The May 1 celebration of Law Day gives us an opportunity to honor those in our profession whose daily practices reflect the principles we celebrate during this annual national event. Those ideals were readily apparent in one such Oklahoman, Judge Charles J. Migliorino, who served as associate district judge in Johnston County until his death in 2017.
'After graduating from high school, he came here from Brooklyn, New York, to go to college on a basketball scholarship at Murray State and never left,' said Chief Justice Dustin Rowe of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. 'He fell in love with Oklahoma, and he loved this country. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and completed four tours of duty in Vietnam. He loved small-town life in Tishomingo, where he started a family, became a teacher, went to law school at night and became a lawyer who loved the law. He was the embodiment of everything Law Day stands for.'"
The OBA Law Day Committee, chaired by Ed Wunch of Norman and Mary Clement of Tulsa, thanks the volunteers who staffed the phone and email banks in numerous Oklahoma communities. Every year, the May 1 celebration of Law Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the role of law in the foundation of the country and to recognize its importance for society. For more than 70 years, the OBA has celebrated with activities and events across the state. This year was the 49th Ask A Lawyer event, and dozens of volunteer lawyers, once again, helped thousands of Oklahomans get answers to their legal questions at no cost through this annual public service activity.
The OBA welcomes Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance Co. as the Premium Sponsor for the OBA Solo & Small Firm Conference, held July 16-18 at OKANA Resort in Oklahoma City.
For professional liability, Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance Co. is the only insurer owned by OBA members. OAMIC, which started in 1980, only serves lawyers who practice in Oklahoma and has policy options for lawyers in any type of practice. They also offer a broad range of court bonds. If you're attending the Solo & Small Firm Conference, stop by and visit the OAMIC table as well as other sponsor tables to learn how their services can benefit your professional practice!
The OBA is excited for you to join us for the conference! Connect with attorneys from across the state by becoming a sponsor or vendor. This is a great way to network and share your product or service. Please note that space is limited.
Featured CLE
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Jim Calloway
Imagine the potential awkwardness when you are advising a client about a serious matter, and Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri responds aloud, chiming in about the things you are discussing. Some readers need not imagine! The client may then have concerns about how many electronic devices are listening to their confidential conversations.
But if a fast-talking client has a lot of information to deliver, obtaining the client’s permission to have an AI tool record, transcribe and summarize the conversation may be effective representation. One must make certain that confidential information is handled properly, which means doing some research on the tool you will employ.
Giving microphone access to an app on your phone or having an Amazon Echo in your office to listen to music or podcasts is now a more strategic decision. I recognize these devices are listening for “wake words” to activate them. But many of us have experienced misunderstandings activating the device. Once awakened, some of these devices create recordings.
I am not suggesting you disable microphone access on all these services, although some lawyers have made that decision. But at a minimum, do some spring cleaning, and disable microphone access to apps where it is not needed. For apps that rarely need microphone access, it is also advisable to consider leaving it off by default and enabling access in settings when needed.
"I Turn Off Microphone Access to Apps on My Phone to Stop Them from Listening and You Can Too" is a short post outlining how to use settings on either iPhone or Android to review microphone access permissions and turn some off. Having an Amazon Echo listening is more problematic in my opinion, as it is set up to respond to commands shouted across a room. "Stop Alexa From Listening: A Detailed Guide for Echo Users" reminds us that pressing the Echo’s microphone button will immediately stop it from listening. The light flashes red when disabled. The post also discusses modifying the settings, so that Echo recordings are automatically and quickly deleted.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2025 Oklahoma Bar Association. Statements or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. Although advertising copy is reviewed, no endorsement of any product or service offered by any advertisement is intended or implied by publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their ads, and the OBA reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy for any reason. Legal articles carried in The Oklahoma Bar Journal are selected by the Board of Editors. Information about submissions can be found at www.okbar.org.