This report from MMJ and Newson6.com published on 4 September 2026, photo sourced from The Guardian.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority is defending its oversight of the state’s cannabis industry following a deadly explosion at a Sand Springs extraction facility on 27 August 2026 that killed two people and resulted in felony murder charges against Ryan Bassham, the alleged new owner of Solos Extracts.
OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry says the license associated with the Sand Springs location was current at the time of the blast. A criminal affidavit, however, states the license had not been transferred to Bassham. Berry clarifies that each license attaches to a specific physical address, and that a separate operation Bassham allegedly ran near Kellyville carried no OMMA license at all. “The Kellyville location was not licensed by OMMA at all,” she says.
Berry says OMMA’s inspections cover product testing, track-and-trace compliance, required paperwork and standard operating procedures, not fire safety, building requirements or hazardous materials, which fall under other agencies. The Sand Springs fire marshal inspected Solos Extracts in January 2026, ordered an extraction booth disconnected and later found large quantities of liquid propane and additional equipment installed after that visit. Berry says she is unsure when OMMA became aware of the fire marshal’s order.
OMMA’s most recent inspection of Solos found the facility nonoperational. Berry declines to provide the date of that inspection or detail what inspectors observed, saying investigators hold that information.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler has publicly called on OMMA to do more. Berry responds by citing nearly 4,000 administrative actions filed since the agency became independent in 2022. “So I would ask, what does doing our job look like if not taking action? We’ve taken action.”
Berry attributes early regulatory difficulties to Oklahoma’s initial free-market approach, which produced more than 13,000 active licenses at its 2021 peak with no cap on licenses or plant counts. She says OMMA is now reviewing its policies and procedures for gaps. Bassham remains in Creek County Jail on charges related to the Kellyville operation and faces two counts of felony murder in Tulsa County.
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