To get a medical marijuana license in Oklahoma, patients need a recommendation from their doctor — paperwork attesting that, in their medical opinion, a patient would benefit from the drug. But what happens when there’s not a doctor in the area willing to sign off?

With a huge freshman class and a promise for less gridlock, Oklahoma lawmakers filed more than 2,800 bills this legislative session. With a third of the session now over, the StateImpact team has an update on some bills we’re following.

Experts say HIV prevention strategies that work in progressive cities like Seattle won’t necessarily work in rural Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has the third highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation and studies have shown that comprehensive sex education can help. Two bills filed in the state legislature could widen the optional curriculum without changing sex education.

Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest policy issues on deck for the upcoming year and legislative session.

Oklahoma may be the first non-expansion state to get federal approval for Medicaid work requirements.

An investigation by StateImpact Oklahoma and The Frontier found problems at some work-based recovery programs, including reports of confiscated disability checks and federal scrutiny for labor practices.

“What I’m seeing on paper and what I’m seeing in the mouths, it’s two different things.”