Oklahoma Narcotics Bureau investigates 2,000 potentially illegal cultivation licenses

A recent report from Tulsa World states that there are a few thousand unlicensed medical cannabis companies in the state, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD). “We have almost 2,000 cases that are being investigated,” said Mark Woodward of the Public Information Office at OBNDD. “We are working with our partners to identify the criminal networks involved.”

Woodward also noted that many of these licenses were associated with illegal activities. Recently, in December 2022, four people were killed “execution-style” at a cannabis cultivation facility in Kingfisher County, northwest of Oklahoma City. According to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, the facility’s owners held a medical cultivation license, but OBNDD agents believe the license was acquired illegally.

Woodward said those who work in illegal growing areas are often foreigners. “The only thing it did was shed light on something we’ve been saying for the last four years,” Woodward said. “It’s the same violent criminal organizations.”

He added that so far 200 operations have been shut down by local law enforcement, but the OBNDD is trying to trace the source of the criminal activity. But until that investigation comes up with results, Woodward believes Oklahoma’s medicinal cannabis industry will continue to suffer. “Something that isn’t talked about much is that the legal industry is bleeding to death,” Woodward added.

In March last year, people posing as police officers carried out bogus search warrants at numerous cannabis cultivation sites and stole 100 pounds of cannabis as well as machines, cash and mobile phones. At the time, Woodward commented on the attacks on cannabis businesses that cannabis is still illegal nationwide and forced to trade primarily in cash.

“These farms, where there are often Chinese workers who don’t speak English — they don’t recognize traditional law enforcement,” Woodward told the High Times. “You’re not familiar with what Oklahoma law enforcement looks like, or what uniforms might look like, or how a fraudulent search warrant compares to legitimate ones. That’s what these criminals rely on. That’s why they targeted these particular farms. They saw it as an easy opportunity to take advantage of these workers and go to the farm and take produce.”

Tulsa World said that individuals, including 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas, along with 20 other members of Congress, sent a letter to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in July 2022 regarding the purchase of land in Oklahoma by foreign parties. According to the letter, foreign land holdings “increased from 13,720 to 352,140 acres between 2010 and 2020.”

“We are alarmed at the rate at which Chinese companies have been buying US farmland in recent years. Given this trend, we want to ensure that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has the reporting tools needed to provide Americans with the most complete picture of all foreign purchases of land in the United States,” the letter said.

As of December 2021, there were 9,400 licensed medicinal cannabis growers. A year later, in December 2022, there was a reduction to 7,086 licenses. There is currently a moratorium on new licenses that came into effect in August 2022 and will end sometime in August 2024.

Medical cannabis was legalized by a voter initiative in 2018, but the state’s low entry cost (just $2,500 per year) for a cannabis license opened the doors to out-of-state parties. A more recent law, House Bill 2179, was later passed by the governor in May 2022 to increase annual fees based on a facility’s size or a pharmacy’s sales. According to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, this will not go into effect until June 1, 2023.

Although there have been numerous attempts to curb illicit cannabis activity in Oklahoma, proponents are planning March to legalize recreational cannabis. Gov. Kevin Stitt set March 7 as the date for a special election where the ballot initiative will appear. If passed, State Question 820 would legalize the use of cannabis by adults and permit the cultivation and sale of cannabis.

“After all the delays caused by the new signature counting process, we are excited to finally be standing for election on March 7, 2023 so that Oklahoma residents can experience the benefits of the state issue without further delay,” Oklahoma said for a sane Marijuana Law Campaigns Manager Michelle Tilley. “We are grateful that the voices of over 164,000 Oklahomanes who signed the petition and want to vote on the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana in Oklahoma were heard.”

It was originally intended to appear in the November 2022 vote, but the signatures submitted were not notarized in time.