Oklahoma Becomes An Illegal Marijuana Supply Leader

Oklahoma is now a number one provider of unlawful marijuana within the U.S., in response to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

Officials mentioned this isn’t only a drug downside however a significant security difficulty.   

“They’re very good at what they do,” Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, mentioned. “They know how to hide their operations. They know how to bury the paperwork.” 

To resolve a magic trick, it’s a must to know the place to look. That’s the mission of Mark Woodward’s workplace and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.   

“Billions of dollars are going uncaptured onto the black market,” Woodward mentioned. 

Exposing companies that ship unlawful marijuana all around the nation. They name them ghost house owners as a result of they function beneath the guise of a medical marijuana enterprise, however the individual whose title is on the enterprise has nothing to do with the enterprise.  

Woodward’s workplace is investigating 1 / 4 of Oklahoma’s licensed marijuana farmers. They’ve shut down 200 farms.   

“We’re just scratching the surface,” Woodward mentioned. 

Woodward mentioned shutting down a farm is just not sufficient.   

“These criminal groups can replace those workers and plants within a matter of days,” Woodward mentioned. 

Not to say the plethora of human rights violations towards the individuals who work for these farms. Many of whom are undocumented immigrants.   

“They’re promised a better life and then they’re basically working for slave wages and many of them aren’t getting paid at all,” Woodward mentioned. 

Violence usually follows these counterfeit operations.   

“They know how to make the plants disappear; the money disappear,” Woodward mentioned. “But the concern is they can also make people disappear.”  

The answer to this elaborate trick is following the paperwork to disclose the reality.   

“We know now what to look for,” Woodward mentioned. 

Woodward mentioned the state has misplaced many authorized marijuana companies as a result of they can not compete with the black market.   

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority launched a press release saying, “We’re here to regulate the Oklahoma medical marijuana industry. If we uncover bad actors or illegal operations, we make the appropriate referrals and begin to take the necessary administrative actions.”

“In the coming year, we’re expecting to see an uptick in the number of administrative actions as a result of additional compliance inspectors out in the field, more thorough and improved license processing procedures for identifying ghost owners, and the development of stronger partnerships with enforcement agencies and local law enforcement throughout the state.”