State drug enforcement agents intercepted a semi-truck leaving an Oklahoma City warehouse in mid-July. The truck contained 7,000 pounds of Oklahoma-grown marijuana concealed in produce boxes, worth an estimated $28 million on the East Coast. The loose oversight of Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program, along with cheap land and licensing fees, has led to an influx of illicit grow operations that are overwhelming law enforcement. Oklahoma has become the number-one supplier of black market marijuana in the country, according to agencies around the U.S. The Bureau of Narcotics has shut down nearly 1,000 illicit marijuana grow operations in the past two years, but there may still be as many as 5,000 remaining.
In an attempt to control the problem, state lawmakers placed a moratorium on new grower licenses and raised fees, but enforcement is still catching up. Oklahoma’s oversupply of cannabis is fueling black market sales out of state. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reported that Oklahoma is producing 64 times more cannabis than is needed to meet legal demand within the state. While some of the oversupply may be stored for legal sale later, much of it is being sold on the black market.
The Bureau of Narcotics has traced Oklahoma-grown marijuana to almost every state and is currently investigating over 3,000 farms. Most of these grows are operated by foreign criminal organizations that use indentured labor, spray dangerous pesticides on plants, and illegally transport marijuana across state lines. The high prices and stringent regulations in other states have allowed the black market to thrive in Oklahoma. Recreational marijuana is legal in 23 states, but growers can make more money shipping their product out of Oklahoma.
The problems with Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program have become a concern, and efforts to address the issue have had limited success. The state is grappling with a massive marijuana boom that began after the legalization of medical use in 2018. Oklahoma needs to find a way to balance the demand for medical marijuana with effective regulation to prevent the growth of the black market.