Last week the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics’ Marijuana Enforcement Teams seized 10,656 illicit marijuana plants and 296 pounds of processed marijuana at an illegal grow site.
News outlets report that the operation involved joint efforts from several local, state, and federal agencies — including the DEA and ICE.
There is evidence that Oklahoma’s lax marijuana laws have actually emboldened drug cartels and contributed to the spread of illegal marijuana on the black market.
Authorities have raided illicit grow sites in Oklahoma in the past, and Arkansas State Police routinely confiscate illegal marijuana from Oklahoma.
There is also evidence that legal marijuana in Oklahoma is often diverted to the black market. Law enforcement around the country alleges 40% of America’s black market marijuana has come from legal grow sites in Oklahoma. Over a twelve-month period, authorities say more than 85 million pounds of marijuana in Oklahoma went unaccounted for—meaning tens of millions of pounds of marijuana grown legally may have been sold illegally on the black market in just one year.
Oklahoma isn’t the only state dealing with unintended consequences from legalization. California has seized more than $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis since 2022. In Maine, authorities have said there are hundreds of illegal growing operations connected to Chinese organized crime groups. These operations often involve serious crimes like labor trafficking and wage theft.
All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
