OBN addresses black market marijuana in Oklahoma
OBN talked about ghost ownership, illegal operations and how they are combatting them
Updated: 10:50 AM CST Dec 19, 2022
NARCOTICS SAYING THE SOONER STATE HAS BECOME A LEADING SOURCE FOR ILLEGAL MARIJUANA NATIONWIDE. JOINING NOW TO DISCUSS MARK WOODWARD WITH, OPI AND MARK, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. GOOD MORNING. SO CAN YOU BREAK THIS FOR US? WHAT EVIDENCE, WHAT NUMBERS, WHAT STATISTICS ARE YOU SEEING OF THIS GROWING BLACK MARKET IN OKLAHOMA OVER LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS? WE’VE TALKED WITH NUMEROUS PARTNERS AROUND THE STATES, ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST, FROM NEW YORK TO RHODE ISLAND TO SOUTH CAROLINA, TO FLORIDA, WHO SAY THAT OKLAHOMA GROWN MARIJUANA IS THE NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF THEIR BLACK MARKET MARIJUANA, THAT THEY’RE INTERCEPTING THEIR STATE. AND SO THAT’S HAS INITIATED A NUMBER OF OUR INVESTIGATION TO TWO CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN OKLAHOMA. IS THE THE AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA FROM THESE FARMS THAT ARE ENDING UP ON THE BLACK MARKET ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES? WHAT HAS LED TO THE GROWTH OF BLACK MARKET HERE? WELL, THE POPULARITY OF HIGH GRADE MARIJUANA AROUND THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO CLIMB. OBVIOUSLY, WE’VE GOT OVER 40 STATES WITH SOME FORM OF LEGALIZATION AND THERE’S CRIMINAL…