Sunday, May 15, 2022
Cannabis News Daily
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Cannabis News
  • Medical Marijuana
  • Legalization
  • Cannabis Business
  • Cannabis Laws
  • Cannabis Retail
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Cannabis News
  • Medical Marijuana
  • Legalization
  • Cannabis Business
  • Cannabis Laws
  • Cannabis Retail
No Result
View All Result
Cannabis News Daily
No Result
View All Result
Home Medical Marijuana

Illegal medical marijuana grows festering in rural Oklahoma

cannabisnews by cannabisnews
May 6, 2021
in Medical Marijuana
0
Illegal medical marijuana grows festering in rural Oklahoma
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


TULSA, Okla. — Oklahomans and out-of-towners are jumping in to join the Sooner State’s thriving medical marijuana industry, but not all of them are beginning with the best intentions.

“It’s so loose on the back-end right now. It’s very easy to divert,” Chip Paul, OK4U Approved Executive Director said. “It’s very easy for the black market to come in.”

“The majority are trying to do everything right,” Mark Woodward, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Bureau of Nartotics, told 2 News.

Woodward said the bureau has shut down about a dozen criminal marijuana organizations operating as licensed growers. The agency recently busted black market dealers in Creek and Mayes Counties.

“Moving all of their finished products, thousands of plants, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth in bulk qualities onto the streets,” Woodward said.

He said his agency is checking into concerns of illegal grows in all 77 Oklahoma counties.

“A small fragment of what’s coming down the line,” Woodward sadid.

Oklahoma’s medical marijuana market is a potential hotbed for criminal organizations simply because of the cost to get in. A business owner seeking a license applies through the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority at a $2,500 fee, plus an additional $500 fee charged by OBN.

The $3,000 entry fee makes the Sooner State’s industry the cheapest to buy in.

Woodward said it is difficult to detect the business’s bad actors up front, because they strategically use Oklahoma addresses to pass an initial background check.

“They’re not exclusively out of state, foreign investors, but several of them are,” he said.

“Who are their new neighbors? Why are there so many people buying up property for cash money for more than the value of the property?” Rep. Scott Fetgatter, (R) Okmulgee, Oklahoma, said. “There is a legitimate concern there.”

Fetgatter and other state legislators just submitted one way to keep devious actors off sooner soil. Both state legislative chambers passed House Bill 2272, which allows OMMA to suspend the license of a dispensary, processor, or grower that does not disclose any foreign investment with the state within 60 days of application approval.

“Some more teeth that we can use to shut them down,” Woodward said. “We do not want to be seen as a safe haven for criminal organizations to come here and try to hide under Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program.”

But a lot of those illegal grows may be hiding in plain sight.

Okmulgee County Assessor Ed Johnson told 2 News, he is skeptical of a handful of operations in the county, including some large-scale, out-of-state owned ones. He said, at least one business spent seven to eight times the going rate for acreage in the county.

According to Johnson, the grower bought a 20-acre property for $700,000, which equates to $38,500 per acre. Johnson said, the current county cost per acre is around $5,000.

Business owners operating by the book worry enough about turning a profit in Oklahoma’s medical marijuana market – they say it’s near impossible to do so competing against the black market.

“There’s a lot of people that are bringing in product from out of state at a lower price,” Beau Zoellner, chief operating officer of Dr. Z Leaf in Tulsa, said.

Zoellner is one of thousands of business owners in the state calling for stricter enforcement of illegal actors in the industry.

“Many of them are sinking their life savings into trying to keep their businesses afloat, and they’re calling us and begging us to do something,” Woodward said.

“As a dispensary trying to do things the right way, it’s very frustrating to see the competition cut corners,” Zoellner said.

With the potential for more state-mandated costs on businesses in the pipeline, business operators are crossing their fingers enforcement legislation is there to accompany it.

An Oklahoma County property assessor and former member of the Oklahoma Tax Commission, told 2 News, this spike in property prices paid by those purchasing land for medical marijuana businesses is affecting the real estate market. He said, some Oklahomans will not be able to afford the increased appraised prices, however, he believes the market will course correct itself once the medical marijuana market slows.


Trending Stories:


Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere —





Source link

RELATED POSTS

Tribes wary of cannabis market opening

Medical Marijuana May Not Aid Pain, Anxiety, Depression Symptoms

ShareTweetPin
cannabisnews

cannabisnews

Related Posts

Tribes wary of cannabis market opening

Tribes wary of cannabis market opening

by cannabisnews
March 26, 2022
0

Two hundred hydroponic cannabis plants grow in a room filled with artificial sunlight at High Desert Relief in Albuquerque...

Medical Marijuana May Not Aid Pain, Anxiety, Depression Symptoms

Medical Marijuana May Not Aid Pain, Anxiety, Depression Symptoms

by cannabisnews
March 26, 2022
0

FRIDAY, March 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Immediate access to medical marijuana cards may have negative consequences, including higher...

Tennessee bill creating framework for medical marijuana program passes House subcommittee

Tennessee bill creating framework for medical marijuana program passes House subcommittee

by cannabisnews
March 26, 2022
0

The House of Representatives Health Committee will discuss the bill on Wednesday. NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee bill that...

Jefferson to Consider Ambulance Increase, Medical Marijuana Ordinance

Jefferson to Consider Ambulance Increase, Medical Marijuana Ordinance

by cannabisnews
March 25, 2022
0

Jefferson residents will vote on a 1,002.74% increase to fund emergency medical services, a new medical marijuana ordinance, and...

Colorado Earned $423 Million In Marijuana Tax Revenue Last Year

Missouri Bill Would Let Voters Mandate More Oversight On Medical Marijuana Revenue Distribution To Veterans

by cannabisnews
March 25, 2022
0

The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a marijuana bill—but not the federal legalization measure that advocates have been eagerly...

Next Post
US ‘deeply concerned’ by Israeli advancement of outpost legalization bill

US 'deeply concerned' by Israeli advancement of outpost legalization bill

California cannabis businesses face costly peril with marketing robocalls, attorney says

California cannabis businesses face costly peril with marketing robocalls, attorney says

RECOMMENDED

Valley News – Column: Small producers deserve direct access to market

Valley News – Column: Small producers deserve direct access to market

March 26, 2022

Decriminalization: The pathway to legalization and cannabis equity | Nikki Fried – South Florida Sun Sentinel

March 26, 2022
  • 22M Fans
  • 110 Followers
  • 650 Followers
  • 23.5k Followers

MOST VIEWED

  • US Hemp and Cannabis Industry Leaders to Participate with Government at Event Celebrating New Legalization In Costa Rica

    US Hemp and Cannabis Industry Leaders to Participate with Government at Event Celebrating New Legalization In Costa Rica

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Oklahoma Cannabis Pioneer Joins Forces with Budding Cannabis Brand Ganja Goat Guru

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • New Jersey Begins Accepting Recreational Cannabis License Applications: When Will Dispensaries Open?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill May Receive House Floor Vote Next Week, Sources Say

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent News

Valley News – Column: Small producers deserve direct access to market

Valley News – Column: Small producers deserve direct access to market

March 26, 2022

Decriminalization: The pathway to legalization and cannabis equity | Nikki Fried – South Florida Sun Sentinel

March 26, 2022
Will SAFE Banking Act help?

Will SAFE Banking Act help?

March 26, 2022

CATEGORY

  • Cannabis Business
  • Cannabis Laws
  • Cannabis News
  • Cannabis Retail
  • Legalization
  • Medical Marijuana

Contact Us

  • Privacy & Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

© 2021 Copyright Cannabis News Daily

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Cannabis News
  • Medical Marijuana
  • Legalization
  • Cannabis Business
  • Cannabis Laws
  • Cannabis Retail

© 2021 Copyright Cannabis News Daily