Oklahoma lawmakers pass three bills targeting illegal marijuana grow operations

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Three bills targeting illegal marijuana grows in Oklahoma are moving forward.

House Bill 2095:

• gives the Oklahoma Attorney General investigative and enforcement authority over medical marijuana laws that support the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and allows all enforcement agencies to work together
• allows the Attorney General to conduct unannounced on-site inspections
• with reasonable suspicion, allows the Attorney General to subpoena documents to identify any ownership interest in the business
• extends the moratorium on grow licenses until Aug. 1, 2026

Senate Bill 806:

• requires documented proof of land ownership of a licensed marijuana grow operation
• requires an application to transfer a business license to include the same information required of new licensees
• prohibits transfers when a licensee is under investigation
• limits transfers to once per year
• prohibits multiple business licenses within the same category to be registered under one address or physical location

Senate Bill 913:

• requires all marijuana grow businesses to hold a $50,000 bond that may be recalled if the property has been abandoned, the license has been revoked, or in response to a violation of law, regulation, or ordinance necessitating remedial action
• The bond will be used to address any necessary restoration of the property, including removing equipment, destruction of waste, remediation of environmental hazards, prohibiting public access, addressing improper buildings, or determining the final disposition of any seized property

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is praising the three bills.

Attorney General Drummond says the state’s illegal grow ops “pose a serious threat to public safety,” especially in rural communities.

Drummond says medical marijuana has been a “Trojan horse” for organized criminals who also engage in human trafficking, sex trafficking, and the distribution of deadly drugs like fentanyl.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics estimates that nearly half of the state’s 6,299 marijuana grows are illegal.

Each of the three bills cleared the legislative chamber in which they were written, and now head for the opposite chamber.