Bill that cracks down on illegal marijuana grows signed into law

A measure that highlights state agencies' power over illegal marijuana grows has been signed into law.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A measure that highlights state agencies' power over illegal marijuana grows has been signed into law.

House Bill 2095, authored by Rep. Jon Echols and Sen. Lonnie Paxton, gives the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation full enforcement authority over the state's medical marijuana laws.

The measure states the agencies "shall have full authority to investigate and enforce any violations of the laws regarding medical marijuana including medical marijuana business licenses held by commercial growers, processors, transporters, researchers, education facilities, and waste disposal facilities."

The measure aims to crack down on the state's rash of illegal marijuana grow operations. It states that officers can seize and destroy any marijuana that was "not properly logged in inventory records or untraceable product not required to be in the system."

HB 2095 also says it is illegal for a licensed medical marijuana commercial grower to knowingly hire and employ undocumented immigrants to work anywhere on the property where medical marijuana is grown.

If the operator violates that section of the law, they face a misdemeanor and could lose their license.

"Upon reasonable suspicion that a medical marijuana business licensee is illegally growing, processing, transferring, selling, disposing, or diverting marijuana, the Authority, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or the Attorney General may subpoena documents necessary to establish the personal identifying information of all owners and individuals with any ownership interest in the business," the bill states.

It also clarifies that no more than one medical marijuana commercial grower license can be issued for any one property.

The bill says that agencies can also perform unannounced, on-site inspections of any facility of a medical marijuana research licensee or medical marijuana education facility.

HB 2095 also extends the moratorium on new grow licenses through 2026 so law enforcement has additional time to shut down any illegal marijuana farms.

"I want to thank Gov. Stitt, as well as Rep. Echols and Sen. Paxton, for this tremendous step forward in Oklahoma's efforts to stamp out illegal marijuana grow operations," said Drummond. "The illegal marijuana industry is crawling with Mexican cartels and Chinese crime syndicates that pose a serious threat to public safety, particularly in our rural communities. Gov. Sttt's approval of HB 2095 ensures the Attorney General's Office and our excellent law enforcement partners have the tools and authority to shut down these dangerous criminal enterprises."