Inside the rise of the country’s hottest weed market

[LittleLebowski]

Oklahoma, I had no idea.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/12/oklahoma-marijuana-laws-520311


LOVE COUNTY, Okla. — Shortly after sunrise on July 22, a dozen or so police officers from across Oklahoma descended on a property about 15 miles north of the Texas border. They moved past the fence with the “No Trespassing” signs and the pink building with the aluminum roof toward a collection of hoop houses. They didn’t know much about the occupants, although the cops strongly suspected they were of Chinese descent.

“We pulled in like gangbusters,” recalled Love County Sheriff Marty Grisham, on a recent weekday afternoon. “The guy who spoke Mandarin got on the loudspeaker, and I don’t know what he was saying, but I'm sure: ‘Come out with your hands up,’ or that sort of thing.”

Ultimately, officers confiscated more than 2,300 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $3.5 million, and about $65,000 in cash. Two men — Zhimou Chen and Chong Chen — were taken into custody and officials charged Zhimou with cultivation of an illegal controlled substance. Officials said the farm didn’t have a valid license, rendering otherwise legal marijuana into illicit goods.

Scenes like the one in Marietta have become routine in south central Oklahoma and other rural parts of the state in recent months. There have been similar raids in the nearby farming towns of Tishomingo, Gene Autry and Pauls Valley. In fact, the July raid on the Love County property was among the smaller enforcement operations in the area. The June raid in Gene Autry, for example, netted approximately 27,000 plants with a street value of $50 million. They also discovered about 45 workers living on the property, in what Carter County Sheriff Chris Bryant described as “horrible conditions.” Altogether, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics estimates that there have been at least five dozen raids of illegal marijuana cultivation operations since the crackdown began in April, a phenomenon that was largely nonexistent up until that point.

[JCS]

I can’t say I’ve visited a lot of other states before and after they’ve passed medical marijuana laws…. But it’s blown up in OK in epic proportions. The town I live in has the highest ratio of dispensaries per capita in the United States.

The state passed the law with little pre-planning and the rural areas are getting blown up with grows because there is little to no oversight.

[Yung]

Jorge Ventura recently produced a documentary about this kind of thing in California.
https://thepostmillennial.com/mexican-drug-cartels-southern-california-ventura-daily-caller

[O4L]

Unfortunately it has gotten completely out of hand here and illegal grow operations are only a small part of the problem.

There are many "legal" growers that are selling their product illegally across state lines.

Many rural properties are being bought up by foreigners at several times the asking price for growing operations.

One of the requirements for a license here is that the operations must be 70% Oklahoman owned so that has created another criminal enterprise where one person may be the "majority owner" of many sites on paper only and paid quite well for it.

[Gun Mutt]

Anyone else hearing Cross Canadian Ragweed as background music right now?

[peterb]

Anyone else hearing Cross Canadian Ragweed as background music right now?

Back when we could laugh about it….


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REQ1YqYLi4g

[BehindBlueI's]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.

[blues]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.

It's Oklahoma you barbarian. And they have some pretty girls there.

(The ones that don't do meth, anyway.)

[Spartan1980]

And they have some pretty girls there.

(The ones that don't do meth, anyway.)

Sadly those girls are getting harder to find. But if you are feeling froggy and want to live dangerously, about any street corner in Oklahoma City will fulfill those urges.

[blues]

Sadly those girls are getting harder to find. But if you are feeling froggy and want to live dangerously, about any street corner in Oklahoma City will fulfill those urges.

I've known a few gals from OK and they were OK with me.

Some years ago I stopped off the highway in Erick and I was like, man, there are way more pretty girls here than the population should have.

I have had several friends from OK, so I have a soft spot for the state. (Though not necessarily for the gals. ;))

[Stephanie B]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.

Baja Kansas....

[peterb]

I've known a few gals from OK and they were OK with me.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWVdKv4-CEg

(-;

[blues]

^^^^

One of my favorite songs from that time period.

[okie john]

I've known a few gals from OK and they were OK with me.

Same here. I grew up there--hence the name--and I remember them fondly. Not as fondly as I'd like but that's on me.


Okie John

[Bratch]

https://youtu.be/pManTpOQen8

[O4L]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.There's no place that I'd rather be than right here...

[Eric_L]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.

Sounds like bitter regret for not being here…..😎

[RevolverRob]

Pretty sure there is a weed dispensary for every 20 people in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Been that way for several years now.

Ole Merle really has become dated, because I'm pretty sure they do everything he said they don't do in Muskogee now.


https://youtu.be/68cbjlLFl4U

[LOKNLOD]

My parents live about an hour south of OKC in the country, but not far off a main highway. A Chinese grow op has moved in across the county road from them, into a house and property that used to be neighbors (they had goats; not weed). This summer, a big Chinese illegal grow op with lots of what is more or les slave labor got busted about 5 miles down the road.

They built a bunch of larger metal buildings and ran 3ph power to everything. They have a tattered American flag flying, which drive’s my dad about as crazy as anything else they do. Big aggressive dogs that have spooked a neighbors horses a couple times (if those make it across and hassle dad’s little dogs he may John Wick the whole operation). Lots more traffic than a normal neighbor.

A couple weeks ago, they woke up to find a semi buried in the sand in their yard, blocking mom from getting out to go to work. Dad woke up the driver who buried the truck and then decided to crawl in the sleeper and take a nap without calling for help. Chinese guy with pot leaf tattoos who didn’t/couldn’t speak English came out upon dad’s vigorous wake up call. That MFer is running up and down the highway every day… Troopers, tow trucks, etc ensued. Took a few hours to get it out. Moms lawyer friend at the courthouse was able to call and get enough of a small check from the trucking company to pay for a friend to bring a tractor over and clean up the mess left.

Couple pics of the stuck truck:
https://imgur.com/a/G9A5lel

[DDTSGM]

We don't tolerate that stuff in Kansas....yet.

[Hambo]

The punishment for growing weed illegally in Oklohoma is living in Oklohoma.

What to Okies have to do to get deported to Arkansas?

[LOKNLOD]

What to Okies have to do to get deported to Arkansas?

Their sister.

[blues]

Their sister.

Not quite at the level of "Get off me Daddy, you're crushing my Marlboros!"

[Tensaw]

Not quite at the level of "Get off me Daddy, you're crushing my Marlboros!"

Just,... damn!

[JAD]

Their sister.

I respect your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[awp_101]

Not quite at the level of "Get off me Daddy, you're crushing my Marlboros!"


https://youtu.be/Zs9JGCO6OhA

[HCM]

Not quite at the level of "Get off me Daddy, you're crushing my Marlboros!"

80273

[Oldherkpilot]

It's Oklahoma you barbarian. And they have some pretty girls there.

(The ones that don't do meth, anyway.)

Yep, a pretty girl behind every tree. Not many trees, though.

[backtrail540]

I had a decent enough time visiting my buddy who lived near Corn but the most memorable part was eating here. I was in a constant back and forth of thinking the place was going to collapse and we would all get crushed by boulders - or being impressed by the size of the burgers and quality of the ice cream/cobbler.

80278

[LOKNLOD]

I had a decent enough time visiting my buddy who lived near Corn but the most memorable part was eating here. I was in a constant back and forth of thinking the place was going to collapse and we would all get crushed by boulders - or being impressed by the size of the burgers and quality of the ice cream/cobbler.

80278

I’ve been there…on a school field trip.