The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) estimates that there are around 2,000 potentially illegal medical marijuana licenses in the state.

Agency spokesman Mark Woodward said the licenses may have been obtained through fraud or are being used to cover for illegal activities such as selling marijuana on the black market. reported Tulsa world.

“We have nearly 2,000 cases that are being investigated,” Woodward said. “We are working with our partners to identify the criminal networks involved.”

He added that law enforcement agencies are monitoring around 200 cannabis farms and trying to track down the criminals behind them.

Although a recent incident that killed four people at a cannabis farm in Kingfisher County has nothing to do with those licenses, Woodward said.

Legal industry badly affected

“Something that isn’t talked about much is that the legal (medical marijuana) industry is bleeding to death because of the illegal operations,” Woodward said.

This isn’t the first time the issue has come to public attention. In late December, the agency estimated that Oklahoma has become the largest source of illegal marijuana in the country.

“It’s not always clear what we should be looking for,” Logan County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Tillman said then.

According to state officials, unlicensed or improperly licensed gray market operations are rampant. “They don’t even have enough dispensaries in the state of Oklahoma to spend that much marijuana while we’re producing,” said Donnie Anderson, director of OBN.

Oklahoma legalized medicine marijuana in 2018 and that included commercial cultivation. Shortly thereafter, according to The Wall Street Journal Market, hundreds of growers flocked to the state, attracted by affordable land and licenses and lax regulations.

Oklahoma has already issued licenses to around 7,000 growers and 2,600 dispensaries. Although last May Governor Kevin Stitt signed a measure set …