Oklahoma Gov. Targets Intoxicating Hemp Products

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) in a letter released Monday called
intoxicating hemp products a danger to public health and safety, and called
on state officials to coordinate and enact restrictions on the products, FOX
23 reports.

The letter was addressed to Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest,
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control Director Donnie
Anderson, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) Executive Director
Adria Berry, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton, and
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Greg Mashburn, the report
said.

The governor highlighted several psychoactive cannabinoids that can be
derived from industrial hemp in the letter — including delta-8 THC,
delta-10 THC, tetrahydrocannabinol-O acetate (THC-O) — and called on the
officials and their respective agencies to “work together to identify and
investigate the presence of [the compounds] and as appropriate to your
agency’s authority, to take action within your jurisdictional lane.”

“These compounds, often marketed to young people, have psychoactive
properties that threaten the safety and well-being of Oklahomans. We must
act quickly and collaboratively to address this emerging threat and ensure
that both licensed and illicit markets are held accountable.” — Gov. Stitt,
in the letter

The governor’s statements follow over two years of downturn for the state’s
medical cannabis industry after lawmakers set a moratorium in 2022 on new
licenses. A report last December found that the number of Oklahoma cannabis
operators dropped by one-third in the previous year.