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.
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