Do Oklahoma's illegal pot farms pose a threat to national security?

The head of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs told a congressional subcommittee that illicit marijuana farms run by Chinese organized crime have overrun the state and pose risks to U.S. military installations.

Director Donnie Anderson said the scale of the problem is unlike anything he’s seen in his 34-year career. He testified Thursday, Sept. 18, that the value of Oklahoma’s illicit marijuana exports was around $153 billion last year, a figure derived from state data . Oklahoma also accounted for 66% of the DEA’s nationwide marijuana seizures in 2024, compared to just 15% in California, 3% in Maine, and smaller shares in other states, according to a recent report .

Anderson added that investigators have found foreign-run farms worryingly close to critical infras