Mike Baker

What followed was an explosion of cannabis grow operations, far more than the state's medical market could ever absorb.

There's a surprise.

And of course, that imbalance created an opportunity.

According to the reporting, dozens of large marijuana farms in Oklahoma are allegedly controlled by New York-based investors, many operating through shell companies and local, quote, straw owners.

The goal wasn't serving patients in Oklahoma.

It was producing cannabis at industrial scale and feeding illegal markets elsewhere in the country.

The investigation traces financial and personal links back to the leaders of several Chinese hometown associations that are based in New York.

These groups are typically presented as cultural or community organizations, helping immigrants maintain ties to their places of origin.

But some of the individuals involved have publicly aligned themselves with positions strongly favored by Beijing and now find themselves tied to sprawling cash-heavy marijuana operations in the America heartland.

To be clear, the article does not claim that the Chinese government is directing these farms, but it does raise serious questions about transnational money flows, influence networks, and how easily they can embed themselves inside lightly regulated US industries.

and the consequences on the ground have been serious.

Law enforcement officials describe unsafe working conditions, exploited immigrant laborers living in makeshift housing, and farms guarded like fortified compounds.

In one high-profile case earlier this year, a Chinese-American marijuana operator in Oklahoma was killed during a violent home invasion, an incident that prosecutors say reflects the risks tied to an illicit cash-driven trade.

Because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, this gray zone complicates enforcement.

State regulators issue licenses.

Federal agencies often stay hands-off unless violence, trafficking, or organized crime becomes impossible to ignore.

Officials now worry that permissive state cannabis laws are being systematically exploited, not just by domestic criminal groups, but by foreign-connected networks that understand how to move money, hide ownership, and stay just ahead of regulators.

Well, who could have seen that coming?

International criminal organizations and networks taking advantage of loosely regulated drug operations?

I am shocked that there's gambling at Rick's.