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Lawyers for the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority took a seat at one of two tables before a judge as the morning sun splashed through the hexagon-shape windows of a first-floor makeshift courtroom inside the state agency’s building near the state Capitol.
The second table was empty, reserved for the owners of a Muskogee marijuana dispensary that recently had been shut down by the state agency over numerous violations. The hearing was a chance for the dispensary owners to appeal the shutdown order, but after 15 minutes of no one showing up, the judge ruled in favor of the authority.
The actual hearing lasted less than two minutes, but it represented the dramatic shift taking place within the state’s once largely unchecked marijuana industry, which many believe has led to an explosion of illegal cannabis flowing to other states.
Last year, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority issued just one shutdown order against a marijuana business. But in the first five months of 2023, the agency has issued nearly 100 shutdown orders, according to records obtained by The Oklahoman.
Originally a division within the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority officially became a standalone state agency last year.
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