Oklahoma is nationally recognized through many of its cultural abilities. Many consider Oklahoma to be “beef country” due to the high-quality cattle the state has. Oklahoma has also stood out nationally in terms of athletics. The state has two of the nation’s highest-ranked collegiate Football programs (both of them won their respective bowl games this season. OU defeated Oregon in the Alamo Bowl 47-32, while OSU came back and beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl 37-35). However, over the past decade, Oklahoma has grabbed national headlines for another rampantly growing product. Marijuana.
While the drug has split up liberals and conservatives for decades, Oklahoma, a heavily conservative state, has always had a soft spot for marijuana. After state legislation passed the medical marijuana law, dispensary populations went up exponentially.
The reason? It’s much cheaper to start up a marijuana business in Oklahoma than in any other state.
In fact, the New York Times states that growers can cultivate a pound of marijuana “for as little as $100 a pound” and sell the drug for “between $3,500 to $4,000 a pound” in large markets such as west coast California or east coast New York. The fine farmland and plentiful agricultural supply make marijuana growing a hot trend in Oklahoma.
Regardless, while this may help the economy, Oklahoma must cut down on its “black-market” marijuana deals before the rampage spreads too wildly out of control. Pretty soon, Oklahoma must choose: economy, or safety?
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