Game wardens uproot marijuana plants at illegal grow site

JAY — Three Oklahoma game wardens were tasked with uprooting a patch of marijuana inside a wildlife management area in eastern Oklahoma.

A deer hunter scouting the Spavinaw Wildlife Management Area reported the “illegal marijuana grow site” to authorities, game wardens state in a social media. Three game wardens spent Saturday morning pulling up marijuana plants in the wildlife area.

“It’s obviously been maintained,” said Cody Morris, Delaware County game warden. “It was obviously planted. The ground has been worked.”

Morris, one of the three wardens tasked with removing the grow site, said they uprooted 45 plants, some of which were flowering.

The grow site was located on the public hunting side in the 14,000-acre management area, which is located about seven miles southwest of Jay. Morris said the area was difficult to access. The nearest trails were older, and he suspected it is not frequently used by hunters.

Morris said the seized plants already have been destroyed. Wardens searched the area for evidence, such as game cameras, that could indicate who was maintaining the plants. Authorities also found a pitchfork and a rudimentary fertilizer system at the location.

State game wardens encourage those with information to contact their game thief hotline at 800-522-8039.

State Question 788 set up a legal framework for medical marijuana in Oklahoma, and some cultivation operations have received licenses to operate through the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.

Although the law currently allows for licensed cultivators to grow outdoors, no one can legally grow marijuana on public land such as the wildlife area.