2021 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 63. Public Health and Safety
§63-2-509. Eradication - Penalties - Prohibition of suspended or deferred sentences or probation.

A. All species of plants from which controlled dangerous substances in Schedules I and II may be derived are hereby declared inimical to health and welfare of the public, and the intent of the Legislature is to control and eradicate these species of the plants in the State of Oklahoma.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person to cultivate or produce, or to knowingly permit the cultivation, production, or wild growing of any species of such plants, on any lands owned or controlled by such person, and it is hereby declared the duty of every such person to destroy all such plants found growing on lands owned or controlled by the person.

C. 1. Whenever any peace officer of the state shall receive information that any species of any such plants has been found growing on any private lands in the State of Oklahoma, the peace officer shall notify the sheriff and county commissioners of the county wherein such plants are found growing. Within five (5) days of receipt of such notice, the county commissioners shall notify the owner or person in possession of such lands that such plants have been found growing on the the lands and that the same must be destroyed or eradicated within fifteen (15) days. When the fifteen (15) days have elapsed, the reporting peace officer shall cause an investigation to be made of the aforesaid lands, and if any such plants be found growing thereon, the county commissioners shall cause the same to be destroyed or eradicated by either cutting and burning or by applications of herbicides approved for such purpose and registered for use in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry in accordance with Section 2-505 of this title.

2. Whenever any such plants are destroyed or eradicated by order of the county commissioners as provided herein, the cost of the same shall, if the work or labor be furnished by the county commissioners, be taxed against the lands whereon the work was performed, and shall be a lien upon such land in all manner and respects as a lien of judgment, if the owner is charged with a violation of subsection B of this section. If the violation of subsection B of this section is by a person other than the owner of the land, without the knowledge of the owner, the costs shall be paid by the initiating law enforcement agency.

D. Knowingly violating the provisions of subsection B or subsection H of this section is hereby declared, as to the owner, or person in possession of such lands, to be a felony and upon conviction punishable as such by a fine not to exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) and imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not more than ten (10) years. The fine provided for in this subsection shall be in addition to other punishments provided by law and shall not be in lieu of other punishment. Any person convicted of a second violation of subsection B or subsection H of this section is, upon conviction, punishable by a term of imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty (20) years and by twice the fine otherwise authorized. Any person convicted of a third or subsequent violation of subsection B or subsection H of this section is punishable by a term of imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than ten (10) years nor more than life.

E. It shall be the duty of any peace officer of the State of Oklahoma who receives information of such plants growing in the State of Oklahoma, to make notice, in writing, to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control and the future destruction or eradication of the annual growth of such plants shall be supervised by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. Any destruction or eradication of the annual growth of such plants supervised by the Bureau shall be by cutting and burning the same or by destruction and eradication through applications of herbicides approved for such purpose and registered for use in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry.

F. Any application of herbicides authorized by this section shall be made pursuant to the provisions of Section 2-505 of this title.

G. In lieu of the eradication procedures provided for in subsections B and C of this section, all species of plants from which controlled dangerous substances in Schedules I and II of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act may be derived, may be disposed of pursuant to the provisions of subsection C of Section 2-505 of this title.

H. Except as authorized by the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act, it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture or attempt to manufacture any controlled dangerous substance by cooking, burning, or extracting and converting or attempting to extract and convert marihuana or marihuana oil into hashish, hashish oil or hashish powder.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 119, § 2-509, operative Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Laws 1976, c. 259, § 16, operative July 1, 1976; Laws 1987, c. 138, § 12, emerg. eff. June 19, 1987; Laws 1990, c. 220, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Laws 1994, c. 335, § 2, emerg. eff. June 8, 1994; Laws 1997, c. 133, § 536, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 1999, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 5, § 387, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2011, c. 136, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2017, c. 25, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2017; Laws 2018, c. 130, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2018.

NOTE: Laws 1997, c. 110, § 2 repealed by Laws 1999, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 5, § 452, eff. July 1, 1999.

NOTE: Laws 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., c. 2, § 23 amended the effective date of Laws 1997, c. 133, § 536 from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.