Senator Inhofe requests $4M to fight illegal marijuana operations in Oklahoma

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe’s office is requesting $4 million in federal funds to help combat illegal Oklahoma marijuana growing operations.

Sen. Inhofe’s chief of staff announced the request Wednesday during an Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association meeting.

The Republican senator has requested a direct appropriation through the U.S. Justice Department so the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics can establish a unit to combat “transnational and national drug organizations.”

Sheriffs and other law enforcement groups said illegal marijuana growers are setting up in rural parts of Oklahoma and funneling cannabis into the illegal drug trade.