Oklahoma Police See Rise in Marijuana Trafficking from Colorado

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Law enforcement officials in the Oklahoma Panhandle say arrests for marijuana trafficking have risen sharply since Colorado legalized marijuana in 2014.

The Oklahoman reports that county sheriffs and district attorneys across the far western Panhandle and western Oklahoma generally agree that most marijuana and marijuana products, such as candies, that are confiscated on their highways is in small amounts intended for personal use.

Most of those caught are commuting through the county where they were arrested, and most are headed to Texas.

Larger busts involve Mexican drug cartels, and more of the drug originates from California, which legalized marijuana for medical use in 1996.

A lawsuit that claimed Oklahoma's criminal justice system had been negatively affected by Colorado's marijuana laws was dismissed last month by the U.S. Supreme Court.