If you need any evidence that Oklahoma’s “medical marijuana” system has drifted a teensy bit
off-course, just look around on Black Friday. Tomorrow, dispensaries across the state will run
promotions that look less like pharmacies and more like a Kmart when we still had Door Busters:
BOGO eighths
Doorbuster dabs
50% off everything if you’re willing to stand in line behind that guy in his pajama pants
at 6 a.m.
Let’s be honest: no true stoner is waking up at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. They’re still in a
food coma from the Thanksgiving munchies they unleashed on two entire casseroles
and the good pie right before bed. Call me old-fashioned, but when your “medicine” is
being sold with early-bird coupons, raffle prizes, and a DJ named DJ Sativa Santa, it stops
sounding like a health system and starts sounding like a mall kiosk that also sells vape juice and
posters of Bob Marley.
Because let’s be real — the only thing higher than Black Friday weed discounts is the
number of elected officials allegedly profiting off the very circus they now pretend to be
shocked by.
How did we get here? Oklahoma didn’t end up with a dispensary on every corner and a grow
operation in every county by accident.
The explosion of the marijuana industry came from:
1. An extremely open licensing structure
2. Rapid, under-regulated growth
3. A political leadership in the legislature that allowed—sometimes championed—bill after
bill expanding or enabling the system
Enter Jon Echols, former House Floor Leader.
As Floor Leader, Echols controlled which bills made it to the House floor.
And the House floor, in those years, might as well have had a green carpet runner.
Under his watch, numerous cannabis-related bills advanced — bills that helped create the wide-
open, loosely regulated, “Black Friday Blowout” environment you will see tomorrow!
Now, he’s running for Attorney General on a platform of
“Safety for Oklahomans — cracking down on illegal marijuana operations and the fentanyl
crisis.”
Which…okay.
But that’s a bit like the guy who left the zoo gate open now running on a platform of “finally
rounding up the escaped tigers.”
And here’s where it gets even more eyebrow-raising.
Oklahoma political circles have quietly whispered for years — allegedly — that some lawmakers
with influence over marijuana legislation also had financial or consulting ties within the industry.
The rumor mill has specifically included Echols — allegedly — as someone who might
have benefited from cannabis-related business interests while holding a powerful legislative
position capable of shaping that industry’s growth.
To be crystal clear:
These are allegations
These are rumors, not proven facts
You will not find an official declaration or financial disclosure confirming this
And we are absolutely saying allegedly, so nobody’s getting letterhead from a lawyer
But what is verifiable is this:
Echols was the Floor Leader during the years the marijuana industry exploded
He voted for, advanced, or facilitated the movement of bills that helped create this hyper-
growth market
He is now running on solving the problem that grew under the very legislative
environment he helped shape
Which is…honestly…peak political plot twist.
Meanwhile: Jeff Starling Has Something Echols Doesn’t — Courtroom Experience Against
the Bad Guys
While Echols is running on “fixing” the mess the Legislature made, Jeff Starling is running on
actually having been in a courtroom, prosecuting or litigating real cases involving real criminals
to fix the mess our Legislature created.
Starling’s background includes:
Fighting narcotics crimes
Working real prosecutions
Handling real investigations
Dismantling trafficking networks
Actually putting bad guys away
In other words, he has the kind of résumé where “public safety” is not a slogan it’s a job
description.
Echols’ résumé, by comparison, reads more like:
Passed bills that ballooned the marijuana industry
Watched it overflow into illegal operations
Now promising to fix the problem he helped create
If politics had Yelp reviews, this would be the “3 stars: created the mess, but at least he’s
cleaning” candidate.
Remember back in the late 90’s when they invented Wow Chips? They promised all the flavor
with no guilt, no calories! Amazing right? Eat all you want! No guilt! No consequences!”
says the marketing pitch, ignoring the warning label.
State Question 788: The Promise
“Grow all you want! Licenses for everyone! Wide open!”
says the legislation, ignoring the enforcement consequences brought up by the Oklahoma Bureau
of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug.
WOW Chips: The Side Effect
Anal leakage. The Actual warning label.
Oklahoma Marijuana Market: The Side Effect
Illegal grows everywhere
Cartel infiltration
Chinese purchasing all of our land and human trafficking people
Tens of millions of pounds of “missing” product
Rural communities overwhelmed
Enforcement buried alive
WOW Chips: The Fix
“Maybe Imodium?”
John Echols: The Fix?
No sure we should trust that.
The mics are off, but the talk never stops
-OK GOP Uncovered
