Stephen Martin

Oklahoma's medical marijuana testing system faces questions about inconsistent laboratory results, lab shopping for favorable potency numbers and whether the state's pesticide screening panel tests for enough compounds to protect patients. A state quality assurance laboratory authorized in 2023 is still not fully accredited three years later.

Nondisclosure agreements between Oklahoma communities and data center developers have become a flashpoint in the debate over government transparency, with critics arguing public officials should not promise secrecy when negotiating projects that may involve taxpayer money and public infrastructure.

As Congress debates the BUILD America 250 Act, a sweeping five-year transportation reauthorization proposal, Oklahoma officials and economic developers are watching closely.

Oklahoma's cannabis industry, once hailed as the next oil boom, is contracting under falling wholesale prices, oversupply and political pressure from Gov. Kevin Stitt to shut it down entirely.

Rural hospitals are increasingly stepping in to fill gaps in the healthcare system, such as with swing beds. The services have become an opportunity and a lifeline to avoid closure.

Oklahoma consistently ranks near the top nationally in per-capita fatal encounters involving police with about 8 deaths per million residents.