§ 63-2-106. Powers and duties of Director.

A.  The Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control shall, in addition to other powers and duties vested in the Director:

1.  Cooperate with federal and other state agencies in discharging the responsibilities concerning traffic in narcotics and dangerous substances and in suppressing the abuse of dangerous substances;

2.  Arrange for the exchange of information between governmental officials concerning the use and abuse of dangerous substances;

3.  Coordinate and cooperate in training programs on dangerous substances law enforcement at the local and state levels;

4.  Cooperate with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control by establishing a centralized unit which will accept, catalog, file and collect statistics, including records of drug-dependent persons and other dangerous substance law offenders within the state, and make such information available for federal, state and local law enforcement purposes; and may collect and furnish statistics for other appropriate purposes; and

5.  Coordinate and cooperate in programs of eradication aimed at destroying wild or illicit growth of plant species from which controlled dangerous substances may be extracted.

B.  Results, information and evidence received from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control relating to the regulatory functions of this act, including results of inspections conducted by that agency, may be relied upon and acted upon by the Director in conformance with the regulatory functions under this act.

C.  The Director is further authorized and directed to:

1.  Coordinate and cooperate in educational programs designed to prevent and deter misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;

2.  Promote better recognition of the problems of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances within the regulated industry and among interested groups and organizations;

3.  Assist the regulated industry, interested groups and organizations in contributing to the reduction of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;

4.  Consult with interested groups and organizations to aid them in solving administrative and organizational problems;

5.  Assist in evaluating procedures, projects, techniques and controls conducted or proposed as part of educational programs on misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;

6.  Disseminate the results of research on misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances to promote a better public understanding of what problems exist and what can be done to combat them;

7.  Assist in the education and training of state and local law enforcement officials in their efforts to control misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;

8.  Conduct an annual seminar to be attended by selected law enforcement officers in order to teach new techniques and advances in the investigation of violations of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act; and

9.  Supervise and direct agents appointed in the performance of their function of enforcement of the provisions of this act.

D.  The Director is further authorized and directed to:

1.  Encourage research on misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances;

2.  Cooperate in establishing methods to assess accurately the effects of controlled dangerous substances and to identify and characterize controlled dangerous substances with potential for abuse; and

3.  Cooperate in making studies and in undertaking programs of research to:

a.              develop new or improved approaches, techniques, systems, equipment and devices to strengthen the enforcement of this act,

b.              determine patterns of misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances and the social effects thereof, and

c.              improve methods for preventing, predicting, understanding and dealing with the misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances.

E.  The Director shall prepare a yearly report on all deaths and nonfatal overdoses which were the result or probable result of abuse of a controlled dangerous substance.  The yearly report shall be limited to statistical information including, but not limited to, the county where the death or nonfatal overdose occurred, age, race, gender, type of controlled dangerous substances involved in the death or nonfatal overdose, and the method in which the controlled dangerous substance was obtained by the person, when available.

F.  The Director may enter into contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher education and private organizations or individuals for the purpose of conducting research, demonstrations or special projects which bear directly on misuse and abuse of controlled dangerous substances.

G.  The Director may enter into contracts for educational and research activities without performance bonds.

H.  The Director may authorize persons engaged in research or scientific activities on the use and effects of dangerous substances to withhold the names and other identifying characteristics of persons who are the subjects of such research.  Persons who obtain this authorization may not be compelled in any state civil, criminal, administrative, legislative or other proceeding to identify the subjects of research for which such authorization was obtained.

I.  The Director may authorize the lawful possession, distribution and use of controlled dangerous substances by persons engaged in research or scientific activities; authorization for possession of controlled dangerous substances may be extended to persons engaged in a program of drug education or persons in the performance of an official duty.  Persons who obtain this authorization shall be exempt from state prosecution for possession, distribution or use of dangerous substances to the extent authorized by the Director.

J.  The Director is authorized to accept gifts, bequests, devises, contributions and grants, public or private, including federal funds or funds from any other source for use in furthering the purpose of the office of the Director.

K.  The Director is authorized to purchase or sell real property, together with appurtenances, in the name of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control upon approval of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control Commission.

L.  The Director is authorized to purchase and maintain motor vehicles and other equipment for use by the employees of the Bureau.

M.  The Director shall be in charge of all monies appropriated for or deposited to the credit of the office of the Director and is authorized to approve claims and payrolls as provided in Section 41.26 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

N.  The Director shall have the authority of a peace officer and is authorized to commission assistants of the office as peace officers.

O.  Upon determining that a practitioner is prescribing a controlled dangerous substance to a person engaged in fraudulent or deceptive efforts to fill or refill multiple prescriptions for controlled dangerous substances, the Director shall provide written or electronic notification alerting the practitioner to the possibility that the person may be unlawfully obtaining prescription drugs in violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 119, § 2-106, emerg. eff. April 28, 1971.  Amended by Laws 1975, c. 133, § 5, emerg. eff. May 15, 1975; Laws 2008, c. 170, § 10, eff. July 1, 2008; Laws 2009, c. 442, § 2, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2010, c. 160, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2010; Laws 2013, c. 340, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2013.