Reached for comment Friday, Board of Health President Tim Starkey asserted that he wasn’t influenced by any outside entity.

“We look out for public health. It is what it is at this point, but our only motivation was what’s good for public health,” he said of the matter.

How the board approved the smokable sales restriction

At 6 p.m. July 9, Ezell told Starkey and two other board members: “First, I thought if we could lawfully ban smokable marijuana, I would be the first to do it.” However, she determined it wasn’t up to the group to create that rule.

Ezell’s attorney, Ed Blau, said the emails show she was “under intense pressure” to encourage rules she knew were unlawful. The emails show multiple officials, including two people in Gov. Mary Fallin’s cabinet and a senior deputy attorney general, were at least aware of talks on the rules ahead of the meeting.

“As my client stood firm against this pressure, it also became apparent to her that multiple parties were trying to circumvent her and her legal position,” Blau said. “My client felt as though she was on an island, with no support inside or outside of the Health Department.”