Despite legalization, New Mexico’s Regulation and Licensing Department’s Enforcement Bureau’s reportedly has more than two dozen active criminal investigations into illicit marijuana. KRQE news reports that authorities found more than 21,000 pounds of marijuana inside 21 greenhouses at a single, illicit grow site.
Nationwide, many states have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and federal regulators have eased restrictions on the drug. But instead of reducing crime, legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels to sell illicit marijuana on the black market.
The black market marijuana operations that came to New Mexico in the wake of legalization have been tied to labor trafficking and other crimes. States like Maine and California have encountered the same problem — which is why some commentators say these operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”
Besides labor trafficking, these grow sites often use illegal pesticides that poison users and pollute the local environment. Innocent people who live near an illicit grow sites may be harmed by the toxins these grow sites put in the soil or water.
Marijuana’s supporters in Arkansas have argued that legalization could decrease Arkansas’ crime problems, but experience shows that has not been the case in other states.
All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
