Lawmakers Pass Measure to Protect Arkansans from Dangerous Drugs

Marijuana,

On Monday the Arkansas Legislature passed a good bill to protect Arkansans from dangerous drugs like THC made from industrial hemp.

THC is the main psychoactive drug in marijuana.

In 2018, Congress passed the federal Agriculture Improvement Act legalizing industrial hemp — or cannabis — that is low in THC. The goal was to let farmers grow cannabis plants for use in textiles like rope or cloth, but manufacturers have found ways to extract and refine the little bit of THC in industrial hemp. Doing this on a commercial scale means they can produce a lot of THC to infuse into drinks, candies, e-cigarettes, and other products.

In response, many state and federal policymakers have pushed back against these dangerous drugs.

For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that federal law prohibits hemp-derived THC in food products.

Massachusetts, South Dakota, California, and many other states have successfully prohibited food, drinks, and other products that contain THC made from hemp.

In 2023, Arkansas passed Act 629 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) to prohibit THC made from industrial hemp.

Family Council supported that good law, and the legislature voted to pass it.

However, members of the hemp industry filed a lawsuit against Act 629, and the law has been tied up in federal court ever since.

This year Sen. Dees and Rep. Gazaway filed S.B. 533 to address the issues raised in the lawsuit over Act 629.

S.B. 533 is a good bill that will help prohibit intoxicating hemp products that contain THC and other drugs in Arkansas if Act 629 is ruled unconstitutional.

The bill effectively stops THC and other drugs made from hemp from being put into food or drinks sold in the state.

It also ensures other hemp products — like CBD oil or cosmetics — do not contain dangerous drugs or other contaminants.

On Monday the Arkansas House of Representatives passed S.B. 533. The bill had previously passed the Arkansas Senate. It now goes to Governor Sanders to be signed into law.

We deeply appreciate Sen. Dees, Rep. Gazaway, and the Arkansas Legislature for taking this issue seriously, and for passing a good law to help protect Arkansans from dangerous drugs.

The Following Representatives Voted For S.B. 533

  • Achor
  • Andrews
  • Barker
  • Beaty Jr.
  • Beck
  • Bentley
  • S. Berry
  • Breaux
  • Brooks
  • A. Brown
  • K. Brown
  • M. Brown
  • N. Burkes
  • R. Burkes
  • Joey Carr
  • Cavenaugh
  • Childress
  • Clowney
  • A. Collins
  • Crawford
  • Dalby
  • Duke
  • Eaves
  • Ennett
  • Eubanks
  • K. Ferguson
  • Furman
  • Gazaway
  • Gramlich
  • Hall
  • Hawk
  • Henley
  • Holcomb
  • Hudson
  • Jean
  • L. Johnson
  • Ladyman
  • Lundstrum
  • Maddox
  • Magie
  • J. Mayberry
  • McAlindon
  • McClure
  • McCollum
  • M. McElroy
  • McNair
  • Milligan
  • K. Moore
  • Nazarenko
  • Painter
  • Pearce
  • Perry
  • Ray
  • Richmond
  • Rose
  • Rye
  • Schulz
  • R. Scott Richardson
  • M. Shepherd
  • Steele
  • Steimel
  • Torres
  • Tosh
  • Underwood
  • Unger
  • Vaught
  • Walker
  • Wardlaw
  • D. Whitaker
  • Wooldridge
  • Wooten
  • Gonzales Worthen

The Following Representatives Voted Against S.B. 533

  • Duffield
  • Eaton
  • Gonzales
  • B. McKenzie
  • J. Moore
  • Puryear
  • Warren
  • Womack

The Following Representatives Voted “Present”

  • Barnett
  • John Carr
  • D. Garner
  • Long
  • McCullough
  • McGrew
  • S. Meeks

The Following Representatives Did Not Vote

  • F. Allen
  • Barnes
  • C. Cooper
  • Cozart
  • Hollowell
  • Lynch
  • McGruder
  • Pilkington
  • J. Richardson
  • T. Shephard
  • Springer
  • Wing
  • Speaker Evans

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Study Finds Risk of Dementia Rises with Heavy Marijuana Use

Marijuana

People who require emergency treatment or hospitalization due to marijuana use may be at increased risk of dementia, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology.

Heavy marijuana use is associated with memory problems, birth defects, and cancer. Powerful marijuana products and cannabis use disorder are causing such serious health problems that some people have needed treatment in a hospital or emergency room. Researchers writing in JAMA Neurology now say those people may be at greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia.

The study examined more than 6 million adults age 45 or older with no history of dementia. Those who needed “acute care” — that is, hospitalization or emergency treatment — due to marijuana use were 72% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia within five years compared to the general population, after adjusting for other factors.

Studies like this one should serve as an important warning to Arkansans. In the past four years, there have been multiple efforts to legalize marijuana by writing it into the state constitution or by letting companies manufacture and sell dangerous drugs made from hemp.

But more and more, researchers are finding that regular marijuana use may raise the risk for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure — especially among people with other underlying health issues.

Studies closely link marijuana use with increased risk for depression and bipolar disorder and higher rates of schizophrenia in young men.

Frequent marijuana use — especially during adolescence — is associated with lower cognitive abilities, including poorer memory, attention, and learning. These effects may continue even after someone stops using marijuana.

All of this simply further 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.

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Despite Legalization, Black Market Marijuana in Nevada Rakes in $242M a Year

Marijuana

Despite legalizing marijuana in 2017, Nevada continues to deal with illicit marijuana sold illegally on the black market.

According to a recent news report out of Las Vegas, illegal marijuana sales run approximately $242 million every year in the state.

Nationwide, we have seen evidence that legalizing marijuana does not weaken the black market. It actually emboldens drug cartels who grow, ship, and sell illicit marijuana on an industrial scale.

Illegal marijuana operations often are linked to labor trafficking and violent crime — contributing to what some have dubbed “modern day slavery on American soil.”

Legalizing drugs — whether it’s marijuana itself or the THC and other substances extracted from cannabis — has not worked as intended in places like California. Arkansas should think twice before making the same mistakes these states have made.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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