Marijuana PAC Has Given Nearly $10,000 to Candidates Running for Office in Arkansas This Year

Marijuana

A pro-marijuana political action committee in Arkansas gave nearly $10,000 to candidates running for office during the first nine months of this year, according to reports filed with the Secretary of State’s office.

Grow PAC represents the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, a trade association for medical marijuana businesses.

The political action committee filed its quarterly financial statement with the Arkansas Secretary of State on Tuesday. The report shows the PAC gave $3,500 to seven candidates running for office during July, August, and September.

Previous reports show the PAC donated $4,750 to candidates in January and $1,500 to candidates in May and June.

All told, Grow PAC has given $9,750 to Arkansas candidates this year. In the past the group has donated thousands of dollars to candidates running for office in Arkansas as well.

As we have said many times, marijuana is a multimillion dollar business, and the corporations behind marijuana have a lot of money at their disposal.

Marijuana use is scientifically linked to heart diseases, according to the American Heart Association.

Marijuana has been shown to impair cognitive function, memory, and attention — especially for teens and young adults.

And studies suggest that medical marijuana use during pregnancy may pose risks for unborn children. A 2021 study out of California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if their mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

As we have said time and again, 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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Group Backing Marijuana in Arkansas Raised Nearly $70K in September: New Report

Marijuana,

The group campaigning for marijuana in Arkansas raised $69,999 during September, according to reports filed Tuesday with the Arkansas Ethics Commission.

Arkansans for Patient Access is working to pass Issue 3, an amendment drastically expanding marijuana in the state.

Issue 3 would make more than 30 changes to Arkansas’ constitution.

Among other things, the amendment would give a handful of businesses a monopoly over marijuana in Arkansas, and it would remove restrictions that protect children from marijuana marketing.

Issue 3 would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

Under this measure, marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law — making it easier to use marijuana recreationally.

Issue 3 also fails to limit the amount of THC in marijuana products.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in Arkansas.

The ethics reports filed Tuesday show Arkansans for Patient Access raised $69,999 during September to pass marijuana amendment Issue 3. The funding came entirely from members of the marijuana industry.

A growing body of research shows marijuana is dangerous.

For example, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states that legalized commercial marijuana sales saw self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.

Marijuana can have damaging effects on adolescent brains — including permanent loss in IQ, difficulty thinking and problem-solving, reduced coordination, and increased risk of psychosis.

We have also written time and again about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and organized crime.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime, and some have connections to foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.

A CBS News segment last year highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S.

CBN reported last October that Chinese investors with “suitcases full of cash” are buying U.S. farmland to grow black market marijuana.

Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

All of this raises serious concerns about what marijuana expansion could mean for Arkansas.

Family Council Action Committee has materials available for volunteers and churches regarding the marijuana amendment:

You can learn more at FamilyCouncilActionCommittee.com.

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

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Arkansas State Police Intercept 136 Pounds of Illegal Marijuana from Oklahoma in a Single Traffic Stop

Marijuana,

Last week Arkansas State Police seized more than 100 pounds of illegal marijuana in a single traffic stop.

The marijuana apparently was being transported through Arkansas from Oklahoma to be sold on the black market elsewhere in the country.

In a statement, the Arkansas State Police said,

On Thursday, October 3, 2024, around 9:38 p.m., Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troopers stopped a rented black 2024 Chrysler Pacifica on Interstate 40 Eastbound at the 159-mile marker for a traffic violation.

Troopers searched the vehicle and found five large trash bags in the rear of the vehicle filled with approximately 136 pounds of individual vacuum-sealed packages of illegal marijuana.

ASP arrested the driver, Hui Zhang, 34, of Flushing, NY, and transported her to the Pulaski County Detention Center, where she was booked and charged with felony Possession with the Purpose to Deliver a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Criminal Use of Property.

Zhang told investigators she was traveling from Oklahoma to South Carolina.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Authorities patrolling I-40 in Arkansas routinely intercept marijuana that is bound for the black market elsewhere around the country.

We have written time and again about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and organized crime.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime, and some have connections to foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.

A CBS News segment last year highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S., and CBN reported last October that Chinese investors with “suitcases full of cash” are buying U.S. farmland to grow black market marijuana. Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

Stories like these have significant implications for Arkansas, where the group Arkansans for Patient Access is working to pass Issue 3, an amendment drastically expanding marijuana in the state.

The amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

Issue 3 would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

Under this measure, marijuana users would no longer need to show they suffer from a specific medical condition listed in state law — making it easier to use marijuana recreationally.

Issue 3 also fails to limit the amount of THC in marijuana products, and it repeals restrictions designed to protect children from marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in Arkansas.

Family Council Action Committee has materials available for volunteers and churches regarding the marijuana amendment:

You can learn more at FamilyCouncilActionCommittee.com.

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

READ MORE