Marijuana – Page 42 – Family Council

Arkansas State Police Still Seizing Hundreds of Pounds of Illegal Marijuana from Out of State

Aug 1, 2024Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Arkansas authorities continue to seize illegal marijuana from out of state.

We have written repeatedly about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually fueled illegal drugs — making it possible for growers to operate legally in one state and then transport the marijuana across state lines to sell it illegally.

For example, there are more than 8,000 registered marijuana grow sites in Oklahoma alone. Authorities have said the only way to sell that much marijuana is on the black market.

On Wednesday, the Arkansas State Police announced troopers seized 347 pounds of illegal marijuana in just two Franklin County traffic stops on Interstate 40 in the past week.

The drivers allegedly transporting the marijuana both appear to have been from out of state.

Legalization doesn’t weaken the black market. If anything, it makes the problem worse.

Right now the group Arkansans for Patient Access is actively working to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

If passed, the amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

The amendment would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

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.

The measure also fails to limit the amount of THC that marijuana products can contain, and it repeals restrictions on marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in the state.

Below is a press release from Arkansas State Police regarding the two recent traffic stops that netted 347 pounds of illegal marijuana.

OZARK, Ark. — On Monday, July 29, 2024, at approximately 8:17 a.m., Arkansas State Police (ASP) stopped a 2020 black Chevrolet Silverado on Interstate 40 eastbound around the 43-mile marker for a traffic violation. A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of seven large trash bags in the truck bed containing 145 pounds of illegal marijuana.

Troopers arrested the driver of the vehicle, Steven McGee, 34, of Halstead, Kan., and transported him to the Franklin County Detention Center, where he was booked on felony charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver and Drug Paraphernalia.

On Thursday, July 25, 2024, at approximately 11:47 a.m., Troopers stopped a black 2014 Dodge pickup eastbound on I-40 around the 40-mile marker in Franklin County for a traffic violation.

Troopers searched the vehicle and discovered seven large trash bags in the bed of the pickup truck filled with 202 pounds of illegal marijuana.

Troopers arrested the driver, Brent Pope, 42, of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., and transported him to the Franklin County Detention Center, where he was charged with felony Possession with Intent to Deliver and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

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

Arkansas A.G. Asks Biden Administration Not to Reclassify Marijuana

Jul 29, 2024Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Last week Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin joined 10 other state attorneys general in asking the Biden Administration not to reclassify marijuana.

In May the Biden Administration’s Justice Department announced plans to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug — putting it in the same category as anabolic steroids or Tylenol with Codeine.

The rule change would not legalize marijuana outright, but it could create more confusion about marijuana’s legal status and make it much easier for people to grow and use marijuana.

This proposed rule change comes despite growing evidence of marijuana’s serious — and permanent — impact on physical and mental health.

A body of scientific research reveals that marijuana is harmful — especially for teens and young adults.

Nationwide, since 2019, the number of kids diagnosed with cannabis-induced mental disorders, including schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, has increased by 50%.

And research has shown time and again that marijuana has a significant potential for dependence and abuse.

On July 22, state attorneys general from Arkansas, Nebraska, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, and South Dakota joined a statement urging the Biden Administration not to reschedule marijuana.

Among other things, the A.G.’s comments note that “rescheduling marijuana would violate the United States’ international treaty obligations” regarding illicit drugs, and that rescheduling marijuana would “compound the harms” that marijuana already causes.

As Family Council told the federal government in our public comments earlier this month, reclassifying marijuana would signal that marijuana has an accepted medical use when it actually does not. It would ignore the potential for abuse and dependence among users. And it would risk contributing to psychotic disorders and mental illnesses in America.

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.

Yet Another Study Shows Marijuana Use is Dangerous During Pregnancy

Jul 24, 2024Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana, Marijuana Amendment

More evidence shows that marijuana use during pregnancy is dangerous for women and unborn children.

Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine this week, researchers announced that using marijuana during pregnancy raises a woman’s risk of developing gestational hypertension (high blood pressure), preeclampsia, weight gain, and placental abruption.

The study examined health records for 316,722 pregnant women. It adds to a growing body of scientific that shows marijuana use is harmful during pregnancy.

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, and that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

A 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers In Pediatrics found marijuana use during pregnancy could decrease a newborn’s birthweight by approximately one-third of a pound.

And a study published this year found women who used marijuana during pregnancy faced 631% greater risk of fetal death.

Right now the group Arkansans for Patient Access is actively working to drastically expand marijuana in Arkansas.

If passed, the amendment would give free marijuana cards to immigrants and out-of-state residents who come to Arkansas to use marijuana.

The amendment would guarantee marijuana growers and sellers a monopoly over the state’s marijuana industry.

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.

The measure also fails to limit the amount of THC that marijuana products can contain, and it repeals restrictions on marijuana advertising.

All of this would lead to more marijuana in the state.

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