Category: Marijuana

Ohio Sees More Calls to Poison Control Following Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana edibles have led to a spike in Poison Control Center calls in Ohio, according to news reports and medical experts.

Ohio legalized marijuana in 2023. The Columbus Dispatch reports that cases of children 12 and under exposed to marijuana increased by 52% the following year — primarily involving edibles.

Dr. Eric Ligotski at Akron Children’s Hospital recently co-authored a six-year study examining the impact of marijuana edibles. His research found calls to Ohio’s Poison Control Center for cannabis intoxication rose significantly — especially among children ages zero to five years old.

These findings track with data from other states.

Earlier this year, medical professionals in Connecticut reported that marijuana is sending children to the E.R. and prompting people to call Poison Control.

North Carolina released a report showing a surge in Poison Control calls about children exposed to THC — the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana.

Public health officials in Washington State have made similar findings.

In fact, a study from Oregon Health and Sciences University found poison center calls due to children exposed to marijuana rose 245% from 2000 – 2020.

Marijuana edibles often mimic popular candies that appeal to children. But because marijuana edibles often contain high concentrations of THC, the products are dangerous.

Lawmakers in Arkansas have taken steps to restrict marijuana edibles under the state’s “medical” marijuana program, and state law prohibits dangerous products containing THC made from industrial hemp.

From deadly heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and birth defects, marijuana has been found time and time again to pose serious health hazards.

And instead of decreasing crime, marijuana legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America.

All of this simply 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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Court Records Shed Light On Illicit Marijuana’s Connection to Organized Crime

Newly unsealed court records shed light on illicit marijuana’s connection to organized crime.

We have written repeatedly about how marijuana’s legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels in many states. The DOJ has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from black market marijuana in states like California, Maine, New York, and Massachusetts.

Fox 23 News in Maine reports that newly unsealed court records shed light on the extent of the problem in rural areas of that state, writing:

The federal government started cracking down on illegal marijuana grows after a leaked federal memo, first obtained by the conservative Daily Caller and published August 2023, estimated that Maine had as many as 270 large-scale illegal marijuana grows connected to organized crime groups in China.

Thousands of pounds of marijuana have been seized in the years since. In July seven people were charged in what prosecutors describe as a multimillion-dollar illegal marijuana growing, human trafficking and money laundering operation in Maine and Massachusetts.

Authorities in Arkansas routinely seize illegal marijuana from Oklahoma and other states along Arkansas’ highways.

Some of these marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking, violent crime, and foreign adversaries.

NPR has reported that illegal immigrants from China “are taking jobs at hundreds of cannabis farms springing up across the U.S.” Other correspondents have revealed how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

All of this simply further underscores how 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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House Committee to Discuss How China is “Invading” America Through Illegal Marijuana

A U.S. House subcommittee has scheduled a hearing to discuss China’s “invasion” of the U.S. homeland through illegal marijuana.

In a notice issued last Thursday, the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and
Accountability announced:

On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability will hold a hearing titled, “Invasion of the Homeland: How China is Using Illegal Marijuana to Build a Criminal Network Across America.” The Subcommittee will meet at 10:00 a.m. EDT in 310 Cannon House Office Building. Witnesses will be by invitation only.

This event will be streamed live at homeland.house.gov and on YouTube.

We have written before about criminal organizations manufacturing and selling illegal marijuana on the black market in states where marijuana sales are legal.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from illegal marijuana in states like California, Maine, New York, and Massachusetts.

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

In fact, some outlets report that Chinese organized crime is dominating black market marijuana in states where marijuana is legal.

The FBI recently announced charges against seven Chinese nationals for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar marijuana scheme that involved money laundering, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

Oklahoma has legalized marijuana, but in June, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced his Organized Crime Task Force seized nearly 41,000 illegal marijuana plants and more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana in a single sting operation. Drummond indicated “Chinese crime syndicates and Mexican drug cartels” are behind the illegal marijuana.

NPR reports how illegal immigrants from China “are taking jobs at hundreds of cannabis farms springing up across the U.S.” Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

CBS News has highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S.

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

CNN writes that “illegal pot production . . . provides a glimpse of a hidden world – one that mirrors a trend playing out not only in California, but in states such as Oklahoma, Oregon, New Mexico and Maine: groups of people with apparent ties to foreign countries – most notably China – producing weed in colossal volumes.”

The list goes on.

Instead of decreasing crime, marijuana legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America. Arkansas State Police routinely confiscate marijuana grown in states where it is legal.

All of this further shows that 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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