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.
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