Weeding Out Crime: Arkansas State Police Seized 15K+ Pounds of Illegal Marijuana Last Year

The Arkansas State Police seized more than 15,000 pounds of illegal marijuana in 2024.

In a news release, the ASP reported its Interstate Criminal Patrol played a key role in the seizures, noting,

Illegal marijuana seizures increased by approximately 50%, with more than 15,000 pounds confiscated in 2024, compared to just over 10,000 pounds in 2023. Cash seizures more than doubled, from $1.4 million in 2023 to $3.3 million in 2024. Methamphetamine seizures increased significantly from 56 pounds in 2023 to 509 pounds in 2024.

Besides illegal marijuana, authorities also confiscated 89 pounds of illegal THC wax and more than 3,700 THC vapes.

Much of the illegal marijuana that authorities in Arkansas seize actually comes from states that have legalized the drug.

Over the past decade we have seen how legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal marijuana across America.

For example, last year, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force seized 154,000 pounds of illegal marijuana and destroyed some 236,000 illegal marijuana plants.

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

Troublingly, Chinese organized crime is dominating black market marijuana in many states. The U.S. Department of Justice says Chinese drug cartels may be making millions of dollars from illegal marijuana in states like Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.

We appreciate the hard work of the Arkansas State Police keeping illegal drugs out of our communities.

As 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.