News reports once again highlight how authorities in California recently raided several marijuana stores operating illegally in the state.
NBC says, “Even in states where cannabis is legal, a massive black market is growing, with many of these operations run by organized crime rings.”
Over the past decade we have seen how legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal marijuana across America.
Last year, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force seized 154,000 pounds of illegal marijuana and destroyed some 236,000 illegal marijuana plants.
This month, California shut down “a large-scale illegal indoor cannabis cultivation site located within 100 feet of a school.” Authorities seized more than two and a half tons of illegal marijuana at that location.
Illegal marijuana sales in Nevada reportedly run upwards of $242 million every year in the state.
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.”
In many states, Chinese organized crime dominates black market marijuana.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Chinese drug cartels may be making millions of dollars from illegal marijuana in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Authorities in Arkansas regularly seize illegal marijuana from states that have legalized the drug.
Legalizing drugs — whether it’s marijuana itself or the THC and other substances extracted from cannabis — has not worked as intended in places like California. Arkansas should think twice before making the same mistake these states have made.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
