Arkansas State Police made a significant marijuana bust earlier this month from an Oklahoma man attempting to transport drugs across state lines.

On November 18, an Arkansas State Trooper stopped a 2005 Toyota pickup truck near the Arkansas-Oklahoma border for a traffic violation. During a search of the vehicle, troopers discovered approximately 221 pounds of illegal marijuana concealed in several trash bags in the truck bed.

This seizure highlights the ongoing problem of illegal drug trafficking through Arkansas.

Contrary to popular belief, legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal marijuana products across the country.

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.

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.”

That’s one of the reasons Arkansans should think twice before voting to expand marijuana in the state.

All of this 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.