Recreational Marijuana Group Spent $46K+ in December: Report

Marijuana

Responsible Growth Arkansas spent $46,106.50 in December, according to ethics reports filed with the State of Arkansas on Friday,

In October, Responsible Growth Arkansas filed statements with the Arkansas Ethics Commission indicating it would work to amend the Arkansas Constitution to permit recreational marijuana.

In November the group raised $1.75 million toward its recreational marijuana effort.

According to Responsible Growth’s ethics reports, in December the group spent $22,500 on management and consulting services from Mclarty Consulting in Little Rock; $22,500 on management and consulting services from Maple and Orange in Little Rock; and $1,096.50 on accounting services from Frost, PLLC in Little Rock.

Responsible Growth did not report receiving any contributions during December.

As we have said time and again, researchers have found that marijuana is unhealthy and dangerous.

Scientists have linked marijuana use with violence, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and suicide.

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year found adults under age 45 who frequently used marijuana were roughly twice as likely to suffer heart attack as adults who did not use marijuana.

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states that legalized commercial marijuana sales saw self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.

Last spring a study out of California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if their mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

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Marijuana PAC Raises $24K to Influence Arkansas’ 2022 Elections

Marijuana

On Tuesday Grow, a pro-marijuana political action committee, submitted its quarterly activity report to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.

As we wrote last week, Grow represents the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, a trade association for medical marijuana in Arkansas.

Political action committees (PACs) typically work to elect or defeat candidates for public office. They can do that by donating to candidates’ campaigns, by running their own independent campaigns for or against candidates, and by issuing public endorsements for certain candidates.

Grow’s purpose is to support candidates in Arkansas who favor the marijuana industry.

The report filed on Monday shows that Grow raised $24,000 in October, November, and December of 2021.

The report also says that the political action committee gave $5,000 to candidates running in Arkansas’ upcoming 2022 primaries, but it fails to list the names and donation amounts for each candidate.

According to the report, Grow PAC received the following contributions:

  • $3,500 from Rock City Harvest in Conway, AR
  • $5,000 from The Roleaf Center in Bentonville, AR
  • $1,500 from Acanza Health in Southwest Ranches, FL
  • $3,000 from Enlightened – Arkadelphia in Chicago, IL
  • $3,000 from Enlightened – Morrilton in Chicago IL
  • $3,000 from Enlightened – Heber Springs in Chicago, IL
  • $3,000 from Enlightened – Clarksville in Chicago, IL
  • $2,000 from Crop in Jonesboro, AR

It is worth noting that based on the documents submitted to the State of Arkansas, some of these companies appear to operate in Arkansas but are headquartered out-of-state.

Marijuana is a multimillion dollar business. The corporations that buy, sell, and grow marijuana have a lot of money at stake, and they can spend that money campaigning for candidates who share their values.

As the state enters the 2022 election season, voters need to be prepared for the marijuana industry to work hard to push its agenda in Arkansas.

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U.S. Sen Cotton Warns China May Try to Influence Arkansas at Local Level

China

On Thursday, Talk Business & Politics reported that U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R – AR) sent a letter to Arkansas’ elected officials at the state and county levels warning them that the Chinese Communist Party may try to use them to influence him.

Sen. Cotton has served in Washington since 2013. He currently sits on the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence.

In his letter, Sen. Cotton writes,

It has come to my attention that the Chinese Communist Party may attempt to use state and local officials in Arkansas to influence my work in the Senate. I want to alert you to this risk and assure you that these efforts will fail: I will never back down from the Chinese communists.

In its quest to replace the United States as the world’s dominant superpower, the Chinese Communist Party has waged an aggressive campaign of crime, espionage, and treachery. . . .

China’s subversion efforts are not limited to our nation’s capitol: I have good reason to believe that the Chinese Communist Party may seek to enlist state and local officials to influence my actions in Congress. Therefore, I ask that you remain vigilant against Chinese influence operations. You should assume, for instance, that any request by a Chinese official for you to contact me or my office is part of a Chinese espionage campaign.

In December the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote about the Chinese government’s decision to sanction Dr. James Carr of Searcy as well as three other Americans on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The USCIRF has repeatedly condemned the Communist government’s treatment of religious minorities.

And in July of 2020 FBI Director Christopher Wray gave a report on the threat China poses, saying, “If you are an American adult, it is more likely than not that China has stolen your personal data.”

As the FBI’s report notes, the Chinese Communist government is engaged in a multi-layered approach of economic espionage, clandestine intelligence efforts, threats to academia, and attacks on the rule of law.

Sen. Tom Cotton’s letter further underscores that China appears committed to subverting the United States — possibly at the state and local level in Arkansas.

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