Marijuana – Page 3 – Family Council

Anti-Marijuana Group Opens in Arkansas, Opposes S.J.R. 13

Mar 3, 2023Jerry CoxMarijuanaArkansas Legislature, Marijuana

The group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) announced this week that it is launching operations in Arkansas.

SAM Arkansas’ website — samarkansas.com — offers Arkansans information about problems associated with marijuana, including:

The link between marijuana use and mental illness
The power that wealthy cannabis companies wield
The rising THC levels found in today’s marijuana

The SAM Arkansas strongly opposes S.J.R. 13 — a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize marijuana in Arkansas — posting the following statement:

“Arkansans sent a clear message in 2022: they don’t want marijuana in their state. They recognized that legalization is nothing more than a way for rich investors to profit off of an addiction-for-profit model targeted at our kids. There is no appetite for yet another ballot measure trying to legalize marijuana in Arkansas,” said Luke Niforatos, Executive Vice President of SAM Action. “The home grow provisions of this bill are dangerous, too. Legalizing home grow only invites drug cartels into the state. Cartels can cut trafficking costs by producing marijuana in-state, putting the safety of Arkansans at serious risk.

“SJR 13 is an industry bill that, if passed, will hurt Arkansans. The voters of Arkansas already had to vote on the health and safety of their children last year when legalization was on the ballot. They should not have to do so again.”

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Would Legalize Marijuana in Arkansas

Feb 13, 2023Jerry CoxMarijuanaArkansas Legislature, Marijuana

A proposal at the Arkansas Legislature would put marijuana legalization on the 2024 ballot.

S.J.R. 13 by Sen. Joshua Bryant (R – Rogers) would “legalize marijuana for the purposes of craft or home growing and adult use by Arkansas residents of a certain age.”

The proposal is a “shell” amendment right now — meaning it tells what the amendment would do, but has not been fleshed out with specific language amending the Arkansas Constitution.

Arkansans soundly rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana last November, and Family Council strongly opposes marijuana legalization because of the harm that marijuana does to families.

You Can Read S.J.R. 13 Here.

Oregon Looks to Restrict Marijuana After Illegal Grow Operations Skyrocket

Dec 15, 2022Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

News outlets report that lawmakers in Oregon are considering legislation that would increase the penalties for illegal marijuana production.

Oregon was among the first states to legalize marijuana. At the time, many believed legalization would eliminate the black market and reduce drug crimes. Instead the opposite happened.

Oregon has been inundated by industrial scale marijuana cultivation sites operated illegally by organized crime and drug cartels.

Some of these marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime.

Authorities in Oregon reportedly have seized 105 tons of illicit marijuana this year alone.

Oregon isn’t the only state that has had problems as a result of marijuana legalization. California created a legal framework for growing and selling marijuana in order to weaken drug cartels’ power in the state, but instead their illegal marijuana farms have grown.

It’s worth pointing out that if Arkansas had passed Issue 4 last month, our marijuana laws arguably would be more lax than Oregon’s and California’s in many ways.

Contrary to popular belief, legalization does not decrease drug-related crime, and it does not alleviate drug abuse. If anything, it seems to make those problems worse.