House Committee to Discuss How China is “Invading” America Through Illegal Marijuana

A U.S. House subcommittee has scheduled a hearing to discuss China’s “invasion” of the U.S. homeland through illegal marijuana.

In a notice issued last Thursday, the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and
Accountability announced:

On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability will hold a hearing titled, “Invasion of the Homeland: How China is Using Illegal Marijuana to Build a Criminal Network Across America.” The Subcommittee will meet at 10:00 a.m. EDT in 310 Cannon House Office Building. Witnesses will be by invitation only.

This event will be streamed live at homeland.house.gov and on YouTube.

We have written before about criminal organizations manufacturing and selling illegal marijuana on the black market in states where marijuana sales are legal.

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.

In fact, some outlets report that Chinese organized crime is dominating black market marijuana in states where marijuana is legal.

The FBI recently announced charges against seven Chinese nationals for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar marijuana scheme that involved money laundering, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.

Oklahoma has legalized marijuana, but in June, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced his Organized Crime Task Force seized nearly 41,000 illegal marijuana plants and more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana in a single sting operation. Drummond indicated “Chinese crime syndicates and Mexican drug cartels” are behind the illegal marijuana.

NPR reports how illegal immigrants from China “are taking jobs at hundreds of cannabis farms springing up across the U.S.” Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

CBS News has highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S.

CBN reports that Chinese investors with “suitcases full of cash” are buying U.S. farmland to grow black market marijuana.

CNN writes that “illegal pot production . . . provides a glimpse of a hidden world – one that mirrors a trend playing out not only in California, but in states such as Oklahoma, Oregon, New Mexico and Maine: groups of people with apparent ties to foreign countries – most notably China – producing weed in colossal volumes.”

The list goes on.

Instead of decreasing crime, marijuana legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America. Arkansas State Police routinely confiscate marijuana grown in states where it is legal.

All of this further shows that 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.

Researchers Continue to Link High-Potency Marijuana with Psychosis

Researchers continue to link high-potency marijuana with mental health problems.

A recent study published in the American College of Physicians’ journal found marijuana that is high in THC is associated with “anxiety, depression, psychosis or schizophrenia, and cannabis use disorder (CUD).”

Researchers examined 99 studies, evaluating the impact marijuana had on users.

It’s important to point out that most marijuana today arguably qualifies as “high-potency.”

THC levels have risen dramatically both in the marijuana itself and in products like gummies, candies, edibles, and extracts made from marijuana.

A separate study published earlier this year in Colorado found marijuana flower products contained 21% THC, on average, and marijuana concentrates averaged 71% THC. For perspective, CU Boulder Today notes, “In the 1980s, the typical THC content in marijuana was around 8%.”

growing body of scientific evidence reveals that marijuana is harmful — especially for teens and young adults. 

Nationwide, since 2019, the number of kids diagnosed with cannabis-induced mental disorders, including schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, has increased dramatically. Other researchers have found marijuana use fuels self-harm among young men.

More generally, marijuana has been tied to a number of deadly heart problems — including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. Researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.

And marijuana use during pregnancy has been shown time and time again to hurt unborn children and newborns.

Marijuana industry insiders worked unsuccessfully to expand marijuana in Arkansas via the state’s ballot initiative process in 2022 and 2024. Fortunately, neither of those measures passed.

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.