Marijuana – Page 5 – Family Council

Black Market Bud: Marijuana Legalization Isn’t Stopping Crime

Sep 4, 2025Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Media outlets report that authorities in New York recently seized 2,000 pounds of illegal marijuana worth more than $5 million — all at a single, illicit operation.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. We have written before about criminal organizations manufacturing and selling illegal marijuana on the black market in states where marijuana sales are legal.

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 illegal marijuana grown in other states.

Last year supporters spent more than $1.9 million on a flawed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas.

The proposal would have amended the Arkansas Constitution to give a handful of businesses a monopoly over marijuana in the state, and it would have removed restrictions that protect children from marijuana marketing. The proposal also failed to limit the amount of THC in marijuana products — which is a serious concern.

All of this would have meant more marijuana in Arkansas.

It’s worth noting that marijuana is tied to a host of health concerns. Science now links marijuana to various cancers, memory problems, birth defects, and deadly heart conditions — including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. In fact, some researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.

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.

Despite Legalization, Illicit Marijuana Still a Problem in Many States

Aug 26, 2025Jerry CoxMarijuanaMarijuana

Recent news articles highlight how states around the country still wrestle with illicit marijuana despite legalization.

In Maine, The Portland Press Herald writes, “Law enforcement experts say cheap, sometimes tainted weed grown by Chinese criminal groups is getting into the state’s medical market.”

On August 19, California’s Department of Cannabis Control said it executed 17 search warrants across the state, seizing nearly $20 million in illicit drugs from a single site.

The DOJ 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 — despite legalization.

Unfortunately, marijuana products often carry serious health risks from pesticides — even when they are manufactured legally.

The marijuana plant itself easily absorbs toxins in the soil as well as chemicals or other substances sprayed on the plant. As a result, marijuana may contain pesticides, heavy metals, mold, or other contaminants.

These toxins are passed along into marijuana products — posing serious health risks for marijuana users.

Last year the Wall Street Journal reported that studies have found marijuana users have higher levels of heavy metals in their blood and are more likely to develop fungal infections. These toxins can cause serious — or even life-threatening — illnesses.

Instead of decreasing crime, marijuana legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking, violent crime, and foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

Authorities in Arkansas routinely confiscate illegal marijuana grown in other states. Arkansas State Police patrol a “drug pipeline” along Interstate 40 from Oklahoma to Tennessee.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: States like Arkansas should think twice before considering any proposal to legalize marijuana.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.