News Report Shows How Legalizing Marijuana Fails to Stop the Black Market

Marijuana

WXYZ-TV News in Detroit reported last week that police raided a gas station accused of selling tobacco and marijuana to minors.

Officers reportedly seized 250 marijuana joints, 17 THC vape pens, several weapons, and nearly $400,000 in cash. The story underscores how legalizing and regulating marijuana fails to stop illegal drug activity.

Nationwide, states like Michigan have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and federal regulators have eased restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, pundits continue to raise concerns about legalization’s unintended consequences.

For example, instead of decreasing crime, marijuana’s legalization has actually emboldened drug cartels and increased the flow of illegal drugs across America.

Authorities in California seized more than 63,000 pounds of illegal marijuana from April to June of this year and made multiple raids at illegal marijuana sites over the summer.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from marijuana grown in states like Maine.

Illegal marijuana operations often are believed to be tied to labor trafficking and violent crime — contributing to what some have called “modern day slavery on American soil.” These grow sites often use illegal pesticides that poison users and pollute the local environment.

Leaders in Arkansas have pointed out that the state sits at the heart of major drug trafficking corridors. As a result, the Arkansas State Police routinely intercept marijuana from other parts of the country that appears to be intended for the black market.

In many cases, it is possible this marijuana was grown legally but then illegally diverted to the black market.

Marijuana’s supporters in Arkansas have argued that legalization could decrease Arkansas’ crime problems, but experience shows that has not been the case in other states.

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.

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California Shows Legalizing Marijuana Does Not Stop the Black Market

Marijuana

A recent series of raids in California underscores how marijuana’s legalization has failed to stop the black market.

Marijuana has been legalized to varying degrees under different state laws, and the Trump Administration has eased federal restrictions on the drug. But instead of weakening drug cartels or decreasing crime, legalization has created new problems for law enforcement.

In California’s rural Humboldt County, sheriff’s deputies seized more than 6,000 illegal marijuana plants as well as nearly 500 pounds of cannabis shake earlier this month.

In a statement, the sheriff’s office said:

“The parcel had previously been licensed through the California Department of Cannabis Control to cultivate cannabis commercially but the license had since been suspended for a number of issues, including not possessing the required County of Humboldt permits to cultivate. During ongoing aerial surveillance efforts, [Marijuana Enforcement Team] deputies determined that this parcel had active cultivation occurring in violation of state law.”

To the east, California’s Shasta County Sheriff’s Office announced on August 11 that its Marijuana Eradication Team recently executed a dozen search warrants that led to more than 3,000 illegal marijuana plants and 459 pounds of processed marijuana.

Farther south, the sheriff’s office in Nevada County, California, announced that same day that it had investigated 21 sites suspected of growing marijuana illegally. Authorities seized nearly 5,000 marijuana plants and 1,800 pounds of processed marijuana as well as illegal pesticides from China.

Contrary to popular belief, marijuana’s legalization in California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and other states has actually emboldened drug cartels.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said organized crime from Mexico and China may be making millions of dollars from marijuana grown in states like Maine.

Law enforcement has alleged that as much as 40% of America’s black market marijuana has come from grow sites in Oklahoma.

Illegal marijuana operations often are believed to be tied to labor trafficking and violent crime — contributing to what some have called “modern day slavery on American soil.” They also often use illegal pesticides that poison users and harm the environment.

Arkansas sits at the heart of  major drug trafficking corridors, and Arkansas State Police routinely intercept marijuana from other states that appears to be intended for the black market. For years, Family Council has lobbied against marijuana’s legalization in Arkansas. Our state already has enough problems from drugs. We don’t need to add any more.

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.

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Big Tobacco’s Growing Stake in Marijuana

Marijuana,

One of the questions that has come up in recent years is how much Big Tobacco may be behind marijuana in the U.S. and internationally.

Nationwide, many states have legalized marijuana to varying degrees, and federal regulators have moved to ease restrictions on the drug. But while policymakers push for more marijuana, pundits continue to raise concerns about the companies backing this multibillion-dollar industry.

In 2019, Altria — the company that owns cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA — bought a 45% equity stake in the Canadian marijuana company Cronos Group. In a statement, Altria said:

“This investment positions Altria to participate in the emerging global cannabis sector, which we believe is poised for rapid growth over the next decade. It also creates a new growth opportunity in a category that is adjacent and complementary to our core tobacco businesses.”

In 2019, tobacco giant Imperial Brands announced it was investing in Canadian marijuana, highlighting the similarities between the cannabis industry and tobacco.

In 2021, British American Tobacco (BAT) — which owns brands like Camel and Pall Mall cigarettes — announced plans to invest in Canadian cannabis as part of the tobacco giant’s “beyond nicotine” strategy. The next year, BAT revealed it had also purchased a stake in German cannabis company Sanity Group.

Earlier this year, BAT announced a multimillion-dollar investment in Colorado-based hemp company Charlotte’s Web.

Stories like these are one reason some groups are concerned marijuana could become the next Big Tobacco.

Contrary to popular belief, recent research has linked a number of health problems to products made from marijuana and hemp.

In 2024, lab testing from California found many marijuana products contained “concerning” levels of pesticides. Other research found marijuana often was contaminated with arsenic, lead, or mold, and that marijuana users may suffer from higher levels of heavy metals in their blood.

Last year, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission tested 51 samples of industrial hemp flowers as part of the commission’s “Operation Clean Leaf” initiative. All 51 samples contained more THC than federal law allowed, and authorities said some were tainted with dangerous pesticides.

THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana — has been tied repeatedly to everything from heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and birth defects.

Modern marijuana can contain 15% to 30% THC — sometimes even 60% THC — compared to just 3% THC in marijuana from the 1960s. The higher the potency, the greater the risk there is to users.

In fact, researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.

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

In Arkansas, marijuana businesses have contributed heavily to candidate campaigns and spent millions of dollars working unsuccessfully to legalize recreational marijuana.

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.

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