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Oklahoma GOP Sen. James Lankford <a href="https://www.lankford.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Letter-to-CBP-on-Marijuana-Policy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-sen-security-threat-border-patrols-drug-use-standards&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712678270348000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3h7-emWQ0VGrniIAFAh-UP">wrote a letter</a> warning U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not to loosen its policy on the use of marijuana by Border Patrol agent recruits before they had applied for the job.
The CPB’s previous policy involved looking back through the prior two years before applying for employment to determine if the recruit had used marijuana; the policy had been changed to only checking the previous 90 days.
“As you are aware, marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act,” Lankford wrote to Troy A. Miller, a senior official performing the duties of the commissioner for CBP. He noted CBP briefers told his staff that the change had been effected in part “because of confusion between Federal law and state law in states where marijuana has been legalized. However, as a Federal agency, CBP should ensure its personnel comply with Federal law regarding the illicit or otherwise prohibited use of controlled substances.”
“Briefers noted to my staff that recruits who admit to marijuana usage during their polygraph often admit to other disqualifying criminal conduct,” he continued. “In addition to users’ decisions, the marijuana industry and markets in states where marijuana has been legalized often are riddled with corruption.”
“&#8230; marijuana use has been shown to increase schizophrenia and psychosis among users, particularly among young adults — an age range that CBP targets as potential recruits for U.S. Border Patrol agents,” he pointed out, noting that a “rogue or corrupt Border Patrol agent has the ‘potential to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security’ and could produce a ‘substantial or even inestimable amount of harm or serious damage to the public trust.’”
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“In evaluating this policy change, was CBP aware of the effects of marijuana on users, including a higher incidence of psychosis or schizophrenia? If so, how did this factor into CBP’s decision?” he asked.
“According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, legislation to regulate marijuana for non-medical purposes or adult usage has been enacted in 24 states, as well as two territories and Washington, D.C. The NCSL&#8217;s data was updated Nov. 8, 2023,” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-sen-security-threat-border-patrols-drug-use-standards">Fox News noted</a>.
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Sen. Lankford

Oklahoma’s Lankford Warns CBP On Prior Drug Use By Recruits

Border Patrol

Congress

Drugs

James Lankford

Marijuana

Politics

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Former “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/reality-tv">Jackass</a>” star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Steve-O</a> claims he turned down an appearance on Bill Maher’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/podcast">podcast</a> because the host refused to refrain from smoking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marijuana">marijuana</a> in front of him.
The 49-year-old reality star, whose real name is Stephen Glover, went through a very public battle with addiction and says he’s been sober for 16 years. Glover told guest Patrick Bet-David on a recent episode of his podcast, “Wild Ride,” that drugs were the reason he didn’t appear on Maher’s “Club Random.”
“For me, I’m a clean and sober guy. It’s very important that I maintain my sobriety,” Steve-O said, per <a href="https://ew.com/steve-o-bill-maher-refusing-not-smoke-pot-podcast-8623659">Entertainment Weekly</a>. “It’s approaching 16 years. I am about to be sweet 16. Really, there’s nothing that I value more than my sobriety. There’s nothing more that I protect than my recovery. And I found it kind of upsetting when the Bill Maher podcast, which I saw you on, reached out.”
“His thing is, he smokes pot the whole time while he interviews people. I said I’d happily go on there, but while I’m on, out of respect for my sobriety, could he refrain from smoking pot. He said no. That’s a deal breaker,” the reality star added.
Glover said he’s never encountered this issue before as a podcast guest.
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“Mike Tyson’s podcast is called ‘Hotboxin,’” Steve-O added. “Be real! All of these prolific potheads, I’ve been on their shows and it wasn’t so important to them to blow marijuana smoke in my face. But for Bill Maher, it was a deal breaker.”
The outlet reported that Maher usually smokes marijuana during “Club Random” interviews but did not during a recent discussion with Sheryl Crow that aired on March 24. 
While discussing the Israel-Hamas war, Maher said, &#8220;That&#8217;s when I need a joint, but I will never light one up,” he said. “But can I hold one?”
Crow replied, “If I weren’t singing tomorrow, I’d say light that bad boy up right now.&#8221;
“I’ve never not,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;But for you? First of all, I would do this standing on my head, but it is a little like running a marathon for the first time.&#8221;

Steve-O

‘Deal Breaker’: ‘Jackass’ Star Steve-O Claims Bill Maher Refused His Request To ‘Refrain From Smoking Pot’ During Intv

'Jackass' Star Steve-O Claims Bill Maher Refused His Request To 'Refrain From Smoking Pot' During Intv

Bill Maher

Entertainment

Media

Podcast

Reality TV

sobriety

U.S.

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bills on Thursday that were largely backed by Democrats in the state.
Youngkin released a statement explaining his decision to veto a bill that would allow the retail sale of cannabis along with a bill that would gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, WRIC <a href="https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/youngkin-vetoes-democrat-led-bills-to-raise-virginias-minimum-wage-and-open-legal-retail-cannabis-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The Republican governor cited dangers to “Virginians’ health and safety” — especially for children — as the main reason for vetoing the marijuana bill.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety. States following this path have seen adverse effects on children’s and adolescent’s health and safety, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased road safety, and significant costs associated with retail marijuana that far exceed tax revenue,” Youngkin wrote in the statement.
Virginia was the first Southern state to legalize marijuana in 2021, but the law didn’t allow for retail sales of the drug, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-retail-marijuana-veto-youngkin-minimum-wage-d90ee994918c41eacb5a62c61378e37e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>. While it’s legal for Virginians who are 21 and older to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis as well as purchase cannabis through the state’s medical program, sales for recreational weed remain illegal with Youngkin’s veto.
“Addressing the inconsistencies in enforcement and regulation in Virginia’s current laws does not justify expanding access to cannabis, following the failed paths of other states and endangering Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin also vetoed another Democrat-supported bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage, which stands at $12 an hour, to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026. The governor said the proposed minimum wage increase “imperils market freedom and economic competitiveness.”
“The free market for salaries and wages works,” said Youngkin. “It operates dynamically, responding to the nuances of varying economic conditions and regional differences.”
Youngkin also expressed concern about how the minimum wage bill would affect small businesses in rural parts of Virginia, where the economic conditions don’t match those of the cities in the northern part of the state.
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“Implementing a $15-per-hour wage mandate may not impact Northern Virginia, where economic conditions create a higher cost of living, but this approach is detrimental for small businesses across the rest of Virginia, especially in Southwest and Southside,” he said. “A one-size-fits-all mandate ignores the vast economic and geographic differences and undermines the ability to adapt to regional cost-of-living differences and market dynamics.”
The minimum wage increase passed by Virginia Democrats in 2020 established the $12-an-hour rate and allows for further bumps in the future as long as the state’s Assembly votes in favor of increasing the minimum wage again. Currently, Virginia has a <a href="https://www.paycom.com/resources/blog/minimum-wage-rate-by-state/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher minimum wage</a> than over half of the country.

Glenn Youngkin

Glenn Youngkin Vetoes Bills That Would Open Legal Marijuana Market, Raise Minimum Wage

Minimum Wage

Virginia

Top House lawmakers received a classified briefing on Thursday from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Homeland Security</a> and the Drug Enforcement Agency on the proliferation of illegal Chinese-backed marijuana farms across the United States.
Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), who heads up the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, and Rep. Clay Higgins, who leads the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, alongside other committee members, received the briefing from the DHS, DEA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a committee spokesman told The Daily Wire.
According to the spokesman, the briefing focused on “the recent trend in illicit marijuana grow operations within the homeland by People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationals,” as well as how federal “entities are working to combat the issue.”
In the last several years, Chinese-backed marijuana operations have cropped up across the United States, including major drug busts in New Mexico and <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2023/11/triad-weed-illegal-chinese-marijuana-grows-are-all-over-maine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a>. In Maine alone, Border Patrol has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-chinese-marijuana-grow-operations-worth-billions-cropping-up-in-maine-border-patrol-memo">reportedly</a> identified at least 270 illegal marijuana grow operations throughout the state that are worth billions of dollars.
In November, a suspected Chinese national <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-suspect-massive-church-marijuana-operation-was-run-by-chinese-foreign-national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was arrested</a> in rural Tennessee for allegedly operating a large marijuana growing operation out of an old church. A Daily Wire request for the police report on the arrest was denied due to an ongoing investigation into the operation.
“The Committee continues to conduct oversight of the federal government’s response to the worrying trend of illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms,” the spokesman added. “Many of these operations work in conjunction with transnational criminal organizations, engage in human trafficking and force labor practices, and pose serious threats to public safety. The Committee is committed to combating the threats posed by transnational criminal organizations and countering the malign influence of the PRC on U.S. soil.”
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The briefing comes after House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN), Pfluger, and Higgins <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-republicans-investigating-spread-of-chinese-backed-marijuana-farms-in-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested a briefing</a> from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a letter first reported on by The Daily Wire.
“Illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms have been found across the country and pose significant risks to our nation’s security,” the lawmakers wrote. “In addition, Chinese investors have financed some of these illegal operations, and these investments include cash payment for large swaths of land to conduct these operations.”

Beautiful green leaves of marijuana close up

‘Worrying’: Top Lawmakers Receive Classified Briefing On Spread Of Chinese-Backed Marijuana Farms In United States

Communist China

Department of Homeland Security

General

Maine

A new study found that marijuana use is linked to a higher risk of a dangerous cardiovascular event.
Even smoking cannabis as little as once a month can increase a person&#8217;s risk for stroke or heart attack, <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/smoking-cannabis-associated-increased-risk-heart-attack-stroke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Another risk associated with marijuana use, whether consumed by smoking, eating, or vaping, is coronary heart disease, the study found.
The researchers looked at data from nearly 435,000 patients ages 18 to 74, which came from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey on behavioral risk factors.
The most frequent cannabis users, those who use daily, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cannabis-use-associated-with-higher-risk-heart-attack-stroke-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had</a> a 25% higher chance of heart attack and a 42% higher risk of stroke compared to people who had never used marijuana, according to the study.
Those who used marijuana slightly less often, once a week, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/marijuana-use-little-month-linked-heart-attack-stroke-risk-new-study-rcna140928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had</a> a 3% higher chance of heart attack and a 5% higher chance of stroke, the study found.
Close to 75% of the marijuana users the study analyzed said smoking was their most common way to use the drug.
Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke risks were all 36% higher for younger adults, who were defined as men younger than 55 and women younger than 65 if they used marijuana, regardless of whether they also used tobacco, the study found.
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“Despite common use, little is known about the risks of cannabis use and, in particular, the cardiovascular disease risks,” <a href="https://newsroom.heart.org/news/cannabis-use-linked-to-increase-in-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk?preview=f416&amp;preview_mode=True" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> lead study author Abra Jeffers, Ph.D., who is a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“The perceptions of the harmfulness of smoking cannabis are decreasing, and people have not considered cannabis use dangerous to their health,&#8221; she said, noting that previous research suggested cannabis could be associated with cardiovascular disease.
Jeffers also said that smoking marijuana may have &#8220;additional risks because particular matter is inhaled.&#8221;
Support for legalizing marijuana has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mastercard-blocks-marijuana-purchases-on-debit-cards">spiked</a> over the last two decades, with most Americans now saying they support legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use. About 88% of Americans support legal pot for medical use, and 59% support legal recreational use, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/13/facts-about-marijuana/#:~:text=An%20overwhelming%20majority%20of%20U.S.,be%20legal%20in%20any%20form." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey.
Despite the increasing legalization of marijuana, the drug has vocal critics.
Scientific research has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/going-green-the-physical-mental-and-emotional-problems-associated-with-marijuana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked</a> marijuana to a host of problems, including anxiety, memory problems, lung issues, and even psychosis. Weed has been linked to schizophrenia, especially in people who are genetically predisposed to developing it, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/going-green-the-physical-mental-and-emotional-problems-associated-with-marijuana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to several studies. One study showed that THC in cannabis <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7442038/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">makes</a> schizophrenia and psychosis symptoms worse and causes more relapses and hospitalizations.

Close-up of young adult man rolling a marijuana joint on blur background.

New Study Links Marijuana Use To Higher Risk Of Heart Attack, Stroke

Health

Health Care

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> national was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the bust of a massive marijuana operation in rural south <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/georgia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia</a> last week. 
Georgia law enforcement arrested four Chinese nationals over a marijuana grow in Pierce County estimated to be valued at $22.5 million. Pierce County Sheriff Ramsey Bennett <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXR14Xb5Xjk&amp;t=4s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that three of the Chinese nationals suspected of operating the grow appeared to be in the United States legally while the other appeared to be here illegally. 
On Tuesday, the bust was announced by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which aided Pierce County law enforcement in the investigation. The authorities initially believed that the building where the marijuana was being grown was being used to illegally process food. 
The sheriff’s department charged Zhu Sheng Bing, Jinpeng Ma, Chenhui Shu, and Wei Sheng Deng with felony possession of marijuana and felony marijuana manufacturing. They are also expected to be hit with trafficking charges and were all denied bond. Deng was the only one detained by ICE. 
Police raided the facility after a four-week investigation and found over 11,000 marijuana plants at all stages of growth. Bennett estimated that the plant had been operational since 2022 and said that people at the organization had ties to Staten Island and Houston. It was the largest marijuana bust in county history. 
Video posted by the Agricultural Department showed officers walking through the building examining the grow operation.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Georgia Department of Agriculture, Pierce County Sheriff&#039;s Marijuana Seizure B Roll" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yxfr1w9GatM?start=6&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 According to Georgia Agricultural Commissioner Tyler Harper, the operation was very high-tech and could be part of a national crime syndicate. 
“This was a very sophisticated operation,” Harper said at a press conference about the bust. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure in the facility and, as the sheriff mentioned, ties back to New York and Houston, which is indicative of a national crime syndicate.”
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Harper said it was very much possible that the operation had “tentacles that spread out” from Pierce County. The investigation is still ongoing with federal law enforcement expected to get involved. 
The bust comes as Chinese-backed illegal marijuana farms have been discovered in rural areas from <a href="https://www.themainewire.com/2024/02/maine-sheriff-rescues-dog-takes-down-another-triad-weed-grow-in-somerset-county/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> to Colorado to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-suspect-massive-church-marijuana-operation-was-run-by-chinese-foreign-national" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a>.
Earlier this year, top House Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-republicans-investigating-spread-of-chinese-backed-marijuana-farms-in-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> for more information and updates on enforcement actions against illegal marijuana farms from the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Agency. 
At the same time as illegal farms proliferate across the United States, there has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/border-patrol-apprehends-hundreds-of-chinese-nationals-in-single-day-over-20k-chinese-migrants-encountered-in-fy-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been a surge</a> of Chinese nationals illegally crossing the border. Over 20,000 Chinese nationals have already been encountered at the border this fiscal year while only 450 were in 2021.

Marijuana farm

ICE Detains Chinese National After Massive Marijuana Bust In Georgia

Border Crisis

China

Georgia

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Police

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> judge on Tuesday sentenced a woman to no prison time, only 100 hours of community service and probation, after she was convicted of killing her boyfriend by stabbing him 108 times.
Bryn Spejcher killed Chad O’Melia with a kitchen knife in May 2018. She also killed her dog, and was screaming and stabbing herself when police apprehended her.
The lawyer for the now 32-year old audiologist claimed she entered a “cannabis-induced psychosis” after smoking marijuana. He said she did not have a history of using the drug, but that she did so after feeling pressured by the 26-year old accountant to smoke out of his bong.
Ventura County prosecutors originally charged Spejcher with second-degree murder, but downgraded the charge to involuntary manslaughter after medical experts gave credence to the idea of a psychotic break triggered by the drug.
Yet she still could have faced four years in prison, and the decision by Judge David Worley to give no time shocked prosecutors and the victim’s family.
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Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger, who tried the case, told The Daily Wire, “The sentence is a terrible miscarriage of justice. I can only hope it is not repeated by other judges. Because involuntary manslaughter and the use of a deadly weapon in California permits judicial discretion… the court was able to set her free with no jail. It is an unheard of sentence in my jurisdiction.”
She noted that even as the judge accepted that the drug caused a deadly psychotic break, California lawmakers decided to legalize it. It cannot be a get-out-of-jail-free card, she said. “We do not let people off the hook for drinking and hurting people,” she said. “People are convicted of being intoxicated and harming others and they, rightly, go to jail.”
Nafziger said she believes that the phenomenon is real, even if it’s rare. “Psychiatrists and forensic psychologists and many in my profession have been well aware of marijuana-induced psychosis for decades,” she said.
Sean O’Melia, the father of the victim, said the ruling could lead violent criminals to try to evade responsibility by blaming weed. “I think [Judge Worley] set an absolute terrible precedent in the state of California where it’s okay to kill somebody after you smoke marijuana,” he told <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/woman-who-fatally-stabbed-man-108-times-sentenced-to-probation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTLA</a>.
Nafziger said, “I do expect many defense attorneys to grab ahold of marijuana-induced psychosis and assert it,” but that this was an unusual case where the facts were well-documented. Spejcher was captured on police bodycams responding to hallucinations, and later said she believed that she was dead and that she could only bring herself back to life by killing O’Melia.
She was “literally sawing her neck off with a 10-inch bread knife when law enforcement burst into the room. Then they tased her numerous times to no effect and then hit her with a metal baton nine times until they broke her hand and arm in several places, forcing her to eventually release the knife. She did not respond to the officers at all, she was unaware they were present. She is then seen responding to the voices/command hallucinations on video. I do not think there will be many cases where overwhelming evidence such as this arises,” she said.
Marijuana was the only intoxicant in the systems of the killer and the victim, she said.
Nafziger said prosecutors already factored in drug-induced psychosis by reducing the charges. “That is how we took this factor into account. The Court’s handling of the case from the get go was that we shouldn’t have even brought the case&#8230; The sentence does not account for the change in charges. It accounts for nothing.”
Lu Madison, a friend of O’Melia’s mother, told the <a href="https://signalscv.com/2024/01/disappointment-at-sentencing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Santa Clarita Valley Signal</a> that O’Melia’s mother died of sadness while awaiting the trial. She stood in the rain protesting for hours after the sentence. “So she stabbed someone to death and she got zero jail time,” she said.
In court, Spejcher begged for forgiveness and said, “I wish I had known more about the dangers of marijuana,” adding that she would spend her life warning others.

Left: Bryn Spejcher (Ventura County District Attorney) Right: Stock art by Olena Ruban / Moment / Getty Images.

California Gives No Jail Time To Woman Who Killed Her Boyfriend After She Blames Weed

California

Crime

Top House Republicans are requesting a briefing on the spread of illegal Chinese-backed marijuana farms across the United States from the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire.
The Friday <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/01/2024-01-12-Green-Pfluger-Higgins-to-DHS-DEA-re-Illicit-Marijuana-Grow-Operations.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> from House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-TN), Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), and Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) asks for a meeting with the DHS and DEA over what is being done about the proliferation of Chinese marijuana farms. Pfluger is the chair of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, and Higgins is the chair of the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement. 
“The Committee on Homeland Security (Committee) is growing increasingly alarmed by the number of illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms that have been seized by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States. Many of these illicit grow operations work in conjunction with transnational criminal organizations,” the letter, addressed to DHS Chair Alejandro Mayorkas and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, said. 
“Illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms have been found across the country and pose significant risks to our nation’s security. First, illicit marijuana farms provide unregulated access for consumers to Schedule 1 substances and help provide additional revenue sources to transnational criminal organizations. Many of these operations have also been found to have labor conditions that are emblematic of human trafficking and forced labor practices. In addition, Chinese investors have financed some of these illegal operations, and these investments include cash payment for large swaths of land to conduct these operations,” the letter said, pointing out that lawmakers have raised red flags over large purchases of land by Chinese nationals. 
The Republicans want a briefing schedule with the agencies by January 25. “This briefing should include, but not be limited to, information about the actions your agencies are conducting to monitor, investigate, and dismantle illicit Chinese-operated marijuana farms, as well as information about the links these illegal farms have to transnational criminal organizations and foreign entities,” they wrote. 
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In the last several years, Chinese-backed marijuana operations have cropped up across the United States, including major drug busts in New Mexico and Maine, where Border Patrol has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-chinese-marijuana-grow-operations-worth-billions-cropping-up-in-maine-border-patrol-memo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> identified up to 270 illegal marijuana grow operations throughout Maine that are worth billions of dollars. 
In November, a suspected Chinese national was arrested in rural Tennessee for allegedly operating a large marijuana growing operation out of an old church. A Daily Wire request for the police report on the arrest was denied due to an ongoing investigation into the operation. 
House Republicans <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/2023/04/25/green-pfluger-examine-homeland-security-threats-posed-by-secret-ccp-operated-police-stations-on-u-s-soil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have</a> been investigating efforts by China to influence the U.S. and spread propaganda throughout the country, including the operation of a Chinese police station in New York City.

Top Republicans Investigating Spread Of Chinese-Backed Marijuana Farms In United States

Chinese Communist Party

Mark Green

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts</a> voters may legalize certain psychedelics in 2024 through a ballot proposal awaiting final approval from their secretary of state.
The proposed ballot question, the Natural Psychedelic Substances Act, would allow adults 21 and older to use and grow psilocybin and psilocyn, or the substances found in magic mushrooms, as well as the plant-derived psychedelics mescaline, ibogaine, and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). All of the psychedelics are currently <a href="https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule I drugs</a>, as they have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” per the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The proposal prohibits the retail sale of these psychedelics, with purchases only allowed at certain locations where the individual must use the drugs under the supervision of a licensed facilitator.
If passed next November, the proposed law would take effect almost immediately: December 15, 2024. The state would catch up to the six Massachusetts cities that have already decriminalized magic mushrooms: Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst, Somerville, Cambridge, and Salem.
The <a href="https://ocpf.us/Filers/?q=95505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committee</a> behind the ballot question, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), was established by two political consultants: Danielle McCourt and Meredith Lerner Moghimi. Prior to founding her political consulting firm in 2018, McCourt served as the finance director for then-Massachusetts attorney general, now governor, Maura Healy.
In a press release, MMHO’s grassroots outreach director Emily Oneschuk said that psychedelic drugs helped veterans like her. Oneschuk left the Navy as a conscientious objector last year.
“Plant based therapeutics are the most effective treatment I have seen for veterans struggling with mental health challenges after service,” said Oneschuk.
The committee <a href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ballot-initiatives-filed-for-the-2024-biennial-statewide-election-proposed-laws-and-2026-biennial-statewide-election-proposed-constitutional-amendments%2323-13-initiative-petition-for-a-law-relative-to-the-regulation-and-tax-of-natural-psychedelics-v.a-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> two virtually identical versions of their ballot petition, with “Version A” allowing individuals to grow psychedelics at home.
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The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office <a href="https://www.mass.gov/news/ags-office-certifies-34-initiative-petitions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> both versions of the petition in September. MMHO advanced the version allowing home growth of psychedelics.
McCourt and Moghimi <a href="https://www.psychedelicweek.com/p/mass-boston-ma-psychedelic-ballot-mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> to Psychedelic Week that MMHO received backing from New Approach PAC, a political action committee founded in 2013 to legalize marijuana. The PAC’s founder and director, Graham Boyd, also founded and directed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Drug Law Reform Project and was a visiting fellow at Stanford Law School.
Boyd is also a political director for Dr. Bronner’s, the California-based company specializing in organic soaps and personal care products. Dr. Bronner’s has been one of the biggest funders of New Approach PAC, giving nearly $7.8 million to the nonprofit in 2020 alone.
After Dr. Bronner’s, the New Approach PAC also received millions from the <a href="https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/van-ameringen-foundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Van Ameringen Foundation</a> and Scotts Miracle-Gro. Over the last decade, the nonprofit has given over $25.9 million to various marijuana and psychedelic legalization efforts.
Massachusetts wouldn’t be the first state to legalize magic mushrooms; Oregon was, earlier this year. Like Massachusetts’ ballot proposal, Oregon doesn’t allow for the retail sale of psychedelics. Individuals must use the drugs at an approved location under supervision.
Washington, D.C., legalized psychedelics in 2020.
Colorado voters approved legalization last year, which is scheduled to take effect next year.
California nearly followed suit. The California legislature passed a bill legalizing hallucinogenic drugs, including magic mushrooms earlier this year; Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is a very big deal. <a href="https://t.co/LIZqAU3lEw">https://t.co/LIZqAU3lEw</a>
— Graham Boyd (@grahamaboyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/grahamaboyd/status/1399872471705157633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

Psilocybin Mushrooms

Massachusetts Ballot Proposal Seeks To Legalize Psychedelics

Massachusetts

Social Issues

The man who was arrested last month for operating a massive marijuana grow house in rural Tennessee is a foreign national from China, law enforcement officials told The Daily Wire on Friday. 
On November 30, the sheriff’s office in Stewart County <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StewartCountySheriffsOffice/posts/pfbid04qHgFxnCoNukdMyo1XsDNbWzKAMjwashM2bbx4ydENxkBwbDSRMQGtHLU6aQNdpJl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it had shut down “the largest marijuana grow in county history.” The bust <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12818471/tennessee-marijuana-operation-inside-church.html">made national news</a> due to several extraordinary factors — not only was the sophisticated growing operation run out of a church, but the grounds were &#8220;booby-trapped&#8221; in expectation of law enforcement. 
Now The Daily Wire can confirm that the sheriff&#8217;s office named its suspect, 55-year-old Ruian Huang, a foreign national who is believed to be from China. The sheriff’s office told The Daily Wire that Huang was in the United States on a green card, but could not confirm whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had become involved in the case. 
According to the <a href="http://161.82.65.13:8080/Jail?hours=240&amp;lname=H">county&#8217;s inmate database</a>, Huang is being held on various drug charges, including maintaining a dwelling for growing a controlled substance. His bond is currently set at $155,000.
The arrest comes as illegal Chinese-backed marijuana operations have cropped up across the United States, including major drug busts in New Mexico and Maine, where Border Patrol has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-chinese-marijuana-grow-operations-worth-billions-cropping-up-in-maine-border-patrol-memo">reportedly</a> identified up to 270 illegal marijuana grow operations throughout Maine that are worth billions. 
The bust in Stewart County, which borders Kentucky, was a combined operation of the sheriff’s department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and was the result of a three week investigation.
<div id="attachment_665033" style="width: 485px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-665033" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-665033 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-08-at-3.55.16-PM-475x576.png" alt="" width="475" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-08-at-3.55.16-PM-475x576.png 475w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-08-at-3.55.16-PM-247x300.png 247w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-08-at-3.55.16-PM-768x931.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-08-at-3.55.16-PM.png 1194w" sizes="(max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px" />Church where marijuana was grown. Stewart&#8217;s Sheriff&#8217;s Office.</div>
The bust took place at an old church in Indian Mound, an unincorporated community that is home to about 3,000 people. The property, which is worth around 93,000 appears to be owned by Chen Xiu Ping, as The Daily Mail first <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12818471/tennessee-marijuana-operation-inside-church.html">reported</a>. 
<div id="attachment_665133" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-665133" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-665133" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/406902074_750958060396618_6155810108689137855_n-1024x473.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="296" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/406902074_750958060396618_6155810108689137855_n-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/406902074_750958060396618_6155810108689137855_n-300x139.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/406902074_750958060396618_6155810108689137855_n-768x355.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/406902074_750958060396618_6155810108689137855_n.jpg 1130w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />Sophisticated grow operation in rural Tennessee. Credit: Stewart&#8217;s Sheriff&#8217;s Office.</div>
“When the search was conducted approximately 2000 plants were found in a very sophisticated growing environment. Including elaborated growing and watering systems all on timers. A large amount of possibly toxic chemicals were found,” the sheriff’s office said. &#8220;Officers were also slowed down in the search by the possibility of booby traps laid out for law enforcement.&#8221;
ICE did not immediately respond to request for comment.

MixCollage-08-Dec-2023-03-07-PM-6556

Police Suspect Massive Church Marijuana Operation Was Run By Chinese Foreign National

Tennessee

To the surprise of no one, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/snoop-dogg">Snoop Dogg</a> is not giving up smoking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marijuana">marijuana</a>. It was all an elaborate – and effective – marketing campaign for a new product.
The 52-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">rapper</a> made the announcement on social media last week. “I’m giving up smoke,” Snoop wrote in an Instagram post. The attached image included a longer statement: &#8220;After much consideration &amp; conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.”
After spending decades touting his love for all things cannabis and molding his identity around marijuana, not to mention investing heavily in the industry, the announcement seemed like some kind of joke. Most followers were suspicious about the post, predicting that the rapper would eventually clarify his statements.
Those skeptics weren’t wrong.
On Monday, Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., announced that he’s partnering with Solo Stove, a smokeless fire pit brand.
“I love a good fire outside but the smoke was too much. Solo Stove fixed fire and took out the smoke. They changed the game and now I’m excited to spread the love and stay warm with my friends and family,” the recording artist said in a press release.
The entrepreneur is now an official &#8220;smokesman&#8221; for the brand, per <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/no-snoop-dogg-isnt-quitting-150138014.html">Yahoo</a>. He also posted again on Instagram about his new endorsement.
“I’m done with smoke. I’m going smokeless with [Solo Stove],” he wrote in the caption. 
“I’m giving up smoke,” he says in the video. “I know what you’re thinking. Snoop! Smoke is kinda your whole thing! But I’m done with it. Done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky icky. I’m going smokeless.” 
He next gestures to the Solo Stove burning in front of him, saying, “They took the smoke out of it. Clever.”
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While most of Snoop’s followers weren’t fooled by his declaration last week and figured there was more to the story, the rapper did admit to cutting back on his marijuana consumption after becoming a grandfather. 
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“Being a grandfather has changed me in multiple ways,” he <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11899925/Snoop-Dogg-reveals-moderated-weed-intake-grandfather.html">told</a> The Daily Mail in March.
“The main way is being concerned with how I live, how I move, the kind of people I’m associated with, because I want to see my grandkids grow old.”
Snoop continued, “The only way I can do that is to take precautionary steps as far as how I move, who I hang out with, where I go out, my intake, what am I intaking? Am I doing extra-curricular or am I just doing what I’m supposed to be doing?”

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg ‘Giving Up Smoke’ Was Just An Elaborate Marketing Campaign

Snoop Dogg 'Giving Up Smoke' Was Just An Elaborate Marketing Campaign

Business

Celebrities

Rapper

Shortly after an 18-year-old opened fire on children at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year, killing 19 students and two teachers, the New York Times published a lengthy front-page article on the killer&#8217;s background. One line in the Times&#8217; report didn&#8217;t last long, before an editor deleted it from the article, without explanation. The sentence in question quoted one of the gunman&#8217;s co-workers at Wendy&#8217;s as saying: 
<blockquote>&#8220;He would often talk about how much he despised his mother and grandmother, whom he told her did not let him smoke weed or do what he wanted.&#8221;</blockquote>
It was never clear why that particular line was deleted. Most likely they wanted to push gun confiscation instead, and it confused the narrative. In any event, the New York Times didn&#8217;t want to talk about the shooter&#8217;s marijuana use. If the blogger Alex Berenson hadn&#8217;t <a href="https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/urgent-the-new-york-times-has-edited/comments?s=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spotted</a> the change, it&#8217;s likely no one would have ever noticed it. What we do know is that, if the shooter in Uvalde was indeed a pothead, then there are a lot of other examples just like him. Many other mass shooters — from Parkland to Aurora to Tucson to Sutherland Springs — were <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/cannabis-and-the-violent-crime-surge-marijuana-pot-use-thc-shootings-psychosis-mental-11654540197" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> marijuana users. 
That dovetails with <a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19101008" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> showing that young people who used marijuana were more than twice as likely to commit acts of violence. To give just one example, the American Journal of Psychiatry published a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32456503/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%20These%20results%20demonstrate%20a,a%20risk%20factor%20for%20violence." target="_blank" rel="noopener">meta-analysis</a> of several large-scale studies three years ago. The conclusion: 
<blockquote>&#8220;These results demonstrate a moderate association between cannabis use and physical violence. &#8230; Cannabis use in this population is a risk factor for violence.&#8221;</blockquote>
You never hear about these studies, probably for the same reason that the New York Times censored itself for mentioning marijuana in the context of the Uvalde shooting. In elite circles, talking about the consequences of marijuana use is unpopular. Anything that discourages people from smoking more weed is also disfavored. It&#8217;s almost like they want the masses to be drugged and passive, which might explain why the cigar tax in New York is <a href="https://www.tax.ny.gov/bus/cig/cigidx.htm#:~:text=New%20York%20State%20imposes%20an,one%20ounce%20or%20less%3B%20and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">75%</a>, while the marijuana tax is less than <a href="https://www.tax.ny.gov/bus/auc/#:~:text=If%20you%20make%20retail%20sales,sale%20or%20transfer%20is%20imposed." target="_blank" rel="noopener">15%</a>.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1264-blue-state-decriminalizes-all-drugs-total-societal-breakdown-immediately-follows-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h4>
Regardless of what exactly explains that discrepancy, the PR effort to push marijuana has obviously been successful over the past decade. Two dozen states have passed some form of legalization or decriminalization of weed. And because slippery slopes are real — and anyone who uses the term &#8220;slippery slope fallacy&#8221; is lying to you — the decriminalization movement did not end there. Instead, it&#8217;s progressed far beyond marijuana. 
Three years ago, on the heels of the race riots following the overdose of George Floyd, Oregon became the first state in the country to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/oregon-votes-to-decriminalize-all-drugs-allow-psilocybin-for-mental-health-treatment-11604477494" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decriminalize</a> the possession of all illegal drugs —not just marijuana, but every illegal drug. Nearly 60% of voters in the state approved Measure 110, along with a separate measure that legalized the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms for therapy. The idea was that laws against heroin and meth and other drugs were counterproductive and oppressive and of course racist, so they had to go.
Hopes were high. As Vox <a href="https://www.vox.com/21509815/oregon-ballot-measure-110-drug-decriminalization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time:
<blockquote>&#8220;Given that decriminalization is so far untried in the US, it’s difficult to say how it would play out. In that sense, Measure 110 would create a real-time experiment for Oregon and the rest of the country.&#8221;</blockquote>
Not long afterwards, though, problems began to emerge. In 2022, a local news station embedded with the head of a Portland drug interdiction task force. Here&#8217;s what they learned:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Law enforcement says decriminalization has flooded Portland streets with drugs" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/duu4u9a19AE?start=136&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Measure 110, the officer says, is the reason that fentanyl and stolen handguns and machine guns are flooding Oregon. &#8220;Measure 110 has everything to do with it,&#8221; he tells the reporter.  
Now, three years after Measure 110 was passed, voters are tired of it. Polls now show that a majority of residents in Oregon now want to re-criminalize hard drugs, and a ballot measure doing so is expected next year. That&#8217;s because, predictably, decriminalizing cocaine and heroin, and everything else, has led to nothing less than the breakdown of society in Oregon. To the extent that there was a society there before this.
This week, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/oregon-decriminalized-hard-drugs-it-isnt-working-78ee7476">published</a> an extensive analysis into the effect of Measure 110 on the state. It’s a report that everyone should read as it just entirely annihilates the case for drug legalization. And yet almost all of the pro-drug legalizers are simply ignoring it. They have gotten what they wanted — in Oregon, and to a lesser extent across the country — but you notice that they are not out touting the success of the policy they advocated for. That’s because there is no success. It has been a disaster. 
The paper reports that, as a result of the law, &#8220;People sprawled on sidewalks and using fentanyl with no fear of consequence have become a common sight in cities such as Eugene and Portland.&#8221; From May of 2022 to May of this year, the number of fatal overdoses in the state increased by more than 20%, to 1,500 overdoses. That&#8217;s the third-highest jump in the entire country. Police in Eugene Oregon report that this year, there have been 858 calls for overdoses. In 2020, the number was 438.
The whole point of Measure 110 was to force these people to go to rehabilitation services, instead of jail, but of course that hasn&#8217;t worked either: 
<blockquote>&#8220;Some 6,000 tickets have been issued for drug possession since decriminalization went into effect in 2021, but just 92 people have called and completed assessments needed to connect them to services,&#8221; the Journal reports. &#8220;The only penalty for those who don’t call is a $100 fine, which is rarely enforced.&#8221;</blockquote>
So in sum, Oregon&#8217;s decision to decriminalize all drugs has been an abject and totally predictable disaster. It turns out that when you invite people to do drugs whenever and wherever they want, you end up with a lot more people doing drugs whenever and wherever they want. Advocates for decriminalization have always claimed that decriminalizing drug use will not lead to more drug use, as though the law has absolutely no effect on people&#8217;s behavior. But that flies in the face of everything we&#8217;ve observed about human behavior since the dawn of civilized society. 
To put it simply: Laws matter. When the law allows a certain behavior, you get more of that behavior. It’s not hard to figure out this equation. 
That&#8217;s why — unless we want a lot more overdose deaths and illegal guns in major cities — we need to take a very close look at all forms of drug decriminalization, including the more limited decriminalization and legalization efforts we&#8217;ve seen across the country. As I mentioned earlier, weed is legal in most places now. How is that working out? Is there any evidence it&#8217;s making anything better? By the naked eye, it certainly seems to be contributing to our social decay. It has a demoralizing effect, at the very least, to walk through any city in America and smell the stench of weed everywhere, with people walking around stoned anywhere you go. 
I say this as someone who, for a time, believed that weed — not any other drug — should probably just be legalized or at least decriminalized, as much as I personally don’t like the drug. But I can look around at our cities, smell the stench everywhere, see people high on drugs everywhere, and ask myself: has this made society better or worse? That’s the question everyone should be asking themselves. 
Aside from the naked eye test, what does the data say? For a lot of reasons, it&#8217;s hard to measure the precise impact of marijuana decriminalization on people&#8217;s quality of life. There are so many variables — including the decision by leftist D.A.&#8217;s to stop enforcing a bunch of other laws — that it&#8217;s difficult to ascribe any particular blame to one specific policy or another. It’s all kind of a jumbled mess. To be sure, a lot of jurisdictions that have legalized or decriminalized marijuana have seen significant increases in crime. New York legalized cannabis in 2021, for example, and then immediately saw its overall crime index <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/01/05/nypd-december-2022-crime-statistics#:~:text=Police%20logged%20126%2C537%20crimes%20last,in%202021%2C%20the%20release%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">jump</a> by more than 22%. Along the same lines, after Washington&#8217;s Supreme Court struck down the state&#8217;s drug laws — effectively legalizing all drugs until legislators could fix the problem — crime spiked. Washington&#8217;s rate of violent crimes jumped from 337 per 100,000 people in 2021, to more than 375 per 100,000 people in 2022.
There&#8217;s no easy way to determine with absolute certainty at this stage what role, if any, drug legalization is playing in these numbers. But there have been some attempts at drilling this down. A couple of years ago, analysts at the Justice Research and Statistics Association <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/253137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">looked</a> at the impact of marijuana decriminalization in 11 states — including Washington, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, and others — by speaking to local officials and law enforcement personnel. 
The researchers found that, after Washington state legalized recreational marijuana use in 2020, arrests for both the possession and distribution of heroin and methamphetamine increased significantly. Meanwhile in Colorado, which also decriminalized pot a decade ago, the researchers found that:
<blockquote>&#8220;Respondents in particular reported an increase in the homeless population from individuals moving to the state for jobs in the marijuana industry that failed to materialize. Other concerns expressed by interviewees related to criminal behavior associated with the marijuana business, such as attempts to steal marijuana and take over selling from locals.&#8221; </blockquote>
In Oregon, there were similar concerns: &#8220;An Oregon respondent reported a 55-60% increase in marijuana-related DUIs&#8221; following marijuana decriminalization. Along the same lines, a separate research team from the University of Utah <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047235220302361#:~:text=Results%20provide%20some%20evidence%20demonstrating,legalization%2C%20including%20property%20and%20violent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutinized</a> crime data from Oregon. They found that:
<blockquote>&#8220;Results provide some evidence demonstrating a crime-exacerbating effect of recreational marijuana legalization, as reflected by substantial increases in the rates of multiple types of serious crimes &#8230; in Oregon relative to non-legalized states following legalization, including property and violent crime overall, as well as other crimes such as burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny, and aggravated assault.&#8221;</blockquote>
None of this is particularly surprising, given that marijuana is a psychoactive drug that&#8217;s been linked to violent behavior. What is perhaps surprising is that, given what we know (and don&#8217;t know), several states are still pushing the decriminalization agenda. 
Ohio, for example, is set to decriminalize the drug in just a few weeks. Watch how local news is covering this:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Recreational marijuana sales in Ohio: Breaking down a timeline, expectations" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TW0fKmYQgqY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Notice that they&#8217;re not talking about how decriminalizing marijuana is going to make everyone more productive and happier members of society. They’re not claiming that it’s going to make the state a better place to live, which is really what every law ultimately should be designed to do. They’re not talking about how safe the schools in Ohio will be, after young children with mental disorders are granted even easier access to psychoactive drugs. Instead, they&#8217;re talking about tax revenue. They&#8217;re telling you the state will make more money. That&#8217;s the whole pitch. They&#8217;re not even pretending otherwise.
And that tells you something that even Left-wing voters in Oregon are now realizing: the more recreational drugs you legalize, the more crime and urban decay you have to deal with. This really should not be a surprise. People are more likely to do something when there is no legal ramification for doing it. That doesn’t mean everyone stops doing drugs when you make it illegal. It just means that the fewer obstacles in the way, the fewer consequences, the more of that behavior you get.
This isn’t just because of the practical obstacles put in place when something is illegal. It’s also because the law is a teacher. A thing begins to seem less objectionable to people when the law endorses it.  Ultimately, there’s no upside for anyone but the state Treasury, and the politicians who desperately need voters to be as stoned and submissive as possible. Otherwise, if voters aren&#8217;t high out of their minds, they might realize what these politicians are doing to their communities. They might realize that destruction and decay are a choice.
And then, like the voters in Oregon, they might decide they&#8217;ve finally had enough of it.
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Blue State Decriminalizes All Drugs. Total Societal Breakdown Immediately Follows.

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