Law enforcement officials say they are concerned with the growing number of illicit cannabis farms tied to Chinese organized crime in legal pot states.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics reports that 80 percent of illicit marijuana farms raided in the state in recent years were found to have links to groups in China. Authorities there claim law enforcement has busted more than 1,000 Chinese farms since 2020.
Officials say they have found illegal weed farms linked to China in California as well. It’s thought that cannabis is a fast and easy way to make tax-free money that can be sent back to China to fund organized criminal activities and pose a national security problem for the U.S.
In September, a group of Chinese immigrants sued Navajo businessman Dineh Benally and Taiwanese entrepreneur Irving Lin for allegedly using predatory practices to lure unsuspecting workers with promises of farm employment before forcing them to trim illicit cannabis in a Farmington hotel.
The workers accused the men of failing to provide food, proper accommodations and even denying payments. They said the men targeted desperate immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic and hired armed security guards to ensure that they could not leave.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages. Lin has said he and his associates never used force or violence and were never involved in human trafficking.
Governors Press Biden to Reschedule
Six U.S. governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden, calling for his administration to reschedule marijuana before the end of the year.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. The designation change would open the door for federal decriminalization and make it easier for scientists to study the drug.
The governors of Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Louisiana wrote that the recommendation represents “sound public policy” and is “a big win for states.” They argued that the policy change would allow the government to collect taxes from legal marijuana businesses and would ensure the safety of products.
The DEA has the final say over rescheduling.
Weed Traces Found In Old Bones
For the first time ever, archaeologists have found traces of cannabis in the bones of pre-modern humans.
The traces were discovered in bones belonging to people from the 17th century. Their remains were found under a hospital in Milan, Italy.
According to a toxicology analysis, the thigh bones of a young man and a middle-aged woman who died between 1638 and 1697 had traces of both THC and CBD—two cannabinoids found in marijuana. The researchers were unable to find any record of cannabis being used as a medicine in the hospital’s records, likely indicating the two people were self-medicating or using the drug recreationally.