Marijuana busts/Chinese organized crime

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Kevin G

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Here in Maine, there have been a significant number of marijuana grow raids. The targets are sophisticated grow houses, often a rural residential structure that has been gutted and renovated just for cultivation and processing.
The authorities believe there is a link to Chinese organized crime. Our Senator, Susan Collins has gone on record about this.
Is this type of activity prevalent in other areas of the country?
Thanks, Kevin G
 
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Kevin G said:
Here in Maine, there have been a significant number of marijuana grow raids. The targets are sophisticated grow houses, often a rural residential structure that has been gutted and renovated just for cultivation and processing.
The authorities believe there is a link to Chinese organized crime. Our Senator, Susan Collins has gone on record about this.
Is this type of activity prevalent in other areas of the country?
Thanks, Kevin G
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Probably.
But not here in WA where grow operations and retail sales are now legally licensed businesses.
AFAIK that got organized crime pretty much out of the pot business.
 
Marijuana is legal in most of the states now. Nobody really cares about it any longer . . .

Kevin G said:
Here in Maine, there have been a significant number of marijuana grow raids. The targets are sophisticated grow houses, often a rural residential structure that has been gutted and renovated just for cultivation and processing.
The authorities believe there is a link to Chinese organized crime. Our Senator, Susan Collins has gone on record about this.
Is this type of activity prevalent in other areas of the country?
Thanks, Kevin G
Click to expand...
 
Both medical and recreational marijuana are legal here in Maine. For some reason these illegal grow operations, are flourishing along with money laundering, human trafficking, and racketeering. This isn’t about a few people standing on street corners selling nickel bags
Kevin G
 
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Kevin G said:
Both medical and recreational marijuana are legal here in Maine. For some reason these illegal grow operations, are flourishing.
Kevin G
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Interesting. Maybe Maine is making it really difficult to do it legally?
I could see where that could possibly create conditions for the criminal operations to continue to thrive.
I dunno...
 
Muss Muggins said:
Marijuana is legal in most of the states now. Nobody really cares about it any longer . . .
Click to expand...

Yeah, last time I checked it was legal for medicinal use in 38 states and legal even for recreational use in 30 states.

The big question is; when will the feds take it off the controlled substances list and make it legal nationwide?
 
BC38 said:
The big question is; when will the feds take it off the controlled substances list and make it legal nationwide?
Click to expand...

I hope never. There is no real way right now to tell which drivers, pilots, mechanics, doctors are under the influence of cannabis which is the nice way of saying marijuana...unless we make mandatory drug tests for accidents etc etc. BTW making mj legal isn't going to stop the street corner drug dealer. They will always have a "stronger" product with their illegal additives...and there still aren't any real testing standards that show mj cures any illness...but there IS anecdotal evidence that mj makes some "feel better". Isn't that why the majority use it??dude

Got to add. we have enough drunks and druggers on the roads now! Let's add a whole lot more
 
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There was a news piece at the weekend showing Chinese drugs being shipped across the axis of OK, AR, and TN.
 
Skeet 028 said:
I hope never. There is no real way right now to tell which drivers, pilots, mechanics, doctors are under the influence of cannabis which is the nice way of saying marijuana...unless we make mandatory drug tests for accidents etc etc. BTW making mj legal isn't going to stop the street corner drug dealer. They will always have a "stronger" product with their illegal additives...and there still aren't any real testing standards that show mj cures any illness...but there IS anecdotal evidence that mj makes some "feel better". Isn't that why the majority use it??dude

Got to add. we have enough drunks and druggers on the roads now! Let's add a whole lot more
Click to expand...
Well, FWIW, the trucking companies and airlines already seem to have figured it out. They have policies and programs in place to require random urine analysis (UAs) that are pretty effective at keeping their drivers and pilots from driving/flying stoned or drunk.

Mandatory drug/alcohol testing after an accident is already standard operating procedure for truck drivers and pilots. In these kinds of situations there are already significant penalties in place for anyone who operates a commercial vehicle (truck or plane) while under the influence.

FWIW, based on my 26 years experience working for a Fortune 100 shipping company, those penalties are severe enough to discourage anyone making a career of driving/flying for a living from coming to work stoned or drunk.

I was in management, but I was always still subject to random UAs - even though I wasn't driving for the company. The potential consequences of testing positive for MJ were severe enough to discourage me from partaking in any kind of cannibals throughout my entire career.

So I guess I don't understand your point. UAs are already mandatory in accident situations, and the penalties for being under the influence are already codified into law. So how exactly does Federal prohibition of MJ add anything to the equation - other than making someone a felon for smoking MJ instead of drinking booze?

Just curious, but do you ever have a drink - or two?
 
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BC38 said:
Yeah, last time I checked it was legal for medicinal use in 38 states and legal even for recreational use in 30 states.

The big question is; when will the feds take it off the controlled substances list and make it legal nationwide?
Click to expand...

I doubt the Feds ever will. As it stands they have the perfect way to keep hundreds of thousands of civil servants and contractors under their thumb all over the country without having to deal with challenges from workers in individual states.
 
LVSteve said:
I doubt the Feds ever will. As it stands they have the perfect way to keep hundreds of thousands of civil servants and contractors under their thumb all over the country without having to deal with challenges from workers in individual states.
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FWIW, I hope that at some point WE THE PEOPLE will prevail on this issue.

At some point, if enough people are in favor of legalization, it should become the "law of the land".

I mean, it isn't as if legalizing weed violates the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.

If anything, the continued prohibition of MJ is more of a violation of those principles than legalization could ever be.

JMO, and YMMV.
 
In most states where pot is legal the market is flooded. I have to pass hair follicle tests to work, but know a couple guys that went into the business.

IMHO it causes less problems than alcohol and making it illegal caused more problems than making alcohol illegal ever did.

Either we didn't learn from history or some people did learn from history, but only the part where if something is illegal there will be a bunch of money avalible
 
One of the arguments against tobacco is that the health problems tobacco smokers get-lung cancer, emphysema, etc., are paid for by the rest of us, MJ smokers it seems get a pass on it. And it's been available for 50 years and we wonder why our schools are so bad.
It seems many states have found the vast revenue streams they expected aren't there. Between the taxation and the regulation it's not that profitable as a legal business.
 
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These grow houses are the beginning of a supply chain that extends well beyond the borders of Maine. I don’t believe the state’s population can support enterprises of this magnitude. Furthermore, recreational product is readily available and legal.
At this point, we’re seeing about one grow operation taken down per week, sometimes more.
My initial question was whether other parts of the country are seeing Chinese mob marijuana, growing operations.
Thanks, Kevin G
 
BC38 said:
Yeah, last time I checked it was legal for medicinal use in 38 states and legal even for recreational use in 30 states.

The big question is; when will the feds take it off the controlled substances list and make it legal nationwide?
Click to expand...

There is a DOJ proposal out to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. In theory, this would allow those with medical marijuana cards to purchase and possess firearms . . .

Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Marijuana
 
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