legalization – Marijuana Impact Group

Inside California’s Battle With the Marijuana Black Market

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:03:30 +0000

California’s shadow cannabis industry linked to Chinese organized crime and narco-slavery.

Inside the Counterfeit Vape Supply Chain

admin — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:21:30 +0000

This report examines the rise of counterfeit THC vape products entering U.S. markets through deceptive branding, imported components, and illicit distribution networks. Learn how these products are impacting public safety, fueling criminal activity, and creating new enforcement challenges nationwide.

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Inside Cartel Infiltration in California Growing Areas with Sheriff William Honsal

Dale — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:54:10 +0000

Northern California has long been associated with illicit cannabis cultivation. Humboldt County, 3 hours south of Oregon on the California coastline, was at the center of this activity. What started off as a counterculture movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, has evolved into massive market for illicit cannabis cultivation and trafficking in what has been dubbed as California’s “Emerald Triangle” consisting of Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino counties. Many of these operations being run by transnational criminal organization and other criminal enterprises.

On this recent episode of “California Insider”, Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsal provides a first-hand account to the issues of illicit cannabis trafficking and associated crimes like human trafficking, labor exploitation, violent crime, and environmental damage from these grows sites in the “Emerald Triangle”.

This is an informative and thought-provoking account into what marijuana trafficking really looks like, and the hazards it represents to public health and safety interests.

View Time: ~30 minutes

Photo: California Insider

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Cannabis and Human Trafficking: Modern Slavery

Dale — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 03:44:12 +0000

Some Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO), with direct ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), engage in human trafficking to staff their cultivation sites for workers in the United States. These victims of human trafficking are often deceived by traffickers with promises of good work and money by tending plants in the United States. Once they arrive at a cultivation site, they are often threatened and coerced to live and work in deplorable conditions for little to no money.

Human trafficking associated to drug dealing is not specific to the United States and can be found in other countries around the world. The trafficking of foreign nationals for the illicit sex market is also a problem associated to the act of human trafficking.

This summary offers a brief look at Transnational Criminal Organizations linked to the People’s Republic of China and their ongoing involvement in the domestic cultivation of illicit cannabis in America. To date, these scenarios have played out from the West Coast to the East Coast. Human trafficking cases present unique problems to law-enforcement from language barriers, recognizing human trafficking victims, and access to resources, to help safeguard those victims.

Read time: < 5 minutes

Photo: MIG A.I. and unsplash.com / bkaraivanov

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California Marijuana Impact Report – 2025

Dale — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 19:41:17 +0000

This product was a joint effort by the California based HIDTA Regional initiatives to provide data and information regarding cannabis in California and its impacts to matters of public health and public safety. In addition to information on potency, use rates, traffic fatalities, and other public health data, this report also highlights the recent increase of pesticides and fumigants produced in China being found at cannabis cultivation sites in California.

This is a comprehensive and well written document for anyone seeking information specific to cannabis and the state of California.

Read Time: 60 minutes +

Photo: California HIDTA

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Chinese Nationals & Illicit Marijuana in America

Dale — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 19:44:15 +0000

In the United States, there has been an increase in illicit cannabis trafficking by some individuals or organized groups with ties to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) that represents a multi-billion dollar a year criminal enterprise. How much of that money is directed back to the PRC is unclear. These Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) are also involved in human trafficking for labor, money laundering, real estate fraud, environmental crimes, and acts of violence all fueled by their illicit cannabis trafficking.

This briefing summary was prepared to provide an overview of the scope and scale that these illegal cannabis operations are having in the United States. These illicit operations have been discovered from coast to coast. This summary utilized open-source media, news reports, and data from government agencies to assist the reader in developing a basic understanding of the impact these PRC – TCOs are having in this country domestically.

Additional reports regarding illicit cannabis trafficking, associated criminal conduct and entities linked to the PRC will be released as supplemental information.

Read Time: 5 – 10 minutes

Image: MIG / Open AI

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Cannabis & Driving: You Feel Different – You Drive Different

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 23:45:57 +0000

Results of a recent highway safety study involving cannabis revealed that the majority of those who use cannabis elect to drive that same day, even when use was as recent as 60 minutes (or less) prior to the act of driving. Cannabis use in America has outpaced alcohol consumption in recent years, it impacts to highway safety is of great concern. As the authors Hill, L. (et.al.) noted, “… driving under the influence of cannabis is also associated with an increased risk of crashes, injuries, and fatalities.”

Researchers noted that this multi-phase project involved 2,000 “current” cannabis consumers, (THC in any form) from eight states, with legal cannabis (medical or commercial adult use). They responded to questionnaires on their cannabis use and driving behavior. Some of the findings were:

84% of cannabis consumers drive the same day after usage.
Nearly 20% of respondents believed their driving was worse after use.
46% believed that police could not detect impairment from cannabis.
53% consumed cannabis within an hour of prior to driving, 20% consumed 2 -3 hours prior.

The final phase involved 800 current cannabis consumers, from the same states, and their opinion on effective messaging to deter cannabis use ahead of driving (increasing wait time from use to driving). 62% of those respondents liked the message of, “If you feel different, you drive different – Drive High. Get a DUI”

The Foundation for Traffic Safety (FTS) is a division of the American Automobile Association (AAA) dedicated to improving public highway safety through continued education and messaging efforts.

Read Time: 5 Minutes

Photo: unsplash.com/ Pierce, G.

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Cannabis Use: Impairs Both Memory & Brain Function

admin — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:41:38 +0000

“Evidence supported that both recent and heavy lifetime cannabis use were associated with diminished brain activation and cognitive performance during working memory.” These are the findings of a recent study released in the January 28, 2025, edition of JAMA Network Open, (Gowin, J. et. al.). This study examined data for over 1000 adults, ages 22 to 36 years of age, with varying degrees of cannabis use history. Heavy lifetime cannabis users were those with more than 1000 uses (exposures) in their lifetime, moderate users had 10 – 999 exposures and “nonusers” were those with less than 10 lifetime uses. Researchers used data from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) records, toxicology reports, and cannabis use information to measure brain functions and working memory responses to form their conclusions. According to the authors, the areas of “working memory” and “cognitive performance” were most impacted by both recent cannabis use and heavy lifetime cannabis use.

The author’s note, ” These findings suggest that large, longitudinal studies are needed to assess the causality of cannabis use toward altering brain function and the duration over which these effects persist.”

Read Time: 10 minutes

Photo: Unsplash.com/Day, S.

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Legalization Linked to Increased Cannabis Use Disorders & Poisonings

admin — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:08:48 +0000

The legalization of cannabis for medical and commercial adult use has been associated to “significant increases” in cannabis use disorders (CUD) and cannabis poisonings (CP) when compared to non-legalized states. The authors of this study, Jayawardhana, J. (et.al.), researched national patient records (N=110,256,536), from 2011 to 2021, with diagnoses of a CUD or CP, by yearly quarters. They then compared the findings of states that have legalized cannabis (medically, commercial adult use, or both) against similar diagnoses in non-legalized states. They found that the CUD and CP diagnosis rates, per quarter, were notably higher, (by 3 to 4-fold), in states that have legalized cannabis.

Among their findings included, the enactment of state medical cannabis laws (MCL) was associated to a 42.7% increase in the diagnosis of cannabis use disorders (CUD) and an 88.6% increase in cannabis poisonings (CPs). In those states that implemented “recreational cannabis laws” (RCL), the rates of cannabis poisonings (CP) increased by 31.6% in the adult population.

The authors caution that the implementation of cannabis legalization at the state level for, medical or “recreational” use, is associated to greater health risks for the adult population, increased impacts to the health care system and final costs associated to the treatment for (CUDs) or (CPs).

Read Time: <10 minutes

Photo: Pixabay.com/stock

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Monthly cannabis use rates are now greater than alcohol use

admin — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 21:28:06 +0000

When comparing daily use rates of cannabis to daily alcohol consumption, cannabis users are now 7.4 times more likely to engage in daily use compared to alcohol drinkers. Self-reported cannabis use, in the last 30 days, was nearly 4 times higher than alcohol usage for the same metric. From 1992 until 2022, the reported frequency rate of “daily or near daily” cannabis use increased by nearly 15-fold.

This study was released in the academic journal “Addiction” by Carnegie Mellon Professor, Dr. Jonathan Caulkins. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), from 1979 – 2022, frequency of use rates for alcohol and cannabis were assessed from the over 1.6 million survey respondents. Cannabis use frequency rates were at it all time low in 1992, but they have continued to increase to currently outpacing those who drink alcohol. While the number of people who drink alcohol versus use cannabis is greater, the frequency rate of cannabis use is higher by 3 – 4 times that of alcohol consumption.

Factors that have contributed to the increase in cannabis use include the nationwide push towards legalization, a reduction in criminal consequences and an overall loosening of public policy and opinion.

Read Time: ~10 minutes

Photo: OpenArt / MIG

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