On Friday, the head of the labor union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents acknowledged that cartel activities are being disrupted by the states where marijuana is legal.
Although the President of the National Border Patrol Council, Brandon Judd, tried to downplay the impact of legalization, he was inadvertently making a case for the regulation of all illegal drugs by saying that cartels might start smuggling other commodities when marijuana is legalized within the states.
Judd made an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal when he made these remarks, and while he was there, a caller said that legalization of marijuana within the U.S. states has helped put an end to drug cartels more than the DEA could ever think.
Judd further said that as far as drugs go, U.S. states enforce the law, but do not sit down and determine what those laws are. On Friday, Judd is scheduled to meet President Trump. Judd also noted that the Border Patrol Unit would not be seizing marijuana if Congress legalizes it.
He said that when marijuana is legalized, the cartels transition to another drug that will fetch them profits. Judd also noted that legalizing marijuana does not mean that they will stop their businesses; it only means that they will get more innovative and they will start smuggling opioids, such as fentanyl.
However, Judd did not recommend the legalization of other drugs as a potential solution to removing all sources of profits for the cartels. Last December, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang said that legalizing certain drugs can be used to fight the illegal drug trade.
Border Patrol data on drug seizures within the country shows that after the legalization of marijuana at the state level, the demand for the product on the black market seems to have reduced. Cato Institute submitted a report in 2018 that showed that a significant decrease in illegal drug trade could be attributed to state-level reform efforts.
Besides, there has been a decrease in marijuana trafficking cases at the federal level since U.S. states started legalizing marijuana, and the markets are well regulated.
The U.S. Chief Justice, John Roberts, in his annual report said that last year, he noticed a decrease in federal marijuana prosecutions, which is an indication that the black market is drying up since people are now buying weed from the legal marijuana market.
Analysts believe that marijuana sector players like Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQX: PLPRF) have always known that it will only be a matter of time before law enforcement agencies begin admitting that legalization is a more effective way to squeeze out the blackmarket that denies states revenue and exposes consumers to untold risks.
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