Please see their press release below.
Kevin Sabet, PhD.
NNOAC Urges President Trump to Not Weaken Enforcement of Federal Drug Laws
The National Narcotics Officers Association Coalition today released a letter to the President urging him not to weaken the memo issued by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on January 4, 2018. The letter warns the President of the connection between legalized marijuana, the black market, and foreign cartel activity, as extensively documented by
NBC News and
Newsweek .
The text of the letter is as follows:
June 7, 2018
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C., 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We write as representatives for major law enforcement organizations representing federal, state, and local law enforcement. We are deeply concerned about reports that you may be considering action to overturn the January 4, 2018 Memorandum from the Department of Justice that merely restates current federal drug laws.
The fact is, gangs and cartels have been making liberal use of legalization to provide cover for their illegal activities. These gangs have ties to Mexican, Cuban, Vietnamese, and Russian cartels.
[i] The gangs often purchase homes in residential neighborhoods, wire in extra electricity and water capacity, and convert them into multi-million dollar grow houses in suburban neighborhoods. These gangs are also trafficking in other illegal drugs, organized crime, and prostitution. Crime has been steadily increasing in Colorado in all categories since legalization, including violent crimes.
[ii]Make no mistake, the black market does not honor state lines. Colorado and other legalized states have many embarrassing examples of providing cover for trafficking of marijuana to other states. In one of the most egregious examples, Operation Toker Poker, 62 people and 12 businesses were indicted for growing marijuana under the cover of legalization. Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said, “The black market for marijuana has not gone away since recreational marijuana was legalized in our state, and in fact continues to flourish.”
[iii]In another example, an organized crime unit with multiple licenses to grow and manufacture marijuana was finally caught after several years of shipping marijuana to other states. The Drug Enforcement Administration agents in Colorado indicated that this was a common arrangement.
[iv]Other states, like Oregon and California, have been growing much more marijuana than the state can consume and are mass exporters of marijuana to other states. The California Growers Association estimates that their members grow at least eight times as much marijuana as the entire state of California can consume and ship the rest out of state.
[v] The Oregon State Police estimate that their state grows four to five times as much as it can consume, shipping the rest as far as Florida and even abroad.
[vi]We urge you to see through the smoke screen and reject attempts to encourage more drug use in America.
Sincerely,
National Sheriffs’ Association
Major County Sheriffs’ Association
Major Cities Chiefs Association
National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition
National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Directors’ Association
Law Enforcement Action Network
CC: Marc Short, Office of Legislative Affairs
Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President
James Carroll, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
The Honorable Jefferson Sessions, Attorney General of the United States
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