Law Enforcement

A recent crackdown in Kay County, Oklahoma saw authorities confiscate 4,800 pounds of cannabis and ultimately shutter five licensed medical cannabis businesses.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said that over the last two years, officials have shut down more than 800 unlawful cannabis farms operating under the guise of the state’s medical cannabis law.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) has rejected a proposal that would have reduced the amount of time that law enforcement recruits could have used cannabis before entering training from 24 months to 12 months.

California’s United Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce last month eradicated more than 67,000 illegally cultivated cannabis plants and seized more than 8,000 pounds of cannabis products as part of its crackdown on the illicit cannabis market.

The New Mexico Attorney General’s office is investigating allegations of wage theft and human or labor trafficking at a licensed cannabis facility.

New York regulators have seized nearly $11 million worth of product and at least 1,000 pounds of cannabis during the first three weeks of enforcement actions against the state’s unlicensed retailers.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 4-3 that the odor of cannabis alone is enough to justify police searches of vehicles despite the fact that legal substances in the state — like hemp — can smell exactly the same.

New York regulators on Thursday shut down multiple unlicensed cannabis shops in Ithaca, Binghamton, and New York City. The companies now face fines of up to $10,000 per day they were operating without a license.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) appears to support considering synthetic cannabinoids that contain THC — including hemp-derived delta-8 THC — as controlled substances under federal law, according to a recent agency conference presentation.

Despite having served fewer warrants, California’s United Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce seized more cannabis and cannabis products — and eradicated more cannabis plants — during the first quarter of 2023 than the previous quarter.

The New Mexico Supreme Court heard arguments this week about whether roadside alcohol impairment testing can be used by law enforcement officers to check for evidence of cannabis impairment.

The U.S. military and many federal agencies have started to deprioritize prior cannabis use when considering new hires.

Out of the 806 federal cannabis-related criminal charges filed in the U.S. last year, 98.8% were for alleged drug trafficking.

Illinois lawmakers are considering two cannabis bills: one to ban police from searching vehicles based solely on the odor of cannabis and one to allow some people on probation to use cannabis and alcohol.

Per an enforcement order by Connecticut’s attorney general, law enforcement recently seized thousands of delta-8 THC, delta-8 THCO, delta-9 THCO, and other high-THC products at three vape shops in Stamford.

Maryland lawmakers passed a bill this week to prohibit police officers from conducting vehicle searches based solely on the presence of cannabis odor.

Seven police officers who helped carry out a raid on Afroman’s house in Ohio last year are now suing the artist over his use of footage from the raid, which depicts the officers’ faces, in music videos and on social media. The rapper says he plans to countersue.

Since Killeen, Texas voters opted to decriminalize low-level cannabis possession last November, city police have released 77% of the individuals they encountered who were in possession of cannabis.

California cannabis regulators and law enforcement agencies collectively seized nearly 440,000 pounds of illicit cannabis during enforcement actions last year.

An annual report found that police in California searched teenagers they perceived to be Black at nearly six times the rate of teens they perceived to be white during 2021 vehicle and pedestrian stops.

The alleged “straw” owner of the Oklahoma cannabis farm where a quadruple homicide occurred last November has been arrested.

Police in Hays, Kansas recently raided the hospital room of a terminally ill cancer patient, confiscating a THC-infused edible paste and vaping device said to contain cannabinoids. The patient was given a ticket and court summons but law enforcement later dropped the charges.

Police in northern India said that a stash of 500 kilograms of confiscated cannabis that had gone missing was eaten by rats.

South Florida police arrested a man yesterday who is suspected of murdering four people at an Oklahoma cannabis farm over the weekend.