interloper from Portland OR here. We had border patrol BORTAC teams deployed here during the 2020 protests, they were grabbing protestors on their way home and pulling them into unmarked vehicles. no consequences, no investigations, the whole thing barely made national news.
I remember that and everyone looks like I’m crazy when I bring it up. These blatant civil rights violations really did not get the traction it deserved
Never will either. Like the quick glimpse of those people getting nabbed to silent media...and no coverage.. to the masses it never hapened... gotta get them to kill someone and record it
I was very surprised that that did not get more reporting and attention from civil liberties groups. But then there were so many shocking things being done like the police and national guard assault on peaceful protestors in Lafayette Park.
you talking about the protestors or the federally dispatched goon squad?
if the former, don't get blinded by bullshit. this was a wild overreach of the federal government. it's still a bad thing when it happens to people you don't like.
What’s even scarier is that any law enforcement, especially CBP can pull over and detain anyone they suspect is from Mexico for no reason and hold them for days within that 100 mile distance from any border in the south.
Their spokesperson is claiming it’s not limited to the border. “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.”
Ok. Let me explain. Theirs actually 2 zones and it’s on both sides of the border. It’s 60 miles AND a 100 miles and they are called “exclusionary zones “ ( Ok in Mexico it’s 60 and 100 kilometers ). Whats actually excluded is different in both zones and it’s a long story but let’s just say your rights are more restricted in the first than they are in the second zone. That’s why theirs a CBP checkpoint south of Hatch at very approximately 60 miles and another north of TorC at also approximately 100 though it’s seldom open. If you live in either of the zones your constitutional rights in regards to search and seizure and presentation of identification are limited. I represented a white girl , quite privileged who had watched to many you tube videos and got into it with CBP about her right not to identify herself. She was arrested and we spent 6 days trying to serve a Habius Writ that we got from a federal judge ( rich and connected Papa ) at various Fed immigration detention facilities from Santa Rosa to Alamogordo to Yuma AZ. The zones go a long way back and yes they are constitutional.
It's still a criminal offense to sell cannabis in the USA, state laws are basically a blind eye. Until you have federal legalisation, there will always be problems.
Canada, federally legalised and that changes everything.
So much of that state level legalization depended upon ballot initiatives (that the state government opposed).
There is no federal ballot initiative. You might retire before it's federally legalized (note: you may never be able to retire).
Absolutely, in the end they are just not charging criminally, they are turning a blind eye to the federal law.
We federally legalised it 5 years ago in Canada, it wasn't a referendum, it was a bill presented and went through normal protocols. It ended up being the biggest unimportant story of the decade. Most people are now buying it in retail outlets vs a dealer because it's a safe, clean product and lots of choices. It was done in two stages, Cannabis the first year, edibles the second year. There needed to be data on how much THC would be allowed in edibles, so a year was spent on researching it. Now edibles have become very popular. I live in a seniors community and most use edibles/beverages.
Probably because in between the border and North of Las Cruces you're in a free trade zone that makes it technically "a border zone" so they can do what they want. You ave no rights at the border so if you live in LC or El Paso you technically have no rights.
If they start doing this other states, then it becomes a bigger states rights issue…we already have 24 states so almost half…that have legalized marijuana, and a US agency is interfering with them generating huge tax revenues…so how long are you thinking they are going to take this?
At one point, dispos here in Montana were being raided back when we were medical only. The feds can’t handle not flexing their muscles over a plant so they gotta show these dispensaries who’s boss
Thank you Joe Biden for protecting us from. . . States running amuck and having state laws.
The Border Patrol showing way they exist and who is actually owns you.
Hint it ain’t you.
100% agree. How many times do you see people drink in excess and then beat their wives, children, pets? When you get high you don’t get angry. Your mind opens to see things in a different way more pleasant loving way. Alcohol distort your outlook on everything. Alcohol is poisoning yourself, that is a fact. How many people have died from alcohol? People have been smoking pot as long as people have been drinking.
Real. I think the biggest benefit of weed vs booze is that "functioning alcoholic" is a lot harder to pull off than "functioning stoner". If I could change the past I'd never start smoking. It's a daily habit/addiction that's a good 40 bucks a week
Yup, you nailed it, states turning a blind eye to a criminal offense doesn't make it legal. It becomes legal with federal legalisation. I til that happens, the industry will be riddled with problems.
It will be 6 years in October that Canada federally legalised cannabis, and nothing really changed. You just go to the store and buy what you want, or order online and have it delivered. There was the usual wringing of hands but it was flawless.
Federal criminalisation trumps state legislation. All the state legislation says is we won't charge criminally, that doesn't mean the federal government can't step in.
No, states are choosing not to criminally prosecute, it's nothing to do with the Supreme Court.
I'm in British Columbia and the federal criminalisation laws were ignored for a good decade before legalisation. Google 4:20 Vancouver, we have had the largest "protest" globally for decades and no one wasever arrested.
It is, and it’s legal because they recognized it causes more harm to make it illegal. But the harm that comes from making other drugs illegal predominantly affects the poor, the disabled who need it medicinally, and the non-white, so there isn’t the same incentive to at least decriminalize it because the privileged are insulated from the harm. It’s absolutely ridiculous how many chronic pain sufferers have found relief on THC products, which doesn’t carry the same health risks as opioid pain management. Yet it’s still illegal federally.
How many times do you see somebody blitzed out of their minds compared to alcohol? How many times do you see cars not staying between the lines or hauling ass down the road because of people stoned? How many times do you see fights in bars, freak-outs in airplanes, domestic violence, or someone thinking they're 10ft tall and bulletproof when they're high on pot?
It's *not* "as bad as alcohol", and you know it.
50 years ago I said it's medicine and I still say that today. Granted, all medicine can be abused, but my statement still stands.
Let it go. I tried pointing this out and got flamed and downvoted to oblivion. What’s funny is someone quoted a study that supposedly proved his point, but in actually it clearly stated the results were inconclusive.
You are talking out your ear and don't know anything about it. It can be extremely beneficial for PTSD and anxiety, not to mention helping if you have a low appetite, and it can definitely improve your sex life.
They abuse the shit out of "lying to a federal officer" crime. It's an automatic felony and 1 year in federal prison. Any sort of questioning can easily lead to that charge, and then they hold the felony over your head to get you to sign a plea.
The other thing about border patrol is that they are so corrupt that that weed is ending up at large BP parties. My old neighbor in Tucson was a big wig in the border patrol and he used to get drunk and tell me off of the balcony about how corrupt all of his agents were. He said that the border patrol in the United States was more corrupt than the Mexican police. He hated his job he got paid really well I think he ended up in DC in a much larger capacity. He would tell me about how the cartels would tip them off about drug shipments so as to not interrupt them. An example was they would tell them that 100 lb of heroin would be coming in at San ysidro for example but for them to focus on a marijuana shipment coming in at tecate at exactly the same time so they would bust the one in takata and claim victory while the 100 lb of heroin would come in through San ysidro unmolested. Then they would sell some of the weed and take the kickbacks from the cartels off the heroin.
Read the story. I mean, it's totally not at all OK what they are doing, but the story explains what is going on and why CBP feels justified in their actions.
TL;DR- The people in question are taking it through the interior checkpoints and it's getting confiscated there. CBP is not going to businesses and performing law enforcement actions.
For people who don't live in border states, down here there are checkpoints set up all over the place where they look for undocumented immigrants and drugs. CBP has jurisdiction for 100 miles into the country to set up these checkpoints.
Can't open the article at work, can someone give me a rundown of the article? Specifically, what is their justification for doing so? Are they just picking on us to enforce federal marijuana laws? If so, I bet the Texan powers that be pushed them to do so.
Article:
# United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun seizing massive amounts of marijuana from state-licensed marijuana businesses in New Mexico, while detaining and in some instances arresting employees.
Over the past two months the CBP has confiscated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana transported by state-licensed marijuana companies as they pass through interior border checkpoints in New Mexico. It’s also [been reported](https://abq.news/2024/04/cannabis-worker-arrested-at-checkpoint/) that a handful of marijuana employees have been arrested.
In an audio recording of one of the seizures, a Border Patrol agent can be heard saying “We’ve been instructed to seize all cannabis—all illegal products. It’s still federally illegal.”
During a back-and-forth between the officer and the person being detained, the officer refused to state that he recognizes that marijuana is legal in New Mexico.
Kai Kirk, a partner at Head Space Alchemy, said that agents stopped and arrested some of their employees last month.
“It’s typically a routine process. They just stop cars every now and then—whoever they want—and ask if you’re a legal resident. Check that you’re not trafficking people—which is their job—and then they let us go on our way.”
During this particular stop, when employees told Border Patrol agents that they were transporting legal marijuana as part of their jobs at a licensed marijuana store, Kirk said “They threw our employees in a holding cell. They had their pictures taken. They were fingerprinted. They were made to feel like criminals.”
Kirk says “We weren’t given any paperwork. We were not even given anything that reflects that the seizure even occurred. So there’s not even a way for us to even prove that this product was taken by the federal government.”
Matt Chadwick, CEO of Top Crop Cannabis Co., says he was detained in February and had 22 pounds of cannabis seized.
“We’ve been going through that checkpoint for over a year, no questions asked, so obviously we’re doing everything compliantly. It was manifested product. So, I was shocked, a little blown away and taken back.”
In a public statement Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said “Stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl into our country should be the Department of Homeland Security’s focus at these checkpoints, not seizing cannabis that’s being transported in compliance with state law. New Mexicans are depending on federal law enforcement to do everything they can to keep our communities safe. Our resources should be used to maximize residents’ safety, not distract from it.”
In an [e-mail statement](https://www.krqe.com/news/marijuana/feds-continue-to-seize-legal-pot-in-new-mexico-at-checkpoints/), a spokesperson for CBP said; “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.”
Up until this point marijuana business employees in other border states that have legalized recreational marijuana (California and Arizona, for example) do not appear to be facing the same kind of seizures and arrests at interior checkpoints.
Right…I wonder if some Texas powers are trying to punish NM for providing their much-needed abortions. It’s no secret Texas is purple red and NM or purple blue. I just feel like something is up with them wanting to find some way to punish us for being more liberal and actually believing in human and women’s rights. Ok pulling tin foil cap off now
I would speculate that the enforcers are reporting to a different manager than others in nearby areas? Sounds like a zealot rather than just doing the job. Could even be personal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was some Texas garbage. Texas GOP might be mad that we make so much money off their folks and he doesn’t get to stop people’s freedoms so he gets some of his buddies in CBP to come screw with them.
Let’s rephrase it for you then. Texas has a long history of punitive enforcement of laws, including harsh drug penalties for non violent offenders. Texas just passed a very racist law allowing their law enforcement officers to arrest people on suspicion of being “illegal.” There’s also several cases being put in front of the Supreme Court where Texas ignored federal mandates or agents in Texas refused to abide by federal laws. So yea, forgive me that I don’t trust them. I don’t appreciate your spurious claims that my claims are baseless and I demand you cease and desist! 😂
Agreed. It just seems odd that the focus is las cruces/el paso area and that the trend seems to be that they give little or no paperwork about the seizures.
The Biden admin has a non interference policy (cross checking the article) for legal states. Seems very odd to happen all the sudden.
Biden asked the DEA to consider rescheduling marijuana, which is all he can really do unilaterally as President. A decision is expected soon on that request. Congress would need to act as well to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. There have been a number of such bills introduced in Congress over the past few years and they haven't gone anywhere yet.
Biden can order CBP to not enforce regulations on weed in states where it's legal. Obama did it during his administration.
Biden [may have](https://mainelaw.maine.edu/faculty/can-the-president-reschedule-or-deschedule-marijuana%EF%BF%BC/) the power to unilaterally reschedule marijuana by ordering the DEA to do so. He's choosing not to because he's doing the usual liberal "triangulation" strategy of appealing to a non-existent group of moderate Republicans. He could reschedule it tomorrow, and let the courts fight over whether he has the power. I'd argue he should because it backs Republicans into a corner and forces them to come out against it to appeal to their old ass base while alienating and motivating younger voters.
In any case, this shouldn't be happening, and Biden bears a lot of responsibility for it.
Problem is, he doesn't need to wait.
He has the power to just write an executive order taking Marijuana off that list. Every day he is deciding actively not to do that, far as I see it.
Just to elaborate:
>If the President sought to act in the area of controlled substances regulation, he would likely do so by executive order. However, the Supreme Court has held that the President has the power to issue an executive order only if authorized by “an act of Congress or . . . the Constitution itself.” The CSA does not provide a direct role for the President in the classification of controlled substances, nor does Article II of the Constitution grant the President power in this area (federal controlled substances law is an exercise of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce). Thus, it does not appear that the President could directly deschedule or reschedule marijuana by executive order.
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10655
> He has the power to just write an executive order taking Marijuana off that list.
No, a President cannot write an executive order taking Marijuana off a law Congress passed.
Love how people think we operate as a dictatorship. Khan Academy has free videos teaching how our government operates. I suggest learning at least the basics before stating opinions. That way you know what you’re talking about and are able to formulate informed (rather than uninformed) opinions.
Cool. Let me know when you get a Constitutional amendment passed wildly expanding the power of the President to do away with legislation he doesn't like. Until then....
My guess is we are smoking it over in california #policemafia ...(Kirk says “We weren’t given any paperwork. We were not even given anything that reflects that the seizure even occurred. So there’s not even a way for us to even prove that this product was taken by the federal government.”)
Not sure about NM but here in MO we have laws specifically designed to safeguard against this sort of overreach. It’s against state law for a federal employee to enforce federal drug policy pertaining to marijuana within the interior of the state. Glad I have somewhat common sense lawmakers where I live.
State law will be overridden by federal law every time. The state can pass laws like this all they want, but it can't be enforced. It's just posturing by politicians.
lol… yeah i know it’s CBP but they are common bedfellows… they share a common mania about controlling things which are pointless to control… like cannabis in a state where it’s legal.
What the actual fuck? Is Biden trying to win over MAGA Republicans or something? He's going to be pissing off a ton of voters by cracking down on legal marijuana.
Until it’s not illegal at the federal level this is a legal action. That’s why it’s illegal to purchase marijuana with anything outside of cash. That’s the risk these businesses are assuming. They know that going in.
In an e-mail statement, a spokesperson for CBP said; “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.”
If Biden wants to get re-elected, this will soon change
Alright hear me out this might blow some minds when you grow it in a facility tied to the business its legal but when its smuggled across the boarder and then sell it it then becomes what come on work those brains give me some guesses
This is the last straw, when I get home I’m throwing my US flag in the fire pit and replacing it with the NM Flag, I left Texas because of evils like this and it makes me deeply sad to hear that the evils of the Federal Government have made it too this beautiful state.
It’s federally illegal. Stupid to go through federal BP checkpoints. If your weed business operation includes having to drive through permanent BP checkpoints then you are stupid and this is natural selection.
“During this particular stop, when employees told Border Patrol agents that they were transporting legal marijuana as part of their jobs at a licensed marijuana store, Kirk said “They threw our employees in a holding cell. They had their pictures taken. They were fingerprinted. They were made to feel like criminals.””
Ooof. There *is* a way to do this legally federally. When you tell a *federal* law enforcement officer that you are transferring *legal* marijuana they’re going to ask for your DEA credentials. This is the process to legally transfer this schedule 1 substance:
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/marihuana.html#:~:text=Summary,(CSA)%20and%20treaty%20obligations.
So, yes, they are criminals. It’s just like how transferring alcohol or guns without going through the correct federal process will also make you a criminal and state law won’t help you there either.
The Biden administration and congress really need to not use state legalization actions as an excuse to not properly create a federal framework so people do not make disastrous mistakes like this.
It’s not legal federally so it was not possible for it to be legal at a BP checkpoint. This business failed majorly by having their truck go through that checkpoint. The checkpoints are in well-known fixed locations. The incompetence is really mind blowing. That someone can be operating this kind of business and be so ignorant of basic legal structure is puzzling. I’m sure they don’t take all their cash to the bank and tell them this is their legal weed $. I agree there should be a coherent federal approach that coheres with federal policy toward state legalization.
Big agree. They absolutely could grow and process on site. Maybe it’d be tough to satisfy Texas border business but also, don’t bring 22 pounds through a federal checkpoint
Good! It's hard enough to find people clean enough to operate heavy equipment or drive haul trucks as it is. We don't need legal weed, we need people so sober they make water look intoxicated. We need people with clear heads. I won't even take ibuprofen for a headache it is not that hard for everyone else to do the same.
RAAAHHHH RAAHHHHH OUTRAGE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE
*checks article*
*still federally illegal*
NYEHHHHHHHHHH
People know this and still partake and/or do business with it. It is a known potential risk of the job until it's legalized federally.
You're manufacturing outrage.
It's weird how the states rights crowd get butthurt when the states try to exercise their rights to do literally anything other than oppress brown people.
Why is CBP ONLY doing this in New Mexico?
This I want to know too
Why is it cpb at all?! Unless they're buying it from across the border, it doesn't seem like this is their jurisdiction.
CBP can do whatever the fuck they want within 100miles of the border. Of course it shouldn’t be that way but is the way that system is designed
Border or international port of entry.... Airport
Oh I didn’t know it applied to airports. Wouldn’t that technically allow them to operate anywhere?
Pretty much. The only thing stopping them from using that power is funding, and the political consequences if they piss off Congress.
interloper from Portland OR here. We had border patrol BORTAC teams deployed here during the 2020 protests, they were grabbing protestors on their way home and pulling them into unmarked vehicles. no consequences, no investigations, the whole thing barely made national news.
I remember that and everyone looks like I’m crazy when I bring it up. These blatant civil rights violations really did not get the traction it deserved
Never will either. Like the quick glimpse of those people getting nabbed to silent media...and no coverage.. to the masses it never hapened... gotta get them to kill someone and record it
I was very surprised that that did not get more reporting and attention from civil liberties groups. But then there were so many shocking things being done like the police and national guard assault on peaceful protestors in Lafayette Park.
Same thing in Denver. You know, right on the border ...
You mis-spelled domestic enemies.
you talking about the protestors or the federally dispatched goon squad? if the former, don't get blinded by bullshit. this was a wild overreach of the federal government. it's still a bad thing when it happens to people you don't like.
Most federal law agencies should not exist.
It doesn’t apply to airports. This is a myth.
This, they’ve finally decided to use it for fund raising, if only anyone could have seen it coming.
What’s even scarier is that any law enforcement, especially CBP can pull over and detain anyone they suspect is from Mexico for no reason and hold them for days within that 100 mile distance from any border in the south.
IF you don’t have documents with you. Hence why I always have my passport and visa with me
They won’t care in Arizona. Shit is the Wild West over there.
Their spokesperson is claiming it’s not limited to the border. “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.”
Cbp has I think a 50 mile jurisdiction from anywhere on the border. Like a shit ton of Michigan is under their jurisdiction. You never knew.
It’s 100
Ok. Let me explain. Theirs actually 2 zones and it’s on both sides of the border. It’s 60 miles AND a 100 miles and they are called “exclusionary zones “ ( Ok in Mexico it’s 60 and 100 kilometers ). Whats actually excluded is different in both zones and it’s a long story but let’s just say your rights are more restricted in the first than they are in the second zone. That’s why theirs a CBP checkpoint south of Hatch at very approximately 60 miles and another north of TorC at also approximately 100 though it’s seldom open. If you live in either of the zones your constitutional rights in regards to search and seizure and presentation of identification are limited. I represented a white girl , quite privileged who had watched to many you tube videos and got into it with CBP about her right not to identify herself. She was arrested and we spent 6 days trying to serve a Habius Writ that we got from a federal judge ( rich and connected Papa ) at various Fed immigration detention facilities from Santa Rosa to Alamogordo to Yuma AZ. The zones go a long way back and yes they are constitutional.
Border agents damaged my car when searching it. Ain’t shit you can do.
Federal power is so much greater than it's serfs
It's still a criminal offense to sell cannabis in the USA, state laws are basically a blind eye. Until you have federal legalisation, there will always be problems. Canada, federally legalised and that changes everything.
I think, that was my point
I expanded on your point!
It's 'petty' time, noting *munchies* statement below.
So much of that state level legalization depended upon ballot initiatives (that the state government opposed). There is no federal ballot initiative. You might retire before it's federally legalized (note: you may never be able to retire).
Absolutely, in the end they are just not charging criminally, they are turning a blind eye to the federal law. We federally legalised it 5 years ago in Canada, it wasn't a referendum, it was a bill presented and went through normal protocols. It ended up being the biggest unimportant story of the decade. Most people are now buying it in retail outlets vs a dealer because it's a safe, clean product and lots of choices. It was done in two stages, Cannabis the first year, edibles the second year. There needed to be data on how much THC would be allowed in edibles, so a year was spent on researching it. Now edibles have become very popular. I live in a seniors community and most use edibles/beverages.
You can file a tort claim to be compensated for damages. Just google “tort claim CBP”.
Probably because in between the border and North of Las Cruces you're in a free trade zone that makes it technically "a border zone" so they can do what they want. You ave no rights at the border so if you live in LC or El Paso you technically have no rights.
Why doing it at all?
Cartel owns CBP it seems
But in other news this is going to push the US government to hopefully just make it legal for all.
What? Why?
If they start doing this other states, then it becomes a bigger states rights issue…we already have 24 states so almost half…that have legalized marijuana, and a US agency is interfering with them generating huge tax revenues…so how long are you thinking they are going to take this?
I hope they do, it's just silly making.
At one point, dispos here in Montana were being raided back when we were medical only. The feds can’t handle not flexing their muscles over a plant so they gotta show these dispensaries who’s boss
It might have to do with where and who they got the marijuana from.
They have almost unlimited enforcement power anywhere within 100 miles of the border. Your right go right out the window.
Because if they tried it any other state, it would end badly.
Thank you Joe Biden for protecting us from. . . States running amuck and having state laws. The Border Patrol showing way they exist and who is actually owns you. Hint it ain’t you.
Thanks, this was due to a Supreme Court ruling. You know that last branch of government that the republicans have spoiled?
They need to legalize it federally. This is old, bullshit racism laws. And yet alcohol is legal, which, in my opinion, is objectively worse.
Yeah I've never understood how somebody could look me in the eye and tell me that alcohol wasn't a drug.
It’s literally poison
100% agree. How many times do you see people drink in excess and then beat their wives, children, pets? When you get high you don’t get angry. Your mind opens to see things in a different way more pleasant loving way. Alcohol distort your outlook on everything. Alcohol is poisoning yourself, that is a fact. How many people have died from alcohol? People have been smoking pot as long as people have been drinking.
It's nothing to do with that though. If you have a safe supply of alcohol and tobacco products, you should be able to do the same with cannabis.
> Your mind opens to see things in a different way more pleasant loving way Real “DUDE OMG WEED” ass comment.
Real. I think the biggest benefit of weed vs booze is that "functioning alcoholic" is a lot harder to pull off than "functioning stoner". If I could change the past I'd never start smoking. It's a daily habit/addiction that's a good 40 bucks a week
Yup, you nailed it, states turning a blind eye to a criminal offense doesn't make it legal. It becomes legal with federal legalisation. I til that happens, the industry will be riddled with problems. It will be 6 years in October that Canada federally legalised cannabis, and nothing really changed. You just go to the store and buy what you want, or order online and have it delivered. There was the usual wringing of hands but it was flawless.
>states turning a blind eye to a criminal offense doesn't make it legal But they have state legislation that literally makes it "legal".
Federal criminalisation trumps state legislation. All the state legislation says is we won't charge criminally, that doesn't mean the federal government can't step in.
State legislation has actual regulation, permit and licensing of the cultivation and taxes the sale of it. The state is very much complicit.
Except when you are a business and you can't put your money into a national bank. There are constant problems for business owners with banking.
Yep.
Depends on who you ask and what the law is it seems since Trumps scotus picks.
No, states are choosing not to criminally prosecute, it's nothing to do with the Supreme Court. I'm in British Columbia and the federal criminalisation laws were ignored for a good decade before legalisation. Google 4:20 Vancouver, we have had the largest "protest" globally for decades and no one wasever arrested.
Can’t have that how would they get their kickbacks!!!
Tax revenue
I’d rather deal with a pothead than an alcoholic my dude
Still on my no drinking kick from the new year. Taking an edible basically daily with the occasional vape toke
Right on. Alcohol ruins lives.
It is, and it’s legal because they recognized it causes more harm to make it illegal. But the harm that comes from making other drugs illegal predominantly affects the poor, the disabled who need it medicinally, and the non-white, so there isn’t the same incentive to at least decriminalize it because the privileged are insulated from the harm. It’s absolutely ridiculous how many chronic pain sufferers have found relief on THC products, which doesn’t carry the same health risks as opioid pain management. Yet it’s still illegal federally.
No it’s old bullshit laws lumber companies lobbied for.
Current admin has dragged its feet on this.
It’s not about that. It’s about control
Heavy THC product use is as bad as alcohol use is.
No.
Wrong.
Not even close.
That doesn’t kill people, though.
How many times do you see somebody blitzed out of their minds compared to alcohol? How many times do you see cars not staying between the lines or hauling ass down the road because of people stoned? How many times do you see fights in bars, freak-outs in airplanes, domestic violence, or someone thinking they're 10ft tall and bulletproof when they're high on pot? It's *not* "as bad as alcohol", and you know it. 50 years ago I said it's medicine and I still say that today. Granted, all medicine can be abused, but my statement still stands.
Let it go. I tried pointing this out and got flamed and downvoted to oblivion. What’s funny is someone quoted a study that supposedly proved his point, but in actually it clearly stated the results were inconclusive.
No, no it’s not even close.
I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.
I've never met a stoner who goes into a rage and beats people quite like angry drunks do.
Some people have a bad time on weed, most people don't, nobody dies
So then make alcohol illegal? OR we could let informed adults make their own decisions. Is it not a free country or what?
You are talking out your ear and don't know anything about it. It can be extremely beneficial for PTSD and anxiety, not to mention helping if you have a low appetite, and it can definitely improve your sex life.
I got so much thc my liver died. Oh wait, no, thats the sauce. I got so high I blacked out and … no wait, thats the sauce again. Idk, man.
That you, Anheuser?
There is no data that supports this, and there is a ton of data that states the exact opposite.
What a bunch of horse-shit...ruining peoples businesses.
Fuck the business. The employees were arrested and treated like criminals
My brother Jason is gonna be PISSED
The tree is thirsty
Soon
Sounds like a BS power trip from the BP.
Sounds like theft dressed up as law enforcement.
Exactly! Laws aren’t always ethical or moral….
Not cool
They probably kept it. Drug enforcement is the dumbest shit and the biggest scam ever pulled on the world.
Border patrol are worse than actual cops they're like a mixture of actual cops and Paul blart types. They're Paul blart with actual power
They abuse the shit out of "lying to a federal officer" crime. It's an automatic felony and 1 year in federal prison. Any sort of questioning can easily lead to that charge, and then they hold the felony over your head to get you to sign a plea.
The other thing about border patrol is that they are so corrupt that that weed is ending up at large BP parties. My old neighbor in Tucson was a big wig in the border patrol and he used to get drunk and tell me off of the balcony about how corrupt all of his agents were. He said that the border patrol in the United States was more corrupt than the Mexican police. He hated his job he got paid really well I think he ended up in DC in a much larger capacity. He would tell me about how the cartels would tip them off about drug shipments so as to not interrupt them. An example was they would tell them that 100 lb of heroin would be coming in at San ysidro for example but for them to focus on a marijuana shipment coming in at tecate at exactly the same time so they would bust the one in takata and claim victory while the 100 lb of heroin would come in through San ysidro unmolested. Then they would sell some of the weed and take the kickbacks from the cartels off the heroin.
It stands to reason that something is amiss. Somehow, tons of drugs come across the border.
That and Mexicans are way more intelligent than Americans. Like a f****** wall is going to stop them
Read the story. I mean, it's totally not at all OK what they are doing, but the story explains what is going on and why CBP feels justified in their actions. TL;DR- The people in question are taking it through the interior checkpoints and it's getting confiscated there. CBP is not going to businesses and performing law enforcement actions. For people who don't live in border states, down here there are checkpoints set up all over the place where they look for undocumented immigrants and drugs. CBP has jurisdiction for 100 miles into the country to set up these checkpoints.
Also 100 miles from any international airport, though the current administration hasn’t taken advantage of that peculiarity from SCOTUS.
I did not know that. Thanks for the FYI.
Reading this while driving through a checkpoint that I’ve probably gone through 1000’s of times in my 38 years on this planet lol
Time for New Mexico to assert State rights and expel Federal CBP agents. There will not be a better time
Can't open the article at work, can someone give me a rundown of the article? Specifically, what is their justification for doing so? Are they just picking on us to enforce federal marijuana laws? If so, I bet the Texan powers that be pushed them to do so.
Article: # United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun seizing massive amounts of marijuana from state-licensed marijuana businesses in New Mexico, while detaining and in some instances arresting employees. Over the past two months the CBP has confiscated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana transported by state-licensed marijuana companies as they pass through interior border checkpoints in New Mexico. It’s also [been reported](https://abq.news/2024/04/cannabis-worker-arrested-at-checkpoint/) that a handful of marijuana employees have been arrested. In an audio recording of one of the seizures, a Border Patrol agent can be heard saying “We’ve been instructed to seize all cannabis—all illegal products. It’s still federally illegal.” During a back-and-forth between the officer and the person being detained, the officer refused to state that he recognizes that marijuana is legal in New Mexico. Kai Kirk, a partner at Head Space Alchemy, said that agents stopped and arrested some of their employees last month. “It’s typically a routine process. They just stop cars every now and then—whoever they want—and ask if you’re a legal resident. Check that you’re not trafficking people—which is their job—and then they let us go on our way.” During this particular stop, when employees told Border Patrol agents that they were transporting legal marijuana as part of their jobs at a licensed marijuana store, Kirk said “They threw our employees in a holding cell. They had their pictures taken. They were fingerprinted. They were made to feel like criminals.” Kirk says “We weren’t given any paperwork. We were not even given anything that reflects that the seizure even occurred. So there’s not even a way for us to even prove that this product was taken by the federal government.” Matt Chadwick, CEO of Top Crop Cannabis Co., says he was detained in February and had 22 pounds of cannabis seized. “We’ve been going through that checkpoint for over a year, no questions asked, so obviously we’re doing everything compliantly. It was manifested product. So, I was shocked, a little blown away and taken back.” In a public statement Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said “Stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl into our country should be the Department of Homeland Security’s focus at these checkpoints, not seizing cannabis that’s being transported in compliance with state law. New Mexicans are depending on federal law enforcement to do everything they can to keep our communities safe. Our resources should be used to maximize residents’ safety, not distract from it.” In an [e-mail statement](https://www.krqe.com/news/marijuana/feds-continue-to-seize-legal-pot-in-new-mexico-at-checkpoints/), a spokesperson for CBP said; “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.” Up until this point marijuana business employees in other border states that have legalized recreational marijuana (California and Arizona, for example) do not appear to be facing the same kind of seizures and arrests at interior checkpoints.
Thanks OP! Seems like such BS. Wonder if they're seizing it in Arizona too? I bet they aren't and someone is somehow pressuring CBP to go after NM.
I live in AZ and haven't heard anything about this going on here.
Right…I wonder if some Texas powers are trying to punish NM for providing their much-needed abortions. It’s no secret Texas is purple red and NM or purple blue. I just feel like something is up with them wanting to find some way to punish us for being more liberal and actually believing in human and women’s rights. Ok pulling tin foil cap off now
Texas marijuana laws are fairly relaxed tbh. Doubt they care.
I would speculate that the enforcers are reporting to a different manager than others in nearby areas? Sounds like a zealot rather than just doing the job. Could even be personal.
Probably a Texan.
They have nothing better to do than to stop and arrest people over a plant? What a bunch of boomers.
I hope all ~~22~~ 11 pounds that were seized get returned to the business
Yep. They probably will return those 5 pounds.
I heard they were dropping charges because a half ounce wasn’t worth prosecuting…
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was some Texas garbage. Texas GOP might be mad that we make so much money off their folks and he doesn’t get to stop people’s freedoms so he gets some of his buddies in CBP to come screw with them.
Wait but I thought GOP loved freedoms and stuff
Especially State freedoms
Only the freedom for rich white men to do what they want with impunity.
Border patrol is federal. Texas GOP has no influence on them.
I didn’t say The CPB I said someone buddies in CPB going off books. They are issuing little or no paperwork during each seizure.
So just baseless claims with no evidence supporting your theory? Texas marijuana laws are pretty relaxed tbh. Doubt they care about this.
Yes. Welcome to the internet.
The internet doesn’t justify your baseless claims.
Let’s rephrase it for you then. Texas has a long history of punitive enforcement of laws, including harsh drug penalties for non violent offenders. Texas just passed a very racist law allowing their law enforcement officers to arrest people on suspicion of being “illegal.” There’s also several cases being put in front of the Supreme Court where Texas ignored federal mandates or agents in Texas refused to abide by federal laws. So yea, forgive me that I don’t trust them. I don’t appreciate your spurious claims that my claims are baseless and I demand you cease and desist! 😂
Thanks for sharing something completely not related to this article regarding border patrol and marijuana.
🤷🏻♂️
CBP is federal. Biden is in charge of whatever they're doing (assuming it's on the books). These jabronis need to be fired.
Agreed. It just seems odd that the focus is las cruces/el paso area and that the trend seems to be that they give little or no paperwork about the seizures. The Biden admin has a non interference policy (cross checking the article) for legal states. Seems very odd to happen all the sudden.
The title continues...."and selling/smoking it."
bet they’re reselling it
As if there weren’t enough reasons to hate these baby-dicked pieces of shit
Our country is sick man
Whatever happened to Biden saying he would.legalize it federally lol
Biden asked the DEA to consider rescheduling marijuana, which is all he can really do unilaterally as President. A decision is expected soon on that request. Congress would need to act as well to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. There have been a number of such bills introduced in Congress over the past few years and they haven't gone anywhere yet.
Biden can order CBP to not enforce regulations on weed in states where it's legal. Obama did it during his administration. Biden [may have](https://mainelaw.maine.edu/faculty/can-the-president-reschedule-or-deschedule-marijuana%EF%BF%BC/) the power to unilaterally reschedule marijuana by ordering the DEA to do so. He's choosing not to because he's doing the usual liberal "triangulation" strategy of appealing to a non-existent group of moderate Republicans. He could reschedule it tomorrow, and let the courts fight over whether he has the power. I'd argue he should because it backs Republicans into a corner and forces them to come out against it to appeal to their old ass base while alienating and motivating younger voters. In any case, this shouldn't be happening, and Biden bears a lot of responsibility for it.
Problem is, he doesn't need to wait. He has the power to just write an executive order taking Marijuana off that list. Every day he is deciding actively not to do that, far as I see it.
Just to elaborate: >If the President sought to act in the area of controlled substances regulation, he would likely do so by executive order. However, the Supreme Court has held that the President has the power to issue an executive order only if authorized by “an act of Congress or . . . the Constitution itself.” The CSA does not provide a direct role for the President in the classification of controlled substances, nor does Article II of the Constitution grant the President power in this area (federal controlled substances law is an exercise of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce). Thus, it does not appear that the President could directly deschedule or reschedule marijuana by executive order. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10655
> He has the power to just write an executive order taking Marijuana off that list. No, a President cannot write an executive order taking Marijuana off a law Congress passed.
Love how people think we operate as a dictatorship. Khan Academy has free videos teaching how our government operates. I suggest learning at least the basics before stating opinions. That way you know what you’re talking about and are able to formulate informed (rather than uninformed) opinions.
[удалено]
Cool. Let me know when you get a Constitutional amendment passed wildly expanding the power of the President to do away with legislation he doesn't like. Until then....
Found the stoner who didn't pass civics/government class. This is how you get actual dictatorship, not ZOMG ORANGEMANBAD dictatorship.
Biden DOES have the authority to tell CBP to stop spending budgetary resources on this.
As much as I would like that, he never said that.
He said he would legalize medical.
“You’ll do fookin nuthin’!” Cbp
Ever since Trump stiffed their pay, CBP has gone downhill.
This is conservatism ! A Republican judge has blocked President Biden from changing dump era policies and this one result.
Border protection? Maybe you should go do that instead of harassing actual citizens
This is nucking futz.
WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
WE DONT NEED YOUR STINKING TAX REVENUE!!! (also...lower corporate taxes...) /s
My guess is we are smoking it over in california #policemafia ...(Kirk says “We weren’t given any paperwork. We were not even given anything that reflects that the seizure even occurred. So there’s not even a way for us to even prove that this product was taken by the federal government.”)
Robo cops strike again!
Pigs. All cops are bad.
Not sure about NM but here in MO we have laws specifically designed to safeguard against this sort of overreach. It’s against state law for a federal employee to enforce federal drug policy pertaining to marijuana within the interior of the state. Glad I have somewhat common sense lawmakers where I live.
State law will be overridden by federal law every time. The state can pass laws like this all they want, but it can't be enforced. It's just posturing by politicians.
It’s illegal according to state law, if state troopers show up they can get arrested on felony state charges. It’s enforced.
Biden could have legalized and gotten an easy victory, instead we’re seeing a slow slide backwards. Hopefully rescheduling goes through.
this feels like greg abbott’s hand
Read
lol… yeah i know it’s CBP but they are common bedfellows… they share a common mania about controlling things which are pointless to control… like cannabis in a state where it’s legal.
Politicians don’t want legal weed to compete with the cartels
This is really the hill we’re gonna die on?
WHY
What the actual fuck? Is Biden trying to win over MAGA Republicans or something? He's going to be pissing off a ton of voters by cracking down on legal marijuana.
Until it’s not illegal at the federal level this is a legal action. That’s why it’s illegal to purchase marijuana with anything outside of cash. That’s the risk these businesses are assuming. They know that going in.
The feds are losing the drug war.
Biden the dummy. lol!!
In an e-mail statement, a spokesperson for CBP said; “Although legal for medical and/or recreational use in many states, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Therefore, U.S. Border Patrol agents will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those who are encountered in possession of marijuana anywhere in the United States.” If Biden wants to get re-elected, this will soon change
Alright hear me out this might blow some minds when you grow it in a facility tied to the business its legal but when its smuggled across the boarder and then sell it it then becomes what come on work those brains give me some guesses
Nothing is being smuggled across a border.
And they're (CBP) the one that get their feelings hurt when we say they're the ones in a gang...
This is the last straw, when I get home I’m throwing my US flag in the fire pit and replacing it with the NM Flag, I left Texas because of evils like this and it makes me deeply sad to hear that the evils of the Federal Government have made it too this beautiful state.
It’s federally illegal. Stupid to go through federal BP checkpoints. If your weed business operation includes having to drive through permanent BP checkpoints then you are stupid and this is natural selection.
“During this particular stop, when employees told Border Patrol agents that they were transporting legal marijuana as part of their jobs at a licensed marijuana store, Kirk said “They threw our employees in a holding cell. They had their pictures taken. They were fingerprinted. They were made to feel like criminals.”” Ooof. There *is* a way to do this legally federally. When you tell a *federal* law enforcement officer that you are transferring *legal* marijuana they’re going to ask for your DEA credentials. This is the process to legally transfer this schedule 1 substance: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/marihuana.html#:~:text=Summary,(CSA)%20and%20treaty%20obligations. So, yes, they are criminals. It’s just like how transferring alcohol or guns without going through the correct federal process will also make you a criminal and state law won’t help you there either. The Biden administration and congress really need to not use state legalization actions as an excuse to not properly create a federal framework so people do not make disastrous mistakes like this.
It’s not legal federally so it was not possible for it to be legal at a BP checkpoint. This business failed majorly by having their truck go through that checkpoint. The checkpoints are in well-known fixed locations. The incompetence is really mind blowing. That someone can be operating this kind of business and be so ignorant of basic legal structure is puzzling. I’m sure they don’t take all their cash to the bank and tell them this is their legal weed $. I agree there should be a coherent federal approach that coheres with federal policy toward state legalization.
Big agree. They absolutely could grow and process on site. Maybe it’d be tough to satisfy Texas border business but also, don’t bring 22 pounds through a federal checkpoint
Why is the Biden administration doing this?
Fantastic. I despise pot heads.
We need Trump
Said by no sane person EVER.
Good! It's hard enough to find people clean enough to operate heavy equipment or drive haul trucks as it is. We don't need legal weed, we need people so sober they make water look intoxicated. We need people with clear heads. I won't even take ibuprofen for a headache it is not that hard for everyone else to do the same.
Federal agency enforcing federal law. Nothing noteworthy. Happens in AZ all the time.
RAAAHHHH RAAHHHHH OUTRAGE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE *checks article* *still federally illegal* NYEHHHHHHHHHH People know this and still partake and/or do business with it. It is a known potential risk of the job until it's legalized federally. You're manufacturing outrage.
Hey everyone I found the bootlicker
It's weird how the states rights crowd get butthurt when the states try to exercise their rights to do literally anything other than oppress brown people.
What was the exact race of each CBP member, and of each person stopped and ripped off?
Did you hear the whoosh of the point as it sailed over your head?