The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says the federal legalization of hemp is creating law enforcement complications, claiming that the policy is giving cover to criminal organizations that traffic in still-illegal marijuana. In its annual National Drug Threat Assessment report published on Tuesday, the agency gave a critical take on the bipartisan legislative move to stop criminalizing the crop—departing from the position of other agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is overseeing the implementation of regulations for hemp. “The 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp production at the federal level has further challenged law enforcement, particularly in states that legalized marijuana,” DEA said. “For example, investigations in some states in which marijuana production is legal under state law to have revealed a significant number of hemp businesses and grow operations that are owned and operated by members of [drug trafficking organizations] illegally producing and trafficking marijuana.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/04/2021 08:29:00