While more and more states are legalizing marijuana in some way, shape or form, other states are experiencing an uptick in the drug’s black market.
As USA Today reports, marijuana smugglers are growing and shipping vast quantities of illicit cannabis across the U.S. – many starting in states where growing marijuana is legal, such as Colorado, and sending the drug elsewhere.
In 2012, Colorado voters approved the legalization of marijuana and between 2014 and 2016, seven other states followed suit.
But recreational pot remains illegal in every state surrounding Colorado and law enforcement in those states are looking for it.
Oklahoma and Nebraska attorneys general, who say smugglers caught with pot are overwhelming their jails, filed a lawsuit against Colorado, which the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear in 2016.
While less marijuana is crossing the U.S. border, according to the U.S. Border Patrol, some officers say they’ve seen increased cartel activity on the U.S. side of the border.
