TRIAD WEED: Collins Discusses the Negative Impact of Illegal Chinese Weed Grows on Maine and the U.S.

During an appearance on the George Hale Ric Tyler (GHRT) Rewind radio show, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) elaborated on the negative impact of illegal Chinese marijuana grows on Maine.

[RELATED: AG Garland Had “No Theory” About Triad Weed in Maine When Asked by Susan Collins, Avoiding Mentioning China by Name in His Response to Questions…]

“It then became evident to me as the result of some excellent reporting by The Maine Wire that we have, perhaps, more than 200 of the illegal marijuana growing operations in houses, particularly in rural Maine. And this is the most horrifying part, they are being run illegally by Chinese nationals who have sneaked into Maine,” said Sen. Collins “The federal government really needs to step up its efforts.”

Collins discussed multiple ways in which the illegal, Chinese marijuana farms hurt everyday Mainers.

The illegal marijuana grows exacerbate the state’s already severe housing crisis.

“These houses where these illegal growing operations are taking place are totally ruined, because they’re full of black mold. And given that we have a housing shortage in our state, that’s another consequence of these illegal marijuana operations,” said Collins.

[RELATED: Maine Housing Prices Up 12% Compared to March 2023, Sale Volume Also Up 3.5%…]

As part of the process of converting a house into an illegal weed grow, the building must be extensively renovated, with living space converted to contain marijuana plants and the equipment required for the operation.

In many cases, the houses cannot easily be converted back into living space because, in addition to the renovation required, the houses become infested with black mold due to the humidity level required to grow marijuana.

Along with exacerbating the housing crisis, illegal grows harm the Maine economy by competing with the state’s legal marijuana business.

Although Collins does not agree with Maine’s permissive marijuana laws, she is sympathetic to the small business owners losing money in their legal marijuana businesses because their prices are undercut by Chinese criminals.

During her radio interview, Collins also brought up human trafficking, one of the most concerning aspects of the criminal enterprise.

“There are reports that there may be human trafficking involved that people are being forced against their will from other countries,” said Collins.

In some cases, the weed grows are operated by Chinese illegal immigrants who have been trafficked into the country, and who are then used as slave labor, forced to live and work in unsafe conditions.

Many of these Chinese illegal immigrants are able to enter the country unimpeded due to the open border policies pushed by the federal government.

As the Biden Administration has allowed many of the criminals involved in the weed grows to enter the country with impunity, Collins has made efforts to bring national authorities to bear against the criminal enterprise ravaging Maine.

On multiple occasions, Collins has brought the situation to the attention of federal authorities such as the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a recent attempt, Collins questioned U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about the motive of Chinese criminals.

Garland did not acknowledge that the Chinese had anything to do with the criminal enterprise, and could not provide any information on the motive behind the operation.

While speaking to GHRT, Collins criticized the lack of federal action on the issue, which extends past Maine.

Despite efforts from Collins and others, only one criminal has faced federal charges for his involvement with the criminal enterprise.

Currently, fewer than 50 of roughly 270 illegal grow operations in Maine have been raided by police, with many of the raids resulting in no arrests, and many of the arrests leading to no prosecutions.