By Ray Cardello for December 19, 2023, Season 23 / Post 45

I want to write an article about the Chinese Cartel Pot Farm situation in Maine and report the steps taken to rectify the matter. I want to say the State and Federal Governments were working in unison to get these 200 illegal operations that have popped up in Central Maine shut down. I cannot write the story I want because the Maine State Government is taking steps to make matters worse for the good people of Maine and better for the illegal Chinese operators. It is very difficult to ascertain the logic of the state legislature as you would think they should have the best interest of Mainers in mind. They do not. Let’s look at two bills working their way through the system.

The first is extremely puzzling. As I wrote about last week, Senator Collins and Representative Golden have been working to get the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security to work with local and State Police to shut these pot farms down. At the same time, the Maine House defeated a bill that would have given law enforcement more power to combat illegal growers and distributors. Those who voted against this bill do not have the welfare of Mainers in mind. Who are they working for?

The second bill to be considered shortly would delete the term Marijuana from Maine’s Criminal Code. This means that Marijuana will have the same status as a cucumber. It is a simplistic analogy for a confusing situation. This bill will make any situation involving Marijuana legal and expunge any Marijuana related conviction in Maine’s history. Would this make these illegal Chinese Pot Farms legal? I cannot fathom that scenario. Are these State Reps choosing the Chinese over the residents? What a mess. I am having a difficult time with this topic as it defies logic. It is tantamount to opening the Border and letting an unlimited number of unvetted aliens in without vetting but telling the American people the Border is secure.

Two weeks ago, the former Bass Shoe factory in Wilton, Maine, was raided, and over $1 Million worth of pot plants were confiscated and destroyed. Ownership of the building is being investigated, but the Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (ATCOs) that operated the Bass Shoe site are also suspected of running several more illicit drug houses in Wilton and surrounding towns. The authorities have already seen people, presumably workers of Asian descent, returning to the building. Police estimate the yearly income from this operation to be between $12-$15 million. Pot from these illegal shops does not stay in Maine but is transported to every state on the Eastern Seaboard.

We were in the acknowledgment phase when I have written in the past. In a few short weeks, we have entered the enabling phase. We have a terrible situation in Central Maine that is creating a safety and health issue for the residents, and the politicians are making it much worse. The elected officials in Maine are not serving Maine and are acting against the will of the people, as they recently did passing an abortion bill against the desires of 80% of voters. In that case, Planned Parenthood owned these politicians. In the Marijuana case, it is the Chinese. What will be the next case and special interest group? Stay tuned.