Marijuana Archives - Granite Grok

MacDonald: Taxing Marijuana

July 24, 2025 Steve MacDonald

One of my principled objections to legal weed is similar to that of gambling. The interference of the regulatory state and revenue whores. Both are sin taxes. Either “activity” seems harmless enough in moderation, but both will get you into trouble quickly, and when it comes to pleasures and addictions, the line forms rapidly, no … Read more

Illicit Chinese Toxins Discovered at Somerset County Triad Cannabis Operation

March 15, 2025 Steve Robinson

(Associated News Service) Following the execution of a search warrant at 199 Middle Road in Fairfield related to an illegal cannabis growing operation, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department released images from the raid that show illegal Chinese-made fumigants—highly toxic chemicals not approved for any use in the United States. According to a statement from the … Read more

When Are We Going To Wake Up To The Chinese Threat At Home

January 21, 2025 Ray Cardello

We know the Chinese, and therefore the CCP, are infiltrating every aspect of our lives. It is challenging to purchase anything in America that does not have the Made in China label. Some of us make a conscious effort to buy American, knowing that if we can source our needs, they will be more costly, … Read more

Marijuana plant original Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

Make Stopping Marijuana a Part of Your Vote

September 8, 2024 Celeste Clark

THE PRIMARY is coming September 10th and with it more social media ads, more postcards in our mailboxes and more confusion. Have you ever stopped to wonder where the money for all of this advertising comes from? Why are these groups so concerned about local elections and spending so much on them? Big marijuana is … Read more

Has Maine Surrendered to Chinese Weed Cartel?

September 2, 2024 Ray Cardello

Today is my 1,400th article published and consecutive day writing, and I wish I had something more upbeat to opine on. Unfortunately, in these crazy upside-down times, we have much to be upset about, and positive stories are yearned for. The Chinese cartel illegal marijuana enterprise continues to evolve, and the two newest elements should … Read more

Letting NH Go To Pot

August 24, 2024 Steve MacDonald

The ‘Grok will publish letters to the editor (op-eds), event announcements, and press releases, even when they might promote ideas or issues we may not entirely agree with. There is a line, but as regards these formats, it is fuzzier, and we prefer to let readers judge and fisk rather than make arbitrary decisions about … Read more

Ok Maine, You Had Your High …

August 1, 2024 Ray Cardello

I may be the only 70-year-old guy in America who has never taken an illegal drug. I remember when Bill Clinton proudly proclaimed he had never inhaled a joint, and I thought big deal, Bill, I have never even held one. I am not bragging or trying to put myself on a pedestal for never … Read more

Did Joe Biden Tell Local Law Enforcement To Stand Down?

July 30, 2024 Ray Cardello

At last count, over 200 illegal Chinese marijuana “farms” were operating in the Pine Tree State. These are not your conventional salt-of-the-earth farms. These illegal pot farms are residential homes bought by the cartel and modified to allow hundreds of cannabis plants to be grown under one roof. Windows were covered, extra electrical service was … Read more

Marijuana Legalization is NOT Inevitable

April 3, 2024 Op-Ed

I hope you had a nice weekend. I am sharing a very important update with you below in regard to marijuana legalization. As you can see by the leadership in Virginia, Governor Youngkin proved marijuana legalization is NOT inevitable.

Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles: What Is The Bigger Threat: Parents Or A Chinese Cartel

March 11, 2024 Ray Cardello

It seems like this should be a concise article. Obviously, a Chinese Cartel is far more dangerous, and every effort should be made to eradicate it. Well, you would be wrong. Why would I write an article comparing the real threat of Chinese Cartels and the myth of parents who protest school boards as terrorists?

Correlation Is Not Causation but This Is Suspicious: Workplace Injuries Rise After States Legalize Recreational Marijuana

February 27, 2024 Steve MacDonald

I’m confident that people who show up drunk for work are more likely to get injured or injure someone else, but this study on weed and workplace injury suggests something less immediate and more lasting. The potential for a decline in cognitive agility with long-term use of marijuana might result in more work-related injuries.

Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles: What Is The Connection Between The Border Crisis and Maine Pot

July 15, 2024February 20, 2024 Ray Cardello

Maine is the “whitest” state in the country, but the demographics of The Pine Tree State have been changing significantly in the last thirty years. Legal and illegal immigration is driving this change, and the percentage of foreign-borns in Maine has increased by 20,000 in those three decades.

Dr. Ebner and Reefer Madness

October 10, 2024February 19, 2024 Spike

I see via NoScript that GraniteGrok is still on Disqus; otherwise, I would have entered your competition for the weekly prize. Refer to my Grok column of last 21-Apr, in support of legalization and against a new industry created by a government that intends to administer legalization and fight all mishaps.

Cannabis Use Disorder Is a Serious Public Health Concern

February 18, 2024 Op-Ed

As a parent, I am concerned with the rising use of recreational marijuana in society, especially in our youth and young adults. As a physician, I see firsthand the effects of Marijuana on health, and it is clear the marijuana on our streets in 2024 is not the same marijuana we or our parents may have smoked in the 1970s.

For the Children: Ban Flavored Tobacco, but Not Flavored Pot, Legalize Drug Dens (No Age Limits)

February 8, 2024 Rob Roper

If you want to know why Vermont is in such terrible shape on so many fronts, it is because the people we have elected to make important decisions for us are totally unmoored from any rational approach to problem-solving. They are devoid of any guiding principle, barring an intense desire to get their hands on our money and spend it as they see fit, which is usually not in a fit way.

Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles: The Problem Is Now In Our Backyard

February 4, 2024 Ray Cardello

Maybe this is a simple mistake. There are already legally licensed marijuana shops every mile or so on Auburn Road (RTE 4). It is understandable that someone would think it was okay to have a pot farm on the main drag through Turner, Maine. I once drove from Bear Pond up Route 4 to Jay, Maine, which is only about 13 miles.

Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles: Eight Successful Raids, Hundreds More Needed

January 21, 2024 Ray Cardello

As reported here on Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles and other sources like The Maine Wire, the Chinese Cartel has set its sights on rural Maine and is now operating hundreds of illegal pot farms.

Night Cap: Two More Pieces Of Maine Pot Puzzle

July 16, 2024December 19, 2023 Ray Cardello

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.

AG Garland Ignores Maine’s Cry For Help

July 16, 2024December 7, 2023 Ray Cardello

Merrick Garland is the United States Attorney General and heads up our Justice Department, which includes 115,000 employees. Garland is obviously a very busy man working with Joe Biden and Christopher Wray to find ways to target and harass people with a Conservative ideology.

Chinese Pot Problem Worse Than We Thought

November 22, 2023 Ray Cardello

More information has been uncovered about marijuana farms popping up in Central Maine, and someone needs to explain how nearly 300 of these operations are producing pot that is hitting the streets of New England.