PINE BLUFF, Ark. — The Pine Bluff Police Department (PBPD) announced on Thursday that they have seized 45 pounds of marijuana that was being illegally sold at local smoke shops.
According to authorities, the investigation began on June 25, 2024 as detectives started looking into smoke shops in Pine Bluff that were selling marijuana products “under the false representation that they were legal hemp, specifically labeled as THC-A.”
PDPB stated that multiple shop owners claimed they believed they complied with an Arkansas law — Arkansas State Statute § 5-64-215 — which allows the sale of hemp-derived cannabidiol products containing no more than 0.3% Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis.
Detectives said that lab results from the Arkansas State Crime Lab showed that the aforementioned products that were being sold from the establishments contained THC concentrations that authorities described as being “well above the legal threshold, some testing at 1% or greater, making them illegal under Arkansas law.”
Following the discovery of these products, vice and narcotics detectives proceeded to visit each smoke shop in Pine Bluff and seized each of the “flower” products that were being labeled as THC-A.
Additionally, authorities said that smoke shop owners were then informed that the seized products were going to be submitted to the state crime lab so that detectives could run further drug analysis.
Results of the tests confirmed that the THC levels in the seized products exceeded the legal limit in Arkansas, which resulted in detectives issuing cease-and-desist orders to owners around the city.
The order instructed the owners to “immediately remove all illegal products from their shelves and cease further sales,” to which some businesses complied. On the other hand, authorities said that other businesses continued to sell the illegal items and now face criminal charges referred to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office.
