Local News Comments

....And what about Meth Production in the two counties?

Where are the good news stats for that?

We always see the numbers on the plant distruction, but we never see anything on how many growers they catch upon the plant discoveries...why do they never catch anyone? Guess it's job security if you don't stop the planting by catching the growers...hmmmm, something to think about.

Along with the numbers eradicated we also should be told how much this cost the tax payer. I want to know how much money was wasted on this silly plant instead of going toward drug education programs and going after meth, heroine, and cocaine dealers.

It's just a numbers game. I once worked for a company that manipulated costs to artificially inflate them then act like they did something wonderful when they found a way to reduce them.

@Blag So you are suggesting we should just let the cartels do their thing and grow whatever they want on public lands? Even if marijuana use was legal in the state, it would still be illegal to grow (Much like it is illegal to grow tobacco).

TNT goes after meth production just as much as they do marijuana production.

@BChil Very few growers are caught. But even if they are, they are just pawns. The cartels send them out into the woods to grow. The people they send are disposable and they will just send others if the first ones are caught.

I know first hand of what really happend. The Tuolumne narcotic team stopped doing aerial flight's over the vast national forest where the cartels grow. Instead they focused there flights in our back yards and started arresting medical marijuana grows. Besides they would usually never end up with an arrest with the cartel's. Tax payer's are now forking out the cost on the court case's on the medical users. herion and meth take an actual investigation to get off the streets and God forbid the detectives get off there rear end's and do there job!

I'm going along with smokin aces,BChil and Blag on this one. Meth, Cocaine and Heroin, including the crimes and human destruction it produces in our community is infinitely more important than pot growers of any nationality. If the growers ( who never get caught) are illegals as reported in the past you could remove their criminal enterprise by allowing users to grow small amounts for their own consumption. Then the illegals, their chemicals, waste and guns will be out of our forest.

@Stuka Do you see the cartels involved in the growing of tobacco? No, there isn't profit in it for them. If marijuana were legalized it would take the profit away and keep the Mexican cartels out of our forests where I go backpacking with my kids. I am not a pot head by any means, but if someone wants to grow a few plants it should be their right to do so instead of funding drug wars.

The main groups that want it illegal are the law enforcement agencies and the cartels. I'm not talking about the street level police and sheriffs which I have great respect for, I'm talking about the upper levels in our state and federal government. Follow the money. It's a loosing battle and drain on funds in a cash strapped state, and for what? Every year the same thing; they plant it, we pay to pick it.

In 2010 the sheriff's department published that they would only have 2 officers assigned to marijuana eradication. Seems to me they attracted the 411,000 plants. Way to go guys.

@Stuka - growing tobacco is legal in California. You need a license to sell or distribute it.

And with the county having closed the 3 coops in the county.How much tax dollars is the county losing out on every month?

Amen, Blag.

You are deluded if you actually believe these are "Cartel grows."

I mean, hypothetically, a "Local boy" could obtain some food wrappers written in spanish, or some generic Mexican food wrappers, leave them strategically placed at his grow site and get it pinned on the "Cartel" pretty easily...Just sayin'.

Numbers are down in Tuolumne County because the numbers are not reported until after the election. If this was a campaigning year, you would have seen much larger numbers, kind of a 'Look we're doing our job'. Legalize it but keep it illegal to grow on Public Lands and smash the cartels!!!

A couple of elections ago there was a State issue on the ballot to legalize the recreational use of pot. All the growers of these illegal plants voted and campaigned against those measure because it would immediately put them out of business. To their relief, it didn't pass. It could have taken all focus off pot and put it on the real scourge of our county, the manufacture, sale and use of meth. It has always been more successful with parents being involved with preventing adolescent drug use and drinking. That wouldn't change with or without legalization. Misdirected youth and adults have to make their own decisions, as they do now. Unfortunately, laws don't seem to influence those decisions one way or the other.

Thats good news that the illegal grows are down so much. It makes are forest more user friendly. It still should be legal so we be free of the cartels once and for all.

And...yes even though it is "just a plant" it attracts criminal activity.
Is it worth getting shot over?

Big time growers use decoy fields and purposly account for loss and grow enough to still profit.They just start over.sooo catching them when they can is all you can do and alot of them are not citizens.

@jlav

To clarify, "We" are free of cartels.

thrinnskaar you are the one deluded in thinking these plants are "local" grown and not cartel backed. We spend a lot of time in the woods and have spoken with several law enforcement officers out there about the grows. They are there, they are illegals, they pollute the land with their living areas, batteries and chemicals and if you happen to stumble upon someone tending a grow, you'd better be well armed. It is not necessarily spanish printed items found but moreover plastic bags that are haning from branches like the wind blew them there with out of town grocery stores; trail head markings could be anything from aluminum cans impaled on a branch to bags or trash strategically placed. Hopefully for your own safety you stay out of the woods.

@BChill
I travel all over the woods extensively. I know several of these local big time growers. I also know several law enforecement officers. I'm not surprised the law enforecement officers have told you what they did...

Law enforcement needs to eradicate as many of these illegal pot grows as possible. Most of the time these grows are guarded by Mexican nationals or gang members who are armed and willing to kill anyone who stumbles upon their grow. Marijuana growing for profit is not a victimless crime. Just look at the many murders by the cartels over who will control the growing and selling of pot. Even people in this county have been approached by armed theives attempting to steal their medical pot. Pot needs to be regulated and precribed just like any other controlled substance before more people get hurt or possibly killed.

Just more tax dollars wasted in the battle over "The Evil Weed" Prohibition never worked for alcohol and its never gonna work for marijuana. I think the ATF and and the Local Guys like putting on there camos and all that gear and going out in the woods and playing. And thats no joke. I really do :-) As far as cartells. They can grow it easier in Mexico and can buy off the police so why in the world would they want to come here and grow it???? Our pot is local grown by the good ol" boys who sometimes bring in the mexican labor because they know how to grow it. BChill is exactly right on this one....