Cracking Down On Illegal Marijuana Grows
Sacramento, CA — Citing the devastating environmental impacts, state and federal leaders will place extra effort cracking down on illegal marijuana grows.
US Attorney McGregor Scott announced at a press conference in Sacramento, “Growing marijuana on federal public lands is, and has always been, illegal, and the destruction it wreaks on the environment must be stopped. Our national parks and forest are priceless treasures held in trust for the public to enjoy for generations to come. But these assets are being destroyed by criminal organizations that cultivate millions of marijuana plants on these lands each year for profit. The scientific evidence showing the depth and scale of this destruction to the forests, wildlife and waterways is a wake-up call that we must heed.”
Scott added that there are over 16-million acres of National Forest Service lands, and said grows have also been located in national parks like Yosemite.
Others on hand at the press conference included California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, USDA Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore, California National Guard General David Baldwin, and many others.
It was noted that Mexican Drug cartels are responsible for a majority of the illegal grows on federal land. One of the recent common findings at illegal sites is the use of carbofuran, a substance that has been illegal in California for over a decade. Poisons are both polluting waterways and killing wildlife.
The agencies plan to work more closely together to coordinate efforts and bring more attention to the damage being done to public lands.
