High Sierras
The woods are lovely, dark, and...full of gun-toting narcofarmers.
EARLY ONE MORNING in August 2005, a small team of game wardens and deputies climbed through coyote brush and manzanita in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve outside San Jose, California, searching for an illegal pot farm. As they crested a ridge, they discovered densely planted rows of cannabis stalks. Suddenly, a high-powered rifle cracked and an officer fell to the ground, shot through both legs. Seconds later, another deputy shot and killed a man wielding a sawed-off shotgun. "It was literally like a jungle firefight," recalls warden John Nores, who fired at the other shooter before he escaped into the woods. Left behind in a meadow just minutes from the heart of Silicon Valley were 22,000 marijuana plants worth some $88 million.
Over the past decade, marijuana patches known as "grows" or "gardens" have sprung up on public lands across the West, including a third of California's national parks and nearly 40 percent of all national forests. Where hippies once grew just enough weed to peace out, traffickers now cultivate more than 100,000 plants at a time on 30-acre terraces irrigated by plastic pipe, laced with illegal pesticides, and guarded by men with MAC-10s and Uzis. Grows have turned up everywhere from the deepest backcountry to the edges of suburban subdivisions. Farming pot on public land can be more profitable than smuggling it across the increasingly militarized border. The 3.1 million pot plants seized in national forests in the year prior to last September had an estimated street value of $12.4 billion.
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The Patriot's Guide to Legalization
Have you ever looked at our marijuana policy? I mean, really looked at it?
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The Cartels Next Door
Cartels used to neatly divide Mexico. But as they have fractured, the violence has intensified. And moved north.
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This Is Your War on Drugs
Since 1998, the drug czar has been mandated to lie to the American people. So what would a fact-based drug policy look like?
Rangers and game wardens say pot growers are a major threat to California's 23,500 square miles of wilderness (which doesn't include state or regional lands). "These guys literally create cities within your national forests," says Laura Mark, a special agent with the US Forest Service. Growers clear land year-round, plant crops in the spring, and haul out the harvest in the fall, often leaving behind mounds of trash and dead animals, denuded hillsides, and streams full of sediment and human waste. Last year, the community of Snow Creek, California, traced feces in its water treatment plant to a grow in the nearby San Bernardino National Forest. Restoring the 10,000 acres of national forest fouled by pot farms could cost more than $30 million.
Pot farmers who till public lands avoid the risk of forfeiting their property if they're busted, but they must also ward off competitors. "They are going to point guns at you first and ask questions later," says Troy Bolen, the Bureau of Land Management's head of law enforcement in California. In the past decade, growers have killed two people who have stumbled upon their fields, held nature lovers at gunpoint, and had numerous shoot-outs with cops. Last year, in California's national forests the state's anti-grow task force killed one grower and arrested 177, 80 percent of whom were Mexican citizens.
Officials believe that Mexican drug cartels control the grows, but proving that is tough. Last year, Nores caught a pot grower who revealed almost everything about his operation but said he didn't know whom he worked for. "They're kind of set up like terrorist cells," he observes. After the bloody 2005 ambush, he says, his team now treats raids like potential battles, bringing along medics and keeping air support on standby—just in case.
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Haven't seen any yet, tho I was in those hills last weekend...
love weed, legalize
love weed, legalize
What’s crazy about all of
What’s crazy about all of this, and what most news outlets fail to point out (nuance, eww, not in our media), is that the violence associated with the marijuana trade (and the entire drug trade really) is wholly attributable to the fact that it is illegal and has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the drugs themselves. Think alcohol trade circa 1920 (Al Capone any one) vs. alcohol trade today. When’s the last time you heard ab a shooting over prime bootlegging territory… When will the politicians finally wake up and just do the right thing and legalize this stuff? It blows my mind that the right wants to claim the mantle of the part of personal responsibly and liberty, but they don’t think that that people are responsible enough to smoke weed (but, of course, they are responsible enough to drink alcohol and/or spend their own money wisely)…
Marijuana might be fun, but these guys are pure evil
I personally hate how marijuana makes me feel, but understand that others love it.
That doesn't have any affect on the absolute fact that these bastards deserve to be hunted down and executed like the rabid dogs they are.
the most disturbing item in
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the most disturbing item in this article is the fact that 80% of these guys are Mexican citizens who are here illegally, using our dirt and water to grow illegal weed and sell it to our citizens - when are we going to stop these scum-bags from coming across our border ?
You're buying into the
You're buying into the conservative premise that drugs should be illegal, when in fact, if they were legal, poor Mexicans wouldn't have any incentive to cross the border to pursue violent careers in growing. You're proposing treating the symptom, and not the disease, to stop just the "scum-bags" from crossing, as if that isn't a logistical and pecuniary disaster. The fact is that most Mexicans who cross look for and find honest work. Immigration shouldn't even be a part of this discussion. It's the fallacy of a drug war and a desire to tell people what's best for them that is at issue.
With love,
from a Mexican
Legalize and solve the issue!
First off, to Mr. "execute these rabid dogs". That is the exact problem! We are spending countless amounts of money, time and, now even, human lives fighting these rats. I call them rats, because they are more like rats than dogs. You can kill 1,000 of them and there will still be plenty behind them to pick up the slack.
This issue has nothing to do with illegal immigration or Marijuana itslef. This is a prohibtion issue. As someone else has stated, this can most closely, and almost exactly, be compared to alcohol prohibition. This goes the same for any prohibition that a government forces onto its citezens. Whether it be drugs, alcohol, guns, candy, bread, anything that is in high demand and then deemed "Illegal" will almost certainly open up a 'black market'. Legalizing it will almost instantly close this black market of growers. Then these "rabid dogs" will have no market, no job and will keep thier asses where they belong.
The money we spend fighting Marijuana users, dealers and growers is rediculous. Especially in times like these when states are passing out IOUs to their contractors and workers. It is time people come to their senses and make Marijuana a legal substance just like that of alcohol. Allow our governement to control it, TAXit and distribute it in a civilized manner. It will also create an entire market, which corporate America will certainly pick up on in no time, and create countless amounts of much needed jobs, work and money into our economy.
When someone brings up this issue, one of the first questions I ask is, "In High schoool, was it easier to get a bottle of Vodka or a bag of weed?" The answer is almost certainly the illegal weed opposed to the legal vodka. Why? Because last time I checked there are no black markets for Alcohol because it is controlled and LEGAL and pot dealers don't ask for ID.
This issue frustrates me constantly as I cannot see how people are against the legalization. It just doesn't make sense NOT to. The effects of keeping Marijuana ILLEGAL are way worse than that of legalizing it. People are going to use either way. Our government is spawning criminals who use. These are decent people, living great lives, but are deemed criminals for lighting a joint??? What harm are these people causing?
In my point of view, this should have been a dead issue 10 years ago. This "War on Drugs" is clearly not working. When will our government wake up and smell the weed? I know, when they run out of money....
ITT: stoners trying to get
ITT: stoners trying to get their drug legalized
ITT:
Mr. ITT,
Good case buddy. Throw me some facts to justify your statement and keep this herb illegal. Simply stating someone a 'stoner' has no just cause for your comment and obvious opposition.
Do you consider the US governement that ended alcohol prohibition Alcoholics? If so, then you have already been proved wrong by more than 50 years of a closed black market and crime due to the end of alcohol prohibition.
It is the ignorance of people like you not looking at the facts and simply saying that anyone whom is in favor of the legalization of Marijuna is a 'Stoner'.
You should try reading and looking into some actual facts before you label someone. Until then, shut it.
Many drugs are already legal
Many drugs are already legal but you cannot buy them without a prescription. This requires someone with authority and knowledge to direct this action based on need. Then a qualified chemist fills the prescription and labels it with exact instructions. Why leave a handful of random drugs out there just unregulated?
The future is coming. Legalizing drugs means putting this stuff in the hands of Doctors, Lawyers, Hospitals... more like regulate drugs. Portugal has legalized drugs and the result has been a tremendous success. Search Google news, crime rates are down.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/un-backs-drug-decriminali_n_220...
The UN drug czar wants to use it as a model for other countries.
Another example is the Dutch... They are shutting down prisons because of a lack of criminals. They now outsource their prison system to other countries like Belgium.
If I want to eat dirt that's my business and if you want to take acetaminophen then that's your problem. You can't beat the people into submission.
http://www.jackherer.com/index.html
Find out why the police and other authorities want to legalize drugs.
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php
http://saferchoice.org/
http://oaksterdam.com/ check out the staff at this place; these people are smart.
I don't know who said it but it goes something like this... "It is better be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".
I buy marijuana!
Hi. I buy marijuana! Mostly because it helps me sleep at night.
Your laws dictate that you would prefer the money I will spend on marijuana go not to corporate farmers, but street thugs.
Whatever, your choice. You want to make street thugs rich and powerful, maintain your little prohibition. It wont stop buyers like me from buying our dried flowers.
Case in point
Good point. But one correction. America DOES want your money to go towards corporations. Only the ones that they see fit. See, here in our 'Free" America, your sleep problems can't be solved through Marijuana. You see, we have countless prescription drugs that they want you to take. These are man made concoctions that have many terrible side effects.
BTW, last time I checked, prescription pills is currently the number one abused drug in our country thanks to our wonderful corporations.
Besides that and BTW thank you Mother Jones
Aside, from all that bloodshed whats to say now that since anyone can carry registered gun in Nat'l Forests and Parks here in good ol' CA that should help the economy by a whole lot of b'sness from our cut-back police, sheriffs and associated health care industry as well as the Tv medias suffering and cutting back as well for interest from public.
Always there will be some benefit for someone from this issue as well as suffering for the others who seems like their time might come for more fairness and truth; instead of these lobbied interests overwhelming our democracy and our rights as individuals to have a level playing field and say.
Thank you for your site and insight. Really quite something this wonderful forum the Morther Jones would like herself I hope as she to me was a hero for being as brave as she was smart, which seems so hard sometimes in these totally tanked times. To the future!
They're takin' our jobs, but seriously
Yah! Them illegals are taking jobs that should be goin' to our 'merican dope growers!
But on another note, I see a parallels between these cartel growers with their illicit fields it the hills shooting it out with the cops and Maoist revolutionaries building bases of support in the countryside and denying the government's writ there. I guess the feds should be thankful the cartels have such limited goals, at least north of the boarder. What would a guy like Castro, or Mao himself, do with this kind of opportunity.
Public Lands
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Public lands are public and should be managed for the benefit of the public. It would be an excellent use of our tax dollars, a boon to our job market as well as providing additional knowledge about our flora and fauna to organize and fund year round national forest/blm/national park walkers with scheduled walks over our public lands to inventory public resources. This would severely inhibit all illegal marijuana growing as well as most other illegal uses and abuses of public lands and resources.
Legal Pot Plants
Legal pot plants might be very useful to some people and harmful to others, but in the end no one is going to stop them.
Legalize it and take the
Legalize it and take the profit out of it.
marijauna
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What about those who use medical marijuana? I am one of those who carries a card which allows me to have marijauna in my posession and grow it if choose to do so, legally. I could take 17 pills a day from pharmacies or smoke pot to take care of my fibromialga, diabetes, high blood presssure and myotonic muscular dystrophy. Some people can buy their medicine from growers.
It is outrageous that most pot smokers are not the ones killing, stabbing, shooting or robbing to get the stuff, it's the others who use more addicting substances like meth, herion and cocaine. By legalizing marijuana, of course the government would tax it like they do everything else, but you wouldn't have to buy it on the "black market" and risk your freedom from doing so.
If it were legalized, you wouldn't have people growing it on public lands. There would be growing agencies, large farms with a better product, the term grade c would no longer apply, and by legalizing marijauna it would create jobs. The farms would need people to cultivate and harvest, stores to sell it, with different types available.
It makes sense to legalize it for those of us who either enjoy it or use it for medical reasons.
marijauna
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tagged as:
- solution
What about those who use medical marijuana? I am one of those who carries a card which allows me to have marijauna in my posession and grow it if choose to do so, legally. I could take 17 pills a day from pharmacies or smoke pot to take care of my fibromialga, diabetes, high blood presssure and myotonic muscular dystrophy. Some people can buy their medicine from growers.
It is outrageous that most pot smokers are not the ones killing, stabbing, shooting or robbing to get the stuff, it's the others who use more addicting substances like meth, herion and cocaine. By legalizing marijuana, of course the government would tax it like they do everything else, but you wouldn't have to buy it on the "black market" and risk your freedom from doing so.
If it were legalized, you wouldn't have people growing it on public lands. There would be growing agencies, large farms with a better product, the term grade c would no longer apply, and by legalizing marijauna it would create jobs. The farms would need people to cultivate and harvest, stores to sell it, with different types available.
It makes sense to legalize it for those of us who either enjoy it or use it for medical reasons.
legal highs
Gwendolyn H. Barry
You have to think, with drug cartels in MX taking the lead on dealing to us, ah, connoisseurs ... it's a question now of personal integrity... are we going to support the truly criminal cartels or we going to take it into our own hands, vote if we can and personally take a cultivation risk?... I quit buying it from dealers a while ago. Now matter what your neighbor or old friend says... you can't know if you are supporting kidnapping, murder, exploitation of indigenous Peoples or what have you balled up in the filthy racket of MX drug peddling. I'm for legalization... and I can't really grow right now...so I'm not so high these days...bummer.
I haven't smoked it in a
I haven't smoked it in a longtime time but feel if you can grow it in your backyard it should be legal. Regulated like cigs or alcohol but legal just the same.
Legal pot plants might be
Legal pot plants might be very useful to some people and harmful to others, but in the end no one is going to stop them.tiffany jewelry
This would severely inhibit
This would severely inhibit all illegal marijuana growing as well as most other illegal uses and abuses of public lands and resources.
Anti Aging | Payday Loan | Acai
I personally hate how
I personally hate how marijuana makes me feel, but understand that others love it.
my opinion
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