Point Reyes National Seashore (CA)
Illegal Marijuana Sites Cleared Of Debris

On September 22nd and 23rd, Point Reyes rangers and firefighters and employees from Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) conducted a major helicopter sling load operation to remove garbage from National Park Service and adjacent public lands. The garbage was left from several illegal marijuana grow sites located on public lands that had been discovered and destroyed over the past two to three years. A total of eight grow sites were cleaned up and restored during the two day operation. Approximately 21 sling loads of garbage were removed with an estimated weight of 5,500 pounds (21 cubic yards of material). Over 30 NPS, MMWD and helicopter company employees participated in the operation. This past summer and fall, over 2,800 plants were removed and destroyed. In 2006, approximately 44,000 marijuana plants were removed. The total estimated street value of marijuana removed to date is close to $180 million. These plants have been removed from isolated forested areas on lands managed by the three organizations participating in this operation. The areas under cultivation suffered extensive resource damage from the growing operations. Preliminary estimates show that a number of trees were damaged and removed to establish the sites. Additionally, a large water holding pond was dug into the hillside to bring water into one the sites. Growers are culling wildlife, diverting streams that contain threatened species of fish, and using harmful pesticides.

Wouldn't be an issue if we could just legalize and stop harassing people for growing and using a plant.

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Dr_Watso
Wouldn't be an issue if we could just legalize and stop harassing people for growing and using a plant.

I don't smoke, and I most certainly wouldn't smoke that stuff if I did, but I agree. It's a matter of time.

But, California has so much to do without that junk, it's too bad people crave it so badly and waste so much time with it (the same people who say it isn't addictive).

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Vince

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Dr_Watso
Wouldn't be an issue if we could just legalize and stop harassing people for growing and using a plant.

I don't smoke, and I most certainly wouldn't smoke that stuff if I did, but I agree. It's a matter of time.

But, California has so much to do without that junk, it's too bad people crave it so badly and waste so much time with it (the same people who say it isn't addictive).

Vince, while I agree with you on this matter, I also don't think it is a worse problem than alcohol consumption, not do I think it is a bigger time waster than video and PC and electronic games. All of which is also - apparently - addictive

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Vince

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Dr_Watso
Wouldn't be an issue if we could just legalize and stop harassing people for growing and using a plant.

I don't smoke, and I most certainly wouldn't smoke that stuff if I did, but I agree. It's a matter of time.

But, California has so much to do without that junk, it's too bad people crave it so badly and waste so much time with it (the same people who say it isn't addictive).

California would only benefit from legalization. Humans crave being intoxicated, and as far as that goes, pot is pretty harmless. It certainly won't destroy one's liver, or encourage them to beat their wife as booze might. Taxation could help our economy/job issues, and legalization would enable our police force to actually focus on violent crimes and people who should be in jail, rather than harmless potheads. The huge amounts of time, effort, jail space, tax money, and lives wasted on a losing war of prohibition could be recovered with a simple vote. It's no more addictive than sex or chocolate, in that humans like things that feel good, and will always find them. There's no physical addiction.

Though, after seeing so many of my fellow Californian's vote away the rights of a minority group, I'm not all that confident that we'll do the right thing this time either.

Maybe should just start by legalizing hemp and see how that goes.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

Hemp might help further our nation, and get us away from being dependent on cutting so many trees, but it's not going to do anything about the tragedy and utter waste that is our un-winnable war on a plant that most people regard as harmless.

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Dr_Watso
Hemp might help further our nation, and get us away from being dependent on cutting so many trees

I find hard to believe most of the "hemp will save the world" things I've heard.

You probably shouldn't believe it all, but there are some amazing things we can do with it. The rate that it grows and it's strong fibrous nature being the key qualities. Once we cut down a tree, it can't be replaced in a matter of months (to put it mildly) like you can do with an entire field of hemp over and over. It makes a better paper than tree fiber in all respects, and we've even got efficient ways to convert hemp fibers into structure beams that rival steel in strength, let alone wood beams. It really does grow like a weed, generally without the need for pesticides and other toxics such as we use way too extensively with cotton operations, for example.

In other words, it's just plain stupid to have this remain illegal. Our government loves to look out for corporate interests, though, just as they do with the billions in corn subsidies each year which also unbalance agriculture for the nation. Think of all the poor loggers that might be out of a job! We can't go using something better!

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Dr_Watso
Wouldn't be an issue if we could just legalize and stop harassing people for growing and using a plant.

I think this is true. I'd never touch the stuff - but legalize it, and you'd see a lot less of this kind of illicit despoliation of our quality natural areas.

I got in a discussion with a pot head one day at work years ago (I tend to avoid them). He told me of all the benefits of hemp, like making rope, twine and thread. I asked him if he planned to smoke the brand new hemp jeans he just bought. It was an oxymoron (with the pot head being the moron) but the next day he brought in several ounces of MJ to work and asked me if I knew what it was. I said oregano! The next day the guy was fired. I'm not putting up with that dumbness.