Police officers in California’s Humboldt County, where most of the state’s pot is grown, are turning to environmental laws to catch illegal growers, reports USA Today.
“Now growers find themselves targeted by cops accompanied by code inspectors. While criminal cases can take months or years to wend their way through the court system, civil violations are far easier to prove,” says the newspaper.
Some of the pot grown in Humboldt is legal, and intended for California’s medical marijuana market. But much of it is grown without a license and shipped across state lines. A pound of processed marijuana in the county can go for as much as $1,500. Growers are supposed to register their operations and only plant in prime farmland—not in forests. With prices like that though, many ignore the rules, stealing water, cutting down trees, and dumping huge amounts of fertilizer on their crops.
“Long before it enters the consumer market, pot grown by illegal operations — often on public land — is leaving deep marks on California’s already stressed landscape. Redwood and pine groves are scraped bare by bulldozers, and ponds turn green after over-fertilized water feeds algae blooms. The large, hidden farms tap already low rivers, dirty the drinking water and pollute important fisheries.”
County officials say they welcome responsible growers, but are hopeful that by cracking down on the rest with environmental infractions, they can help spare the land.