The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting eradicated 4.4 million California marijuana plants in 2009, up from 2.9 million in 2008.
The Press Democrat reports Shasta County clocked in at #1 for most plants seized, while Lake County fell to #2. Humboldt County doesn’t even get an honorary mention.
RSS - Posts
November 6, 2009 at 12:04 am
Why don’t those growers grow up and get a real job?
November 6, 2009 at 5:03 am
So no more is available to corrupt our youth. . .right? And how much did this price support action COST us? Can you imagine how much it would cost if milk were illegal? The big growers, paying lawmakers to ensure MJ is NOT legalized, are the smart ones. Taxpayers paying for CAMP, etc, etc are the suckers.
November 6, 2009 at 6:12 am
Thanks for the laugh of the day Walt. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone compare milk to pot.
Cocaine, meth, Heroin prices are also driven up because they are illegal. Should we legalize them too ?
Rodger Rhodoni said often that if pot were legal it would be as cheap as a bale of alfalfa. He said that as if it is a good thing ! Higher prices dampen demand. Lower demand for hallucinogenics only benefits society.
November 6, 2009 at 7:04 am
Isn’t California’s marijuana business too big to let fail (as were our financial institutions and the auto industry)? The impact on northern California business if marijuana prices equaled alfalfa prices would be cataclysmic. The government has an obligation to keep marijuana illegal and our prices high and stable. Whatever CAMP and the war on drugs costs us in the short run it’s a bargain to we, the citizens of California, in the long run!
November 6, 2009 at 7:06 am
If the demand was really dampening, HiFi, the number of plants eradicated wouldn’t have risen from 2.9 million to 4.4 million in a SINGLE YEAR. And Mexico wouldn’t be in the middle of a bloody drug war with no end. Oh, and I bet more people have hallucinogenic visions after taking too much OxyContin. There are far more dangerous substances out there – FDA-approved, no less – that are exercising much more damaging effects on society.
Take a good look at what criminalization has done to the environment, to society, to the amount of taxpayer dollars spent locking up people who smoke – while people like the rapist in whose house eight bodies were just found are set free.
I could write a few thousand words on this, but I won’t take up the space on H’s blog.
Wait, one more thing: SHASTA? Isn’t that one of those hard-right-wing pockets in California? Do I sniff a whole lotta hypocrisy here?
November 6, 2009 at 7:18 am
Oh Christina your shot at humor is prettty lame, actually kind of pathetic. No hypocrisy with regards to Shasta County, it appears as if Shasta County with the assistance of CAMP, is making a serious effort to deal with this problem.
If you would do a little research you would learn that almost all of the marijuana seized in Shasta County (unsure about Lake) came from the large Mexican National Drug Organizations. And was located on public land, Forrest Service, BLM, etc.
November 6, 2009 at 7:26 am
Legalize pot and criminalize milk
November 6, 2009 at 7:44 am
Yes, you can’t be a real farmer unless you receive massive government subsidies, like say dairy farmers.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
November 6, 2009 at 7:45 am
Milkin’ it for all it’s worth – both govt. and growers. Yep, under the table transactions AND guerilla botanical nature walks are so very transparent. Legalization is the least impacting decision overall for society – just not for everyone though. Follow the money!
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
November 6, 2009 at 8:02 am
Eradication depends on how much emphasis law enforcement puts on eradication. The plants may be there, but it depends on whether the lawmen go after the plants. Maybe this last year, they went after more than in years past(imported grow ops). If anyone has noticed, major media has replayed every week the Marijuana Ink interview or something related as a news story. So, something must be up besides ratings.
A laugh – If hallucinations are mind altering, then enough media and political rhetoric must also be considered hallucinatory since gaga imaginations run routinely rampant with the propaganda machine.
Jeffrey Lytle
McKinleyville – 5th District
November 6, 2009 at 8:03 am
do any of you remember before the ‘copters flew?
in the old days you could buy a lid on the plaza for $10, (it was a fat baggie of leaf)
growing pot in big rectangular patches, like it was corn…
back then you never heard of somebody being killed over a pound.
Gene Cox wouldn’t bother your plants if it was to far out there or to long of a hike.
you didn’t ever hear about home invasions to steal your pot and money
hippies were poor and drove old cars that usually would hardly go
hippies didn’t use guns to protect themselves, they left that scene in “the city”
it was better then even tho the pot wasn’t as good
November 6, 2009 at 8:07 am
What is up is that in an era when government must cut expenditures, bloated “war on drug” bureaucracies are going crazy to justify their existences. Pot raids are a cheap and safe way to do this, much safer and easier than taking down meth labs.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
November 6, 2009 at 8:11 am
kites are hell on helicopters, kites for victory!
Pilots do not want kite string wound around their rotary wings and controls, they will avoid these “sky mines” if they know they are around.
fly them from every ridge top!
please use cotton string. fishing line isn’t biodegradable and could be harmful to wildlife.
November 6, 2009 at 9:15 am
Real jobs pay less.
Milk IS illegal. If you want unpasteurized milk, meaning milk bottled straight from the cow or goat, you meet a seller at a predetermined time and location and buy it from out of the back of a van. Seriously.
Baloney. If marijuana was legalized, a few restaurants would close, redundant businesses would close, many growers would move away, and grow houses would disappear. Our housing market might collapse, but affordable housing is a good thing and fewer new subdivisions would get built.
November 6, 2009 at 10:05 am
I don’t know if any of you buy hay, but alfalfa prices have gone through the roof in the past few years.
November 6, 2009 at 10:15 am
Portugal legalized the use of all “illegal’ drugs about 7-10 years ago, including cocaine and heroin. However, drug use has gone down in Portugal. The rest of Europe was worried that all the druggies would gravitate to Portugal, but that has not happened. The punishment for having more than the legal amount (personal use)= going to treatment programs and publlic service. Legalize marijuana and let’s see what happens. The current situation doesn’t work. Besides, if the govenrment wants to make a plant illegal I can think of three I don’t like: poison oak, english ivy and pampas grass. Imagine helicopters full of guys dressed in SWAT outfits ripping out these plants with the thought of eridacation. What a joke.
November 6, 2009 at 11:18 am
I hate it when people talk sense
November 6, 2009 at 1:11 pm
It a phart lie, like always. Portugal changed the laws only for possession and use, NOT for traffiking and selling. Those are still serious crimes. And its not absolute legalization. People caught with drugs have to go before a “Dissuasion Commission” that promotes addict rehab. But it deals only with the demand side of the drug market.
With 215, its completely legal to possess, cultivate, and use pot. And possessing small amounts without a 215 recommendation is essentially legal, at worst its an infraction. But unlike Portugal, little effort is officially expended to dissuade drug users prior to them causing harm to others.
November 6, 2009 at 2:07 pm
your all idiots, shasta came up #1 because camp is busting mexican pot grows in state parks / national forests as a priority! the humboldt state parks are full of 300 ft trees so most the mexicans are growing in better areas. Humboldt doesnt even grow much weed we are just morons who are full of ourselfs here and we have nothing better to brag about. Prohibition is good, letting everyone smoke marijuana would be a bad thing. keeping it illigal is good for everyone!
November 6, 2009 at 2:15 pm
So they did or did not legalize drugs in Portugal? Discuss
November 6, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Hey NAN, is your underwear a size too small or what? You could use some legal drugs. Mellow out. These are opinions, and, just like assholes, they all smell if they aren’t your.
November 6, 2009 at 2:24 pm
NaN go talk to Highboldt he will hook you up on the glass pipe or maybe with one of his girls outside the library. It might mellow you out and you could lead a normal life.
November 6, 2009 at 2:55 pm
By the way NAN, it is leagal in Portugal to possess drugs. Whatever quanity for each drug is up to a 10 day use. I have no idea who came up with the amount nor do I care. It is LEGAL to possess drugs for personal use. I never said anyuthing about distribution, sales, etc. Sheesh. Care to get some facts straight or is it more fun to just call everyone an idiot who you don’t like. Say “Therapy”. It would do you a world of good. And have a nice weekend.
November 6, 2009 at 3:58 pm
So does Shasta County grow more plants, or are they just getting caught more often?
November 6, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Oh who gives a shit what Portugal did or didn’t do. Gawd, I hate this bickering. Another thread in the toilet after about the 10th posting.
Point is the “war on drugs” has obviously failed by all accounts and it’s time to implement a “Plan B” whatever that may be. Perhaps it’s time to make a few tax bucks for the state, reduce the expenditure of policing, prosecution and jailing and take the profit out of it for the gangsta’s selling pot on the black market. Seems like a no-brainer to me but I’m willing to field other ideas.
p.s. I love the thinking that “punishment” for over-the-minimum possession would be counseling…inspired!
November 6, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Phart, I see what you wrote and so can everyone else.
Its a lie to say Portugal is an example of pot legalization. The activities that CAMP is abating are illegal in Portugal. Portugal hasn’t stopped CAMP type enforcement of drug traffiking laws. Legalizing pot, Portugal style, has already happened in California.
November 6, 2009 at 4:19 pm
OK Morel, I read your argument, enforcement of drug regulation laws has failed.
Do you think any drugs should continue to be illegal to manufacture, sell, possess, or use?
November 6, 2009 at 4:27 pm
In my perfect world I believe all drugs should be available to whoever wants them. I realize that this position may be harsh and the consequences would be dooming part of the population…and that doesn’t sit well. If I were creating legislation I believe my emphasis at this juncture would lean more towards education and counseling for offenders of actual dangerous drugs…and the complete legalization of marijuana for anyone over 18 years of age.
November 6, 2009 at 5:39 pm
CAMP achieves a record-breaker every year. They must be getting better and better at it. I’m sure that it must be super-extra-difficult to buy pot now.
November 6, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Termianlly ill cancer patients can get heroin in England. And I want photos of Portageese flying out of the sky to bust pot growers. Show me some proof.
November 6, 2009 at 7:37 pm
CAMP ain’t shit. I eradicated a dozen plants of that PMS myself without any goddamned helicopter.
Anyway, real news. What the fuck is up with all this wack Sour Diesel this year? It’s damn near bammer. It don’t even smell right. Grow something else next year. Maybe something easier like that Purple Power Plant or what is that one shit, Mendo Maui? Or some of that Purple Kush. Something y’all. Ya can’t grow Sour D, the shit is obvious. Leave that to the megawatt grow house dudes.
Fuck some haters though. Listen, some of us are obsessed with Cannabis sativa. We can’t help it. Just like y’all are obsessed with getting hella fat and diabetes off your burgers and shakes, that’s how we are with weed. Get it? Good.
November 6, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Weed arrests are up, eradication is up, and the racist profiling arrest rate is up. 270 to 100. Think about it. If Johannes whatever the fuck gets his trial moved down to racist ass San Diego County and get off on some Stacey Koon shit, there is about to be another fat ass riot.
Y’all can’t act like just because it’s Mexican cartels bulking up those numbers that that is some kind of excuse. That just means those dudes are producing more seed with all that money they made the year before. It is one of the few industries on Earth where a competitor can jump in and gaffle fields of product and it doesn’t matter, it’ll be better next year once the recession kicks in. CAMP could take half and they would be all planting a few million more seeds next year. Soon enough, Afghanistan will look organized compared to California.
November 6, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I realize I’m in the minority on this, but I hate the idea of legalization even though I have no problem with pot.
Capitalism and drugs don’t mix well. I don’t want Philip Morris hooking eleven year olds on their pot. The pot may not be addictive, but the advertising would be.
There should be no penalties for having small quantities, and the penalties for growers and sellers should be negligible (a $1 fine would be OK), but unless you want ten times as much pot use by kids as you have today, it’s got to remain illegal — just to keep the advertisers away.
It’s a real shame that our society doesn’t have a category of “things that are legal but only for individuals and small business.” But it doesn’t.
November 6, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I would like to try legalizing it. Like anything, it is okay in moderation, and certainly is important for those who need it medically. That said, I hate what it does to the average person who uses it regularly- becoming a complete slacker who loses whatever drive they had to follow their dreams. I’m tired of the smell of it everywhere in Arcata, and the emphasis on it. It’s a drug and not something I’m proud to have as our main export here in Humboldt.
November 7, 2009 at 12:31 am
Taking the criminality out of any drug would reduce the problems associated with it’s abuse. If heroin were available clean, less expensive than black market, and sin taxed to provide revenue I still wouldn’t do it, and I doubt any of you would… Would you?. The bnlack market, however, would be crushed. As it is, anybody with the inclination can get all the junk they want. If you are together enough you just get medical grade like Rush.
Speaking of medical grade opiates, I think a good start to solving the mess in Afghanistan would be to buy the raw opium from the farmers ourselves. we could take warlord middlemen out and pay for it with religion corrupting consumer goods, education and medical care. Most first world medi-smack is currently produced from whole plant extracts of poppies grown by regulated farmers here. Let our farmers substitute wheat, and our junkies, legal oxycontin.
On a related note, I do believe that there should be a safety net for incompetents: 3 nutritious hots and a cot, rehab, education, socially useful make work and total detox from all substances. I don’t believe in the dole going to support cigarette, beer and coffee habits.I am stingy enough to tell people who want the goods and to be leaches to blow me (metaphorically). If you want a beer, do something useful and you can earn one.
November 7, 2009 at 5:09 am
Surely by now even those who don’t want it legalized have to admit trying to ban it has been a complete failure: ANYONE who wants it can get it, kids or adults. Even Roger admitted that, the guy who once told me the NEC was getting a subsidy from Moscow. When you compare it to supercafeinated energy drinks, a drug that just makes you stupid and passive seems a lot less dangerous than one that makes you super aggressive. Do you really think if it were legal that many more people would choose to trash their lungs for one of the more boring highs imaginable? I smoked back in the day(inhaled, too!), but I just don’t have the time or the inclination now. . .too many other more useful things to do.
November 7, 2009 at 8:06 am
some (most)of you people should spend more time reading (non fiction) and paying real attention to current events, locally and nationwide!
November 7, 2009 at 10:42 am
There is weed in street not because weed itself is so addictive. Kids are addicted to the new shoes, cellular phones, gold jewelry, and other fast money shit that their parents can’t even afford.
What we need is some legitimate advertising to take all of that profit motive away. As it is, the illegality is a form of advertising in itself. All of the fake “drug education” is advertising to kids. I would trade 1,000 kids smoking weed for 1 kid not pitching sacks.
November 7, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Well, Anon at 7:18, I wasn’t making an attempt at humor; I was dead serious. And I HAVE done my research, and I AM aware that most of the pot eradicated in the state, not just Shasta, is on public land. Whether it’s cartels or smaller, independent drug-trafficking organizations is apparently disputed even within law-enforcement circles. My comment about the far-right wing (I’m not talking about your perfectly reasonable, middle-of-the-road, old-fashioned, garden-variety Republicans here) referred to the fact that shit keeps hitting the fan (pardon my language) even in THEIR midst.
I don’t know about Portugal (different topic here), but I have read that when Denmark decriminalized drugs in the 1960’s, use spiked for a year or two, and then dropped below pre-decriminalization levels. Those levels have remained low. Once you take away the glamour of doing something forbidden – which is the real high that a lot of people are looking for – the use drops.
November 7, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Most of the bad things that have come from marijuana use and cultivation is a direct result of prohibition.
November 7, 2009 at 9:03 pm
“Capitalism and drugs don’t mix well. I don’t want Philip Morris hooking eleven year olds on their pot. The pot may not be addictive, but the advertising would be.”
This logic is hard to argue with. How about decriminalization without legalized commercialization?
November 8, 2009 at 10:29 am
Don’t you love it when the very parasites who have wrecked Humboldt County preach to us about how we need to “legalize” the drug they push?
People: our hills are closed, our kids are circling the drain. Now the growers are moving into our towns to set up their grow houses. If it weren’t for the CAMP program and our local cops, our Freeways would be filled with armed checkpoints, like the roads up in our hills.
One phone call puts these parasites out of business. If you see something, say something.
November 9, 2009 at 5:27 am
The above message was paid for by Commercial Marijuana, LLC, who assure you that the status quo is fine, profitable, and does not lead to socialism and other unpleasantness.
November 9, 2009 at 8:41 am
OK- Gotta throw a few cents in… Was wondering when sombody would mention that the Mexicans plant 3 seeds to a site. Meaning, Camps totals are actually 1/3 of what they are trying to project. Street value would be a lot less. They do not get the average “lb. per plant” like everybody else.