cannabisnews.com: Cartels Replacing Hippies as Pot Farmers 





Cartels Replacing Hippies as Pot Farmers 
Posted by CN Staff on October 31, 2002 at 11:09:14 PT
By Jessica Brice, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Growing marijuana in California isn't what it used to be. Mexican drug cartels, attracted by the state's rich soil and remote forests, grew nearly three-quarters of the pot seized in California this fall, state officials announced Tuesday. That marks a dangerous shift toward large and sophisticated growing operations, said Sonya Barna, commander of the Department of Justice's Campaign Against Marijuana Production, known as CAMP. 
"It used to be an industry controlled by hippies with small gardens," Barna said. "Now, it's not uncommon to see cartels planting anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 plants in a garden." This year, local, state and federal drug agents confiscated a record 354,000 marijuana plants worth about $1.4 billion dollars, Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Tuesday. State officials say higher prices - as much as $4,000 a pound - makes marijuana cultivation a fast-growing industry. Since the CAMP program started nearly 20 years ago, more than 3 million pot plants have been seized - nearly half of which were confiscated in just the last four years. About 74 percent of marijuana farms raided this year had apparent ties to Mexican drug cartels, which sometimes find it easier to grow pot in the states rather than risk smuggling it across the border. The increase in the number of pot gardens in California comes as states across the country push for less-severe penalties for growing and carrying marijuana. Seven states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. And Nevada voters will consider a ballot initiative next week to legalize small amounts of marijuana. Of the 181 gardens raided this year, the average garden had 2,000 plants and eight had 10,000 or more plants. Most frequently, armed immigrants tend to guard farms hidden in remote areas of state and national forests and other public land, said Ross Butler, assistant special agent at the Bureau of Land Management. More than half of all the pot seized was grown on public land, where armed growers can pose a danger to unsuspecting hikers and hunters, he said. In 2000, a father and son hunting on their private land in El Dorado County were shot by growers tending their garden. This year, law-enforcement officials shot and killed two armed growers. Most of the pot was grown in the so-called Emerald Triangle - Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties in northwestern California - which have long been favorites of pot producers. About 30 percent was seized in the Central Valley and another 30 percent came from the Bay area and Central Coast. Complete Title: California Officials Say Cartels Replacing Hippies as Pot Farmers On the Net: California Department of Justice: http://caag.state.ca.us/Source: Associated Press Author: Jessica Brice, Associated Press WriterPublished: Thursday, October 31, 2002Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Related Articles:Police See Pot Growing Turning Into Big Business http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14603.shtmlHow Green is The Crop?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11568.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by Dan B on November 01, 2002 at 02:52:12 PT:
More Violence, Thanks to Barna
Well, Sonja Barna, I hope you are happy with the results of your absolute stupidity. Thanks to your tireless and fruitless efforts to eradicate a harmless plant, 3/4 of the growing operations in the state of California are now run not by the peaceful "hippies" of a bygone era, but violent cartels from south of the border. I wonder if you go home at night feeling satisfied that because of your efforts, more people are harmed and/or killed each year. Does it give you pleasure to know that as a direct result of your efforts, thousands of Mexican farmers are being exploited? Of course, the fact that the percentage of Mexican cartel-grown cannabis is increasing at the same time that the federal government is wasting human lives, not to mention hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, by uprooting small cultivations grown by legitimate medical cannabis patients should really make you squeal like the pig you are, Sonja Barna. Oh boy! Double your violence, double your fun! The best thing that could happen to this country is for the federal government to put medical marijuana to the vote before the American people. They have never done so, and as a result they keep foisting their illogical and immoral attacks upon citizens with legitimate need. The Sonja Barna's of this country are afraid to put their convictions to the test by letting the American people decide for themselves how far the federal government should go. The majority do not want helicopter patrols. The majority do not want enormous breaches in their personal security by narcofficers. The majority do want medical patients to have access to cannabis as they and their doctors see fit. And nobody in Washington cares what the majority think. On Tuesday, send packing every encumbant who has not voted in favor of cannabis.Dan B
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Comment #7 posted by Patrick on October 31, 2002 at 20:30:51 PT
$4000 a pound?
Ask yourself just one question people. Why?What is PROHIBITION for $1000 Chuck.
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Comment #6 posted by DdC on October 31, 2002 at 20:22:21 PT
Mexicans again? Blame someone else for a change!
.. the primary reason to outlaw marihuana is its effect on the degenerate races." "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others." Harry Anslinger, U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics, testifying to Congress on why marijuana should be made illegal, 1937. 
(Marijuana Tax Act, signed Aug. 2, 1937; effective Oct. 1, 
1937.) PREJUDICE: MARIJUANA AND JIM CROW LAWS
http://www.jackherer.com/book/ch13.htmlA Roundup of Hearst’s Hysterical Headlines
http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/04/ECH04_17.HTM#headlines
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Comment #5 posted by DdC on October 31, 2002 at 20:04:55 PT
Adios C.A.M.P.
http://mir.drugtext.org/norml/canorml/news/oct97/nocamp.shtml.htmOnSite: December 13, 1997 California NORML Reports, Vol. 21 #3 - October 1997
                                               
Santa Cruz Leads Revolt Against CAMP HelicoptersCalifornia's controversial helicopter campaign against marijuana planting has come under mounting attack, as activists in Santa Cruz, Humbolt and Mendocino counties have pressed county supervisors to reject federally funded state grants to local sheriffs for
marijuana eradication. Although supervisors stopped short of rejecting the grants, helicopter opponents scored significant gains. In a resolution that could set the stage for a statewide anti-CAMP movement, the Sant Cruz Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to call on Congress to give local communities power to re-allocate federal anti-drug grants from marijuana eradication to other drugs if the latter are found to pose a greater hazard to the community. The resolution was passed in response to an intensive lobbying campaign by ADIOS-CAMP, led by Andrea Tischler and Theodora Kerry. Earlier, ADIOS-CAMP had scored a victory when it packed 150 supporters before the Board of Supervisors to protest the marijuana suppression grant. Sheriff Mark Tracy bowed to public sentiment by agreeing to cut back helicopter surveillance
from 139 hours to 60 hours and to stop repeat overflights and overflights in residential areas. The Santa Cruz resolution, sponsored by Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, was based on a letter from Santa Cruz Assemblyman Fred Keeley to Congressman Sam Farr, requesting that he consider amending the federal Byrne Memorial Program to allow local communities to direct anti-drug funding according to local needs. "Complaints that I have received center around the invasive use of helicopters for suppression efforts, the amount of resources expended on marijuana suppression, and whether this is the most valuable use of drug fighting resources," wrote Keeley, whose district is one of the most intensely CAMPed in the state. Meanwhile, in Humbolt County, marijuana suppression funding encountered opposition from the board of supervisors for the first time in history. Helicopter opponents, led by the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project (CLMP) and Republican Supervisor Roger Rodoni, fell one vote shy of blocking the $250,000 grant. On a separate front, CLMP won a temporary restraining order against the sheriff's helicopter surveillance program after suing the county for failing to obtain an environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The sheriff maintains that helicopter surveillance operations are exempt from CEQA review, but CLMP argues that the exemption does not apply where a program imposes a "substantial impact." Should the court agree that an environmental review is required, the entire state CAMP program may be affected. In the meantime, the Humbolt sheriff must comply with the restraining order, which effectively reinstates operational guidelines that were established in the first CAMP lawsuit a decade ago but which later expired. In particular, helicopters must maintain 500 feet altitude, restrict general surveillance to "open fields," and avoid private residences. In Mendocino, marijuana suppression funding was almost rejected on a 3-2 vote by the board of supervisors, but the board reversed itself when a wavering supervisor changed his vote. The sheriff indicated he might have to cut back on other services if he failed to get the grant. Though mindful of public anti-helicopter sentiment, public officials have been reluctant to reject marijuana suppression grants because they provide free equipment and manpower to sheriff's departments. California NORML is hopeful that the Santa Cruz resolution will provide a politically viable vehicle for opposition to CAMP. "The Santa Cruz resolution invokes principles of local control and freedom from federal interference that are popular in the current political climate," notes state coordinator Dale Gieringer, "We hope California's congressmembers will recognize that federal anti-drug programs are out of touch with the state's needs and support the Santa Cruz initiative. Similarly, we hope they will endorse Rep. Barney Frank's medical marijuana bill, H.R. 1782, which would allow California and other states to regulate medical use of marijuana without federal interference. Local control offers the best way out of our failed federal drug policy." Published in CA NORML Reports Vol. 21 #3 - October, 1997 Andrea Tischler's Bed, Bud and Breakfast Opens
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=79.topic
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Comment #4 posted by DdC on October 31, 2002 at 19:36:40 PT
Corporate Alternative Medicine Phoebes
 Annual Ditchweed Eradication Boondoggle Underway Again...99.28% Ditchweed. Saving the kids eradicating ROPE!
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/194.html#ditchweedOld News Archives...Drug agents hunting for marijuana in low-flying helicopters routinely kill birds, stampede farm animals, violate environmental laws and terrify innocent homeowners, residents of California's rugged north country testified Monday. You have to be here to see what it is like -- from the first of August through September, it's like a war zone,'' Dan Weaver said. Weaver and two dozen others testified at a public hearing ordered as part of a settlement in a lawsuit challenging Operation Greensweep, an August 1990 drug raid.``The big problem is these helicopters,'' Weaver said. ``This whole thing would be calmed down significantly by getting those guys up higher.''Residents complained that their privacy and property were violated and said the rotor wash from the helicopters killed birds and spooked livestock. Last June, the settlement called on the federal Bureau of Land Management to create a handbook for its drug raiders. The guidelines are expected to be released in June.Ed Denson said helicopters buzzed his barn and frightened his workers.``They say they fly at 500 feet, but actually they're coming in at 200 feet. We're saying the handbook should require them to fly at least 1,000 to 1,500 feet,'' said Denson, who lives in Redway in Humboldt County.Redway is within the so-called ``Emerald Triangle'' made up of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties. The region is known for its lush wilderness and is the richest marijuana-growing area in the nation. Last year, authorities reportedly seized 1,100 marijuana plants and more than eight tons of cultivation gear there.The many local, state and federal agencies that typically participate in the raids will not be directly affected by the BLM handbook, but as the first of its kind, it could influence how other agencies operate.Monday's hearing was intended to take public comment for that book. The BLM declined to take part in the meeting, citing security concerns.Patton of Pot - 60 Minutes II
Source: CBS
Published: February 13, 2001
http://www.cbsnews.com/60 Minutes II Patton Of Pot | August 1, 2001 (CBS) In California, marijuana is a huge business, raking in an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion a year. California grapes only bring in around $3 billion and tomatoes, just $1 billion. Some communities turn into boom towns when marijuana growers harvest and sell their crop. 60 Minutes II's Vicki Mabrey reports. But it's not acceptable to state officials, who have declared war - not just on dealers and growers - but on the plant itself. Leading that war is Sonya Barna, called by some The Patton of Pot. She commands a state program called the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, with the mission of wiping out every pot plant in California. Her team includes three dozen foot soldiers. For 11 weeks of the year around harvest time, they search for California's pot crop. Continued... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/02/05/60II/main269478.shtmlPatton of Pot | January 31, 2002 
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/31/health/main326904.shtmlSoni Barna
http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2001/02/12/image271343l.jpgUS May Be Overbilled in Drug Campaign
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7983.shtmlDrug Czar Attacked on Media Campaign
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7258.shtmlWhite House Holds Back Payment To Ad Agency
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7207.shtmlPropaganda for Dollars
http://cannabisnews.com/news/4/thread4317.shtmlSeizures By Police Help Fund Drug War 
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10223.shtml 
The Emperor Wears No Clothes
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Comment #3 posted by knox42897 on October 31, 2002 at 19:31:37 PT:
POOR MEXICAN FARMERS
About 74 percent of marijuana farms raided this year had apparent ties to Mexican drug cartels, which sometimes find it easier to grow pot in the states rather than risk smuggling it across the border. I can picture the poor mexicans planting the MJ, eating beans and drinking water, housed in shacks trying to make a buck, I wonder if they qualify for "kingpin status". Nothing to see here folks, no poor mexicans housed against the will working to support the American Prison Cartel's. 
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Comment #2 posted by DdC on October 31, 2002 at 18:25:49 PT
Given pot laws, how honest are feds?
Oct. 27, 2002 Orange County Register Reader Rebuttal 
By Rick L. Root The Westminster resident is operations manager for a machinery manufacturer in Santa Ana. (P.S. Rick is also a Libertarian!) In reference to the congressional call for an inquiry into what U.S. officials knew about al-Qaida threats before the Sept. 11 attacks, Audrey Wicks rhetorically asks, "What American in his right mind could have had such information and not put out an alarm?" [Letters, Oct. 16] - as if it were a given that our leaders are incapable of considering average citizens to be expendable. The question deserves much more than cursory agreement to its implied rhetorical answer - not as an indictment of government involvement but as a means to show that government is capable of such callousness. There are many who claim FDR knew of and allowed the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to sway public opinion toward entering World War II. If true, his administration had to consider Americans to be expendable in order to advance its desired policy. Even more compelling evidence exists that suggests LBJ was aware of the gross inaccuracies in his Gulf of Tonkin speech, which served to escalate our involvement in Vietnam. Again, if true, leadership decided American lives to be expendable in the advancement of desired policy. Of course, there are other examples that might indicate areas of our government do indeed consider citizens to be expendable for the advancement of policy. But most of us by nature will continue to trust those who lead us, and to dismiss contrary claims as loony conspiracy theories, until such time as irrefutable proof is laid in our hands. But for me and millions of other Americans, absolute proof is in our hands. That proof: marijuana. Over the last four decades, marijuana use has become commonplace in America. In that time, millions from all walks of life have used it recreationally without harm. Its medicinal qualities are recognized and taken advantage of by tens of thousands of sick and dying Americans who have found a non-toxic means of improving the quality of their lives. Yet government and most politicians from both parties continue to refuse the facts, both anecdotal and clinical, to promote and protect the prohibition against and the Class 1 scheduling of marijuana. They lie to us. Millions of Americans know the truth from years and years of first- and second-hand experiences with the herb. The lies are told to protect and advance policies, programs and business dependent upon its prohibition, which has caused great harm to millions of good Americans. People are expendable for the sake of desired policy. Marijuana doesn't kill. No one has ever died from its ingestion. Yet government has you believe otherwise. They would have you believe marijuana is addictive. Hardly. Marijuana is being used successfully as a means of beating addiction to drugs that kill, such as alcohol. But don't take my word for it or government's. Simply look around your community. Where are the bodies that marijuana supposedly claims? Where are the signs of harm? Look in your jails and prisons - there's your harm. The harms of marijuana are slight compared to the harms of marijuana prohibition. Or look at the treatment of a local medical marijuana user. AIDS patient Ross Embry of Laguna Beach ["O.C. case a test for medical marijuana," Local News, Oct.16] was arrested for cultivating his medicine. Now he is suffering, and he will suffer further - not from the use of marijuana but from the government lies that prop up its prohibition. Is he expendable for the sake of the government's desired policy? "What American in his right mind could have had such information and not put out an alarm?" the letter-writer asked. Good question, Ms. Wicks. Alarms are sounded yet apathy prevails. Or worse, messengers are dismissed because the message is unpopular. The tyranny isn't as much that government boldly lies as it is that the majority blindly believes. Sent by Tammera HalphenListen to Radio-Free-America at http://www.radio-free-america.org Cannabis Friendly Music, Free Speech, Marijuana Comedy
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Comment #1 posted by WolfgangWylde on October 31, 2002 at 12:49:53 PT
Somebody ought to...
...ask these geniuses why a plant, which can be grown anywere dirt cheap, with no intrinsic value of its own, is worth $4000 a pound.
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