Posted on 08/07/2017 3:44:37 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Pollution from illegal marijuana farms deep in California's national forests is far worse than previously thought, and has turned thousands of acres into waste dumps so toxic that simply touching plants has landed law enforcement officers in the hospital.
The volume of banned or restricted pesticides and illegally applied fertilizers in the woods dwarfs estimates by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014, when a top enforcement official testified that the pollution was threatening forest land in California and other states. California accounts for more than 90 percent of illegal U.S. marijuana farming, with much of it exported to other states from thousands of sites hidden deep inside forested federal land, and more on private property, law enforcement officials said. The state is still developing a licensing system for growers even though legal retail sales of the drug will begin next year, and medical use has been allowed for decades.
Ecologist Mourad Gabriel, who documents the issue for the Forest Service as well as other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies, estimates California's forests hold 41 times more solid fertilizers and 80 times more liquid pesticides than Forest Service investigators found in 2013.
Growers use fertilizers and pesticides long restricted or banned in the United States, including carbofuran and zinc phosphide. In previous years, it was commonly sold fertilizers and pesticides that were used illegally, law enforcement officials said.
Exposure to the pesticides has sent at least five law enforcement officials and two suspects to hospitals with skin rashes, respiratory problems and other symptoms, court documents and state data show.
Use of any chemicals in national forests is against federal law, as pesticides have killed sensitive species and fertilizers can cause algae blooms and bacteria problems in rivers and streams.
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
Wonder what smoking those chemicals does to a body.
ping
Medical maryjowarna
I would guess that the cost of cleanup, health problems for those exposed, etc., MORE than make up for pot-tax income...kinda like the manufacturing and disposal of batteries for electric cars that are supposed to save the planet.
Modern day agent orange. Will be the new SSDI reason.
Let’s all be like Mr. Natural and smoke a plant laden in chemicals... //snark//
Fools!
Again I say... “human nature is so predictable”
Money! It is all about money.
Sorry, but I'm just not buying this. This sounds like typical eco-scare propaganda to me.
What will LA do? The illegal aliens growing illegal marijuana are using illegal pesticides on illegally farmed land. Do true-believer progressives enforce the law and risk seeing politically-favored criminals deported, or do they watch Mother Earth die from friendly fire?
The California department of alien insect control stated "At three meters in length, the mutant insect monster Angelina monesteria has been spotted in the remote forests. The mutation is thought to be the result of Cannabis sativa pesticide over application"
--saame article , yesterday--a couple of us bring up the same point--http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3575016/posts
I don’t believe it either. Sounds like a ploy for federal money.
BS story. Other than water and sunlight cannabis doesn’t need much else. It’s called a weed for a reason.
This is just all the more reason for national legalization. Regardless of the chemical impact of the illegal grows in national parks etc., they are not a good thing. Nor is insecticide laced cannabis.
Prices are due to plummet in CA, since 3-4 times as much is being grown as there is demand for sale. We’ll see where things go from here...
Bring this operation into the city and flush those same chemicals down the municipal sewer system.
Bingo....the city’s sewer plant will get zapped and be unable to process the poop.
Now, that will be a stinker.
Thought that critter was one of the legilators in Sacramento.
Chicken crap and Fish Emulsion are really good at producing healthy plants.
“So I’m told”
Sounds like a ruse to keep receiving the federal monies that are threatened by sanctuary city status is poised to lose.
“Let’s just make s**t up”
True, but growers want their pot to be super big, so they use chemicals.
That we allow Mexicans to despoil the beauty of our wild areas is a tragedy. They are a pox on the land.
I have no problem with applying the death penalty to foreigners who do that.
I thought it was legal in CA
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