I will bite....how did legalizing the cannabis plant almost destroy your county? Which county btw?
I’ve described on a few threads. Rural SW Oregon. Crime went up spectacularly, car crashes, car thefts, assaults, break ins, murders, felons and weirdos from all over came in and bought properties with wads of cash and are nasty people who often harass neighbors with all kinds of bad behavior (running them off roads, lights and loud noise all night, threats, etc).
95% of the grow ops are illegal still - they’re supposed to be permitted and licensed and follow some kind of regulations, but there are only 100 legal grows in the whole county, and probably 1000 grows just in my valley. They steal water from every creek, stream and river - water rights are very important here - and are draining the acquifer with overuse of wells. MJ uses tons of water. Many or most of them use tons of chemicals - often without any regard to safety or allowable use - and the run off goes into adjoining properties, creeks and so on.
Oh, and they make dabs or hash oil or whatever they call it from the leftover dope slash, and use incredibly bad chemicals as solvents, which they then pour on the ground or into streams, or sometimes for amusment, blow up. I’ve heard the explosions. DH went to a fire at one of their factories in a barn, one guy got 3rd degree burns. Thankfully a doper, not a firefighter.
Kids are dropping out of high school since they can make huge $ trimming. Oh yes, the trimmigrants - even more transients crawling in to the valley to make $ trimming - more beggars, people shitting where they shouldn’t, and shoplifting.
Want any more?
Fortunately the county had a referendum and May about banning commercial dope growing in areas zoned RR 5 - rural residential - and more than 60% were for the ban, so the county is going to ban it. So the “boom” may be short lived.
Dope growers are nasty, nasty people. They don’t give a crap about the environment, public safety, being good neighbors or anything else. They worship the almighty dollar and being stoned out of their wits.
PS I head dispatch 24/7 and I know exactly what I am talking about.