Greenwashing the War on Drugs

Law enforcement is now pointing to the environmental harms caused by illegal pot farms to justify the ongoing Drug War.
But it was the Drug War that sent growers into California’s forests

…some Northern California officials who are on the frontlines of combating trespass grows say they’re only a symptom of a much larger problem: the Drug War itself.

Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly, a conservative who describes himself as “definitely not an environmentalist,” shares this belief. He contends that ramping up the War on Pot because of trespass grows will ultimately fail to either eradicate the farms or protect Mother Nature. As a result, he’s calling for the legalization of marijuana nationwide, joining a cadre of unlikely advocates on the right, including current Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey. They argue that if pot becomes legal, then marijuana production will come out of the shadows and into the light where pot will be grown legitimately on traditional farms, like other crops. At that point, there’ll be no need for growers to head deep into the woods to produce weed and poison animals.

Article by: David Downs

Photo courtesy of: Mourad Gabriel

Published: October 9, 2013

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