Pubdate: Mon, 06 May 2002 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 SANTA ROSA EARNS PRAISE FOR ERADICATING POT PLANTS The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deserves high marks for its concerted effort to crack down on pot growers. Despite being one of the smallest counties in the state in terms of population, Santa Rosa ranked second only to Miami-Dade County in the number of marijuana plants eradicated last year, according to a report released last month by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That should be good news for Sheriff Wendell Hall, who made the marijuana eradication program a top priority when he took office last year. He assigned a licensed pilot to fly a single-engine Cessna throughout the county to spot marijuana plots. The result: a 251 percent increase from the previous year in the number of plants destroyed. For too long Santa Rosa has been considered a haven for marijuana cultivators. With thousands of acres of undeveloped land, Northwest Florida has earned the dubious distinction for having prime real estate for growing illegal crops. In Escambia County, deputies seized only 63 plants, ranking the county 48th in the state. But with two new helicopters and a recommitment to the marijuana eradication program, the Sheriff's Office expects to see those numbers increase this year. The combined efforts of the two-county area could very well result in a record year for marijuana busts, which is good news for law enforcement and bad news for area pot growers and users. Even though some believe that marijuana is a harmless drug that should be legalized, the fact is that it is against the law to grow it or possess it. Given the increased surveillance by both sheriffs' offices, the two- county area may well lose the unwanted title as a paradise for pot growers. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens