Pubdate: Fri, 16 Jul 2010
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Copyright: 2010 Record Searchlight
Contact:  http://www.redding.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360
Author: Les Baugh
Note: Les Baugh is a Shasta County supervisor.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

POLITICS ASIDE, ILLEGAL GROWERS ARE A THREAT

A dozen rifle-bearing marijuana growers were hiding out in the 
canyons just below hillside homes near Platina.

During my recent visit to a marijuana eradication operation in 
western Shasta County, I was able to witness firsthand the efforts of 
Sheriff Tom Bosenko and our CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana 
Planting) task force.

Even as the debate continues across the state as to whether we should 
or should not legalize marijuana, on the front lines there is no 
debate. Men and women in law enforcement are doing the job we pay 
them to do and are laying their lives on the line at the same time.

The rifle-bearing men don't care about the compassionate use of 
marijuana. They don't care about the rights of property owners. They 
don't care about the destruction of personal or public property. They 
don't care about the safety of nearby residents. They care about one 
thing and one thing only: money.

I hear over and over that if we legalize marijuana we will eliminate 
this type of threat -- and California voters may very well make that 
decision this November. But meanwhile, massive marijuana production 
by gun-toting men hunkering down under the manzanita remains a crime.

On the day I participated, nearly 55,000 plants were removed. This 
was not a compassionate-use backyard garden. The plot stretched for a 
quarter mile down the canyon. That plot was just the tip of the 
iceberg -- over the next hillside, CAMP members found another 30,000 
to 40,000 plants. Even more plants were discovered in the very next 
canyon. You get the idea -- and this is just one small corner of Shasta County.

Simply put, this type of production remains illegal. It is a federal 
crime and it is a state crime.

When I was a kid my parents didn't hesitate to allow us to spend lazy 
summer days hiking in the canyons and hillsides that surrounded our 
Shasta County home. Would you let your children wander off in those 
same areas today? I don't think so.

You can debate legalization all you want, but for right now, lives 
are on the line. I pray to God that some young child (or adult for 
that matter) doesn't end up dead because they unknowingly entered one 
of these illegal grows.

While the CAMP task force was able to locate and detain two men 
during the Platina operation, the rest were able to escape into the 
thick underbrush, sure to surface with yet another illegal plantation.

I am truly grateful for the efforts of Sheriff Bosenko, CAMP task 
force members and the various local, state and federal officers who 
participated in this eradication effort. This year they have removed 
roughly 300,000 plants in Shasta County.

My personal thanks and sincere appreciation go to the hardworking men 
and women who stand in harm's way to protect us. May God bless you 
for your efforts and keep you safe. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake