Drug Gangs Taking Over National Park Pot Growing Operations
By Rocky Thompson on March 8th, 2010
You’d think that a remote national parks getaway would be a good way to escape gang violence. Turns out that Mexican drug gangs have taken over the fledging domestic illegal pot cultivation that used to be run by Americans on national park and forest lands. What used to be 100-200 stands of marijuana are now sometimes 75,000 plants hidden under dense tree canopies and fertilized with garbage that ruins the soil. The problem is mostly limited to the Sierra Nevada Range and remote parts of Texas, but even Wisconsin is finding huge stands of marijuana on state lands. Staying near the trail seems like a pretty good idea until marijuana is legalized.
This crap pisses me off. I was taking a trip through the Sierra Nevadas last summer, and in a ranger station, the ranger warned us not to go to far into a particular (and fairly specific) area in the Burney Falls area. The reason was that there are known drug operations up there and that it’s dangerous.
Do we live in a 3rd world country? How is it that it is KNOWN that there is an illegal and dangerous operation up there, and nothing is done about it. Instead, we just can’t camp there because that area effectively belongs to the drug gangs.
Outrageous.
Legalize it. I don’t even smoke pot, but i don’t think it’s going to ruin the country if we legalize it. It’s having it illegal that causes stuff like this to happen, and this is what is going to ruin the country, if anything (as far as things related to pot).
Reading this makes me glad that I can now legally carry a side arm into the BC.
Do we live in a 3rd world country?
Depends on where you live. We’re the only industrialized nation without health care, our schools are disasters, we have people trying not to teach evolution in science class, we get fatter every year yet become poorer nourished, our infant mortality rate is definitely 3rd world…
Not picking on Troy but hey, he makes a great point.
And, if we know where it’s grown, either share or run the pirates out!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
bryantp i don’t think our infant mortality rate is 3rd world
Legalize it and put the Mexican drug gangs out of business.
Used to be you’d find a little rope weed growing naturally here and there. Now it seems like you could stumble onto the wrong side of The Beach. Salt Water, which of the two parties is going to be more desparate and liable to use deadly force in a situation? I’d be happier knowing the authorities (not Park Rangers) were going in strapped rather than have to carry a piece myself. Besides, in the light-is-right mentality of many backpackers, would a gun be a bit much to pack in?
Oh and 3rd world on infant mortality may be hyperbole, but wouldn’t you think a country so glorius it inspires spontaneous chants of “USA! USA! USA!” would be a bit higher up the list on something as important and basic as keeping infants alive?
Yeah, legalize it so they cut down forests and ruin the environment the legal way! I love how everyone thinks that legalizing Marijuana is going to make it all good for the world. Fast Food is legal!
Ran into this problem in Sequoia NP.
Hate to be a broken record, but seriously… legalize it.