Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 18 noveMber 2019
Illegal pot farms on public land create environmental hazard

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER The toxic chemicals were
Associated Press cleared from the Shasta site
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two Oct. 16, and a “decommis-
months after two men sioning” cleanup — remov-
were arrested at an illicit ing everything brought in
marijuana farm on public by growers — should hap-
land deep in the Northern pen within a year. The goal
California wilderness, au- is to restore illegal grows
thorities are assessing the to pristine condition com-
environmental impact and plete with reseeding and
cleanup costs at the site replanting, but that plan
where trees were clear-cut, lacks funding.
waterways were diverted, It’s also pushing to increase
and the ground was lit- the number of U.S. Forest
tered with open containers Service rangers in Califor-
of fertilizer and rodenticide. nia’s national forests. Re-
A group including U.S. For- claiming each site costs an
est Service rangers, local average of $40,000, requir-
law enforcement, scientists ing trained crews, law en-
and conservationists hiked forcement resources and
into the so-called trespass often National Guard air
grow where nearly 9,000 support to remove tons of
cannabis plants were ille- In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019 photo provided by Cannabis Removal on Public Lands Project materials from remote ar-
gally cultivated on national U.S. Forest Service rangers, local law enforcement, scientists and conservationists investigate a so- eas, the group said.
forest land in the region called trespass grow where there are nearly 9,000 cannabis plants in the Shasta -Trinity National The group has a supporter
known as the Emerald Tri- Forest in Calif. in Democratic U.S. Con-
angle, for the marijuana Associated Press gressman Jared Huffman,
that has been produced dwarfed by a thriving ille- bomb ticking.” end up tainting your prod- whose Northern Califor-
there for decades. gal market, which rakes in CROP is a coalition of con- uct and prevent it from en- nia district includes huge
Authorities allege members nearly $9 billion annually. servation organizations, tering the market,” Robin- swaths of state and federal
of an international drug Limited resources mean of- tribes, elected officials, law son said. property.
trafficking ring set up camp ficials can’t keep up with enforcement agencies and CROP estimates that 9 bil- “We’ve seen firsthand how
at the site as far back as all the illegal sites that are federal land managers. lion gallons (34 billion liters) illegal grow operations
2015. remnants of the outlaw era, Also lending its support is of water are diverted to threaten visitors to our pub-
When deputies raided when much of the pot for the legal cannabis industry, trespass grows in Califor- lic lands, steal water and
the remote clearing in the the U.S. black market came which says it’s being under- nia each year — a yearly contaminate streams, and
woods Sept. 9, they found from the Emerald Triangle. cut by the criminal market. supply for a city of 35,000 kill wildlife on a landscape
hundreds of pounds of har- Experts say illegal sites like Officials estimate that up to homes. scale,” Huffman said in a
vested marijuana, thou- the one found in the Shas- 70% of California’s illicit pot “In a state like California statement. He’s introduced
sands of pounds of trash ta Trinity National Forest, comes from trespass grows where water battles and legislation that would iden-
and more than 3 miles (4.8 about 100 miles (160 kilo- mostly on public land. drought are a way of life, tify the problem of trespass
kilometers) of plastic irriga- meters) from the Oregon “We see illegal grows as un- that number is shocking,” grows, expand land pro-
tion piping, according to line, siphon valuable water, dermining the legal cultiva- McIntyre said. More than tections and free up funds
the Trinity County Sheriff’s pollute legal downstream tors and manufacturers” by 60% of California’s water to address it.
Office. They also discov- grows and funnel poten- reducing tax revenue, said comes from national forest CROP is also pushing law-
ered bottles of carbofuran, tially tainted cannabis onto Lindsay Robinson, execu- land. makers to increase penal-
a banned neurotoxicant the streets. tive director of the Califor- Authorities in 2018 made ties for anyone who brings
used to kill rodents that “These places are toxic nia Cannabis Industry As- dozens of arrests at tres- toxic chemicals to public
also has been linked to the garbage dumps. Food sociation, a trade group. pass grows while seizing lands. U.S. Attorney Mc-
deaths of spotted owls, containers attract wild- “We’re seeing untested hundreds of thousands of Gregor Scott said last year
fish and mountain lions. A life, and the chemicals kill and unregulated cannabis pot plants along with cash that federal authorities are
quarter-teaspoon can kill a the animals long after the flooding the market.” and guns. Criminal growers concentrating their efforts
300-pound (136-kilogram) sites are abandoned,” said Black market marijuana is often use powerful firearms on hazardous illegal grows.
bear. Rich McIntyre, director of potentially dangerous be- to protect their operation, Nine of every 10 illegal mar-
The case highlights some the Cannabis Removal on cause traces of the toxic McIntyre said. ijuana farms raided in Cali-
of the growing pains Cali- Public Lands (CROP) Proj- chemicals used at grow “There are stories of people fornia in 2018 contained
fornia has faced since kick- ect, which is dedicated to sites are often found in the — hunters, fishermen, hik- traces of carbofuran, re-
ing off broad legal sales in restoring criminal grow sites plants, she said. ers — who find themselves searchers at the Integral
2018. Its legal marijuana on state and federal prop- “If you have an illicit grow down the barrel of an AK- Ecology Research Center
market has grown to more erty in California. “We think upstream from you, and 47” after stumbling on ille- in northwestern California
than $3 billion but remains there’s a public health time you’re legal, that could gal grow sites, he said. said last year.q
Dunkin’ bans the ‘double-cup’ as it swaps foam for paper

BOSTON (AP) — The Dunkin’ Rhode Island tells custom- The brand says the double- that the company says sustainable.
coffee chain says custom- ers they can no longer nest cup habit was started in are more environmentally Cold drinks are being mar-
ers will have to do without a their iced drinks in a sec- New England and is most friendly. keted as “iced, delicious
“double cup” for their iced ond, foam cup for extra common there. New ads tell customers that and single.”
drinks. insulation as the company But by Dec. 1, all the re- the “double cup is breaking The company says its foam
A new campaign focused moves to eliminate its poly- gion’s stores will swap up” because the chain’s cups will be eliminated
in Massachusetts and styrene cups. foam cups for paper ones relationship with foam isn’t worldwide next year.q