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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 November 2017

American Living:

Rush of pot grows splits rural California before legal sales

By PAUL ELIAS ers there haven’t bothered
Associated Press with the paperwork, ac-
COPPEROPOLIS, Calif. (AP) cording to the group. Men-
— The four young men had docino County Sheriff Tom
just started their marijuana Allman complained that
harvest in rural Northern local laws allowing cultiva-
California when a dozen tion are too “gentle” and
sheriff’s deputies swooped attract violent crime, in-
in with guns drawn, arrest- cluding a farmworker’s re-
ed them and spent the day cent homicide. In Siskiyou
chopping down 150 bushy County, leaders declared
plants with machetes. a state of emergency and
“I could do this every day called on Gov. Jerry Brown
if I had the personnel,” Ca- to help with an influx of
laveras County Sheriff Rick marijuana farmers, who
DiBasilio said during the op- have snatched up inex-
eration near the Sierra Ne- pensive land even though
vada foothills town of Cop- pot cultivation is illegal
peropolis, about two hours there. Two growers were
east of San Francisco. arrested and charged with
Authorities this year have offering Sheriff Jon Lopey
cut down close to 30,000 $1 million to leave their
plants grown without per- A sheriff’s deputy arrests a man for allegedly cultivating marijuana in unincorporated Calaveras farms alone. “That’s all you
mits in a county that is re- County, Calif. Calaveras County Sheriff Rick DiBasilio says he has his hands full cracking down on need to know about the
considering its embrace thousands of illegal farms in a county that has legalized cultivation for medicinal use. Growers type of money involved,”
of marijuana cultivation illegal and legal have are increasingly open about their operations and starting to encroach on Lopey said. “This isn’t con-
ahead of statewide legal- neighborhoods. fined to the state.There’s
ization. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) a big market outside of
“There are just so many of omy and have threatened to receive about 250 appli- stocked with pot farming California they are supply-
them,” the sheriff said of to sue over attempts to cations by the 2016 dead- supplies. ing.” In Calaveras County,
the illegal farms. “It’s never- stop them. line. They got 770. About Law enforcement officials voters in January replaced
ending.” California is set to issue li- 200 applications have say they have raided farms four of the five supervisors
Marijuana has deeply di- censes in January to grow, been approved, a similar where they have found who voted to legalize mari-
vided financially strapped transport and sell weed number rejected, and the pesticides that are banned juana. The new majority
Calaveras County, among for recreational purposes, others are still being pro- in the U.S. has vowed to repeal legal-
many where growers are nearly 20 years after the cessed. “It has changed our way ization and institute a strict
increasingly open about state first authorized the The sheriff gets some of of life,” said Bill McManus, ban. But a formal vote has
their operations and are drug’s consumption with a the nearly $10 million in head of an organization been delayed several times
starting to encroach on doctor’s recommendation. fees and taxes paid by le- seeking to ban marijuana amid threats of lawsuits
neighborhoods. Farmers can legally grow gal farmers to crack down in Calaveras County. “The from farmers. “So much of
DiBasilio estimates the marijuana for recreational on illegal grows, many of environmental impacts are this is a cultural war,” grow-
county — population consumption next year but which the department has atrocious.” To the north, er Beth Witke said. “I’m
44,000 and about the size are required to get a local mapped from the air. even the fabled pot-grow- tired of being demoralized
of Rhode Island — has more permit before applying for The new pot farms have ing mecca known as the by the ban supporters.”
than 1,000 illegal farms in a state license, which has brought a bustling industry Emerald Triangle has been Witke and other farmers ar-
addition to the hundreds sparked a boom in pot- that includes the sounds of thrown into political turmoil gue they create good-pay-
with permits or in the pro- friendly counties. generators, bright lights illu- as more farmers set up shop ing jobs for young adults
cess of obtaining them. The Calaveras County legal- minating gardens at night, ahead of legalization. The who otherwise would leave
influx has caused a back- ized medical marijuana water trucks kicking up dust California Growers Associa- the county for the San Fran-
lash among residents and cultivation last year, seek- on their way to grows, the tion estimates about 3,500 cisco Bay Area.
led to the ouster of some ing to tax the hundreds distinct odor of marijuana, farmers in Humboldt, Men- She is among a handful of
leaders who approved of farms that popped up and tents, trailers and other docino and Trinity counties growers who operated qui-
marijuana cultivation. in the region after a 2015 temporary housing for mi- have applied for local per- etly in Calaveras County for
Pot farmers operating le- wildfire destroyed more grant workers. mits and will be in a position decades, attracted by the
gally, meanwhile, say they than 500 homes. Local hardware stores’ gar- to receive state licenses. region’s climate and prox-
are helping the local econ- County officials expected dening sections are now An additional 29,000 farm- imity to the Bay Area.q