Drug gangs taking over US public lands

[ken1010]

I don't know what the answer is, but maybe legalizing marijuana would send these guys home. Infuriating that these guys are trashing the wilderness. Not everyone in camo out there is a hunter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100302/ap_on_re_us/us_drug_war_pot_farms

from the article above:
"Moyses Mesa Barajas had just arrived in eastern Washington state from the Mexican state of Michoacan when he was approached to work in a pot field. He was taken almost immediately to a massive crop hidden in the Wenatchee National Forest, where he managed the watering of the plants.
He was arrested in 2008 in a raid and sentenced to more than six years in federal prison. Several other men wearing camouflage fled before police could stop them."

[HardCorpsHuntr]

Here is a little grow in Wa.

[machine]

One more reason to enforce immigration laws.

[corktex]

It's a plant,decriminalize it,no one should make billions off a plant,no one should die or go to prison over a plant! Let people who want it grow for their own use,like wine and beer making! Take away the profit and it will go away in a couple of generations! People do not use it long term,it is not a life time sport! Make room for criminals with actual victims,like people who distribute drugs that cause crimes with victims! That can never happen in this country,because big money is made on it,on both sides of the law!

[fishunt247]

Wow, that grow of ultra green plants doesn't stick out at all in that rimrock and grassland country. Jesus.

[7mmfan]

no kidding huh Josh, You would think that something like that would be found fairly quickly. I mean It wouldn't take much for the feds to do a fly by and spot that kind of stuff.

[sako223]

We are paying too much enforcing this and finding and removing rural grows.
We are also paying to do it on the reservations. Some years they get 40-60,000 plants off the res in Yakima. At about a pound each going for $2000 a pound it adds up.
I think in central WA they may get a total of $100-200 million worth a year.

Not sure what the income figures would be with legalization.

[Ray]

They should pay bounty hunters to napalm that crap.

[bonecrusher]

i think its so funny when peoples reaction is to legalize it and the problem will go away, so where does that line of thinking stop? and who is to draw the line? you? some politician neck deep in special interests? no we have laws for a reason plant or no plant

[sako223]

Well being illegal sure hasn't stopped it and never will. Not much different than moonshiners from prohibition to present.
Nowadays they go buy home cleaning products among many others to get high.
It's also illegal to buy cigarettes and fire works on the reservation, but people flock there.

[machine]

Pot should be made legal or remain illegal on its own merits not because the government thinks they can make fast money as drug dealers.

[bearpaw]

Don't smoke it, don't really care if someone else wants to smoke it at home, but the drug wars are a complete failure, actually it's working in reverse, by making it worth more, the violence has worsened and it will continue to worsen as it becomes more valuable.  

Ron Paul debates Stephen Baldwin on Legalizing Marijuana on CNN Larry King 03/13/2009

[firecrotch]

mine and a buddies favorite duck hunting spot we couldnt hunt this year because its still under investigation of 50 plants being planted. it wasnt more than 30 yards from our blind. pretty frustrating...

[bearpaw]

that must have been at the potholes......

I know that was bad...

[rasbo]

this is where the long range varmit guns would come in handy...think of the tax payers money that would be saved..just another example of the cost of open borders.

[509er]

the desert unit is full of grows during the summer

[woodywsu]

They have a reward for turning in grows, but the system is screwed. No money in it. I turned in 3 grows last year with 18,000 plants (one grow had 12,000). I didn't receive a lick of money for any of it due to insufficient funds. I'm all for cleaning up the area, but come on. Give a little incentive, do they think I like leading 6 guys into pot grows at night.

[woodswalker]

not just the desert units....I keep finding grows on the DNR lands over here...and the more gates locked...the more grows i find.  The gates closure makes it easier to hide as there are fewer folks about.  The DNR however will argue that open gates encourage it due to easy access.  I still think that is wrong on THAT issue...its true however on the dumping and vandalism/theft issues.  

There is SUPPOSED to be a reward for turning in grows...I have turned in 6 so far....I get told that the program has no money for rewards....  

Long range varminters indeed...a 300 WM is a GREAT long range varminter.....so is .338 Lapua Mag.  

Thwap...........boooom......end of story.

[Atroxus]

I don't know what the answer is, but maybe legalizing marijuana would send these guys home. Infuriating that these guys are trashing the wilderness. Not everyone in camo out there is a hunter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100302/ap_on_re_us/us_drug_war_pot_farms

from the article above:
"Moyses Mesa Barajas had just arrived in eastern Washington state from the Mexican state of Michoacan when he was approached to work in a pot field. He was taken almost immediately to a massive crop hidden in the Wenatchee National Forest, where he managed the watering of the plants.
He was arrested in 2008 in a raid and sentenced to more than six years in federal prison. Several other men wearing camouflage fled before police could stop them."

The problems with illicit drugs that we are seeing now are just a repeat of what we saw with alcohol during prohibition. The fact that it's illegal creates a huge unregulated blackmarket with huge profit margins for those willing to take the risks involved in the drug trade. Isn't there a saying about the definition of insanity being to do the same thing over and over and expect different results?

In my opinion we should decriminalize drugs, and let the people that want to ruin their lives with them do so. Tax the crap out of them and put the money to good use. Take all the DEA agents and narcotics officers and reassign them to investigate all the open murder, rape, assault, and robbery cases in the nation. Let all of the non-violent, drug offenders out unless they are also incarcerated for other crimes such as robbery, that way we have plenty of room in our jails/prisons for the violent criminals and thieves. If someone is intent on ruining their own life with drugs and has children then a portion of that tax money could be used to take those children and place them in good homes.  

[bearpaw]

Atroxus I agree, we are wasting a ton of money for nothing, everybody of any age who wants drugs gets them anyway, whenevver they want them. All this drug resources could be used to control immigration or paying off the debt instead of trying to control drugs.

[corktex]

Did any body listen to Ron Paul,will any one ever hear the truth! He is a MD he knows more than he can say about this issue! Drugs and the drug debate,are just like guns and the gun debate! People with zero experience and knowledge about these things arguing with people who have knowledge and experience,about one inanimate object or another take your pick!