This guy gives the perfect reason to vote yes, yet tries to turn it around.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n561/a04.html
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Author: Les Baugh
Note: Les Baugh is a Shasta County supervisor.
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.
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n561/a04.html
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Author: Les Baugh
Note: Les Baugh is a Shasta County supervisor.
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.
