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NEWS > HEALTH > MEXICAN MARIJUANA GROWERS CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, SMOKERS COULD CARE LESS

MEXICAN MARIJUANA GROWERS CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, SMOKERS COULD CARE LESS

October 12 2008

Porterville, CA – Around the United States hundreds of grow fields are being uncovered in the heart of National Parks. From California to Kentucky, industrial level growing operations have been uncovered and more and more often the fields are found to be causing massive environmental damage.

With banned pesticides and rat poison to keep animals away, the fields are leaving behind toxic chemicals that are not only destroying the forests, but also working its way into product, a fact to which most weed smokers seem largely indifferent.
"What's going on at public lands is a crisis at every level," said Forest Service agent Ron Pugh. "These are America's most precious resources, and they are being devastated by an unprecedented commercial enterprise conducted by armed foreign nationals. It is a huge mess."

Most of the cleanup is being done by volunteers because while the government allocates funds to uncover the illegal fields, no money is being allocated to compensate for the environmental damage.

“We are uncovering herbicides, pesticides, rat poisons, all kinds of terrible things. Not only is this causing incredible damage to the environment but weed smokers are ingesting this stuff every time they smoke,” said a Mike Hasel, spokesperson for the aptly named High Sierra Trail Crew, one of the few volunteer groups working in California. “For smokers this is major health risk. For non smokers they are losing precious national resources and everyone needs to be aware of the situation. The government needs to step in and take charge of the situation before the damage becomes irreparable.”

While government agencies on both the federal and national level have done little to try and repair the damage, groups like the High Sierra Trail Crew and others hope to make strides towards not only cleaning up the damage, but preventing it in the future.

“There really isn’t an option. Smokers are going to have to pay more attention to where their weed is coming from. If we stop buying from these cartels they will go out of business,” continued Hasel. “Ask your dealer where he’s buying from, ask for references. Be diligent; just make sure you’re sober when you buy.”

Others see this less as a weed smokers issue and more of a national health dilemma. With statistics showing an ever increasing number of marijuana smokers nationwide, the chances that new smokers in particular will be exposing themselves to these toxins.

“We have learned over and over that prohibition doesn’t work and the government needs to face that. Like alcohol in the 30’s, weed has become the criminal’s product of choice and because they are criminals they have no real interest in doing what is right, either for the environment or for their clients,” said John Mailer, executive editor for High Times magazine. “These chemicals are going to make weed as dangerous to smoke as cigarettes and that doesn’t help anyone. The government needs to step up, decriminalize weed, and get rid of these criminals.”

Mailer admits that it will be a tough battle. High Times has been advocating legalization of weed since its inception in 1974 to no avail.

“It’s a difficult thing for us. It’s intrinsic to the system,” continued Mailer. “It’s kind of a Catch-22 situation because as much as smokers want legal weed, they are at the end of the day smokers and their motivation a lot of the time is kind of limited. That makes it tough for advocacy unless you make music. You don’t see a big weed lobby on Capitol Hill. Hopefully if we can get word about this situation out it will force lawmakers to really look at the situation.”

We attempted to contact some local weed smokers for comment but no one answered their phone.   

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > MEXICAN MARIJUANA GROWERS CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, SMOKERS COULD CARE LESS