Illegal pot plantations cause severe environmental damage in northern California.
Some operations go beyond the careful placement of grow-bags and pots. “Some bulldoze large areas of land to create a sunny clearing, often at or near the tops of hills,” Allman says. Creeks and rivers below are flooded with silt once winter rains come. LeDoux has witnessed first-hand the devastation this can cause to breeding salmon and other fish. Erosion and contamination combined with fertilizer-laden runoff and water drafting does not bode well for fish species in some of Northern California’s most remote creeks and rivers. “The cumulative effect of illegal marijuana cultivation on fish in these streams is a serious issue,” she says. “We need a think-tank on this whole problem. It needs to be addressed as soon as possible.”
Does Whole Foods need to get in on this act with extremely expensive sustainably grown weed? And would it be stocked with the wine or with the produce?
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A friend and I were discussing why meth has such a bad, low-class rep. Clearly what we need to do is start an all-natural, artisanal meth lab. Locally produced! In small batches! The yuppies will love it.
Of course. Complete with herbal supplements instead of Sudafed and 7th Generation drain cleaner instead of Draino.
How come you are this well informed Miriam,
you do have your own hidden plot?
JP – Nope, I do not indulge – my bad habits involve sugar and fat combined in delicious ways.
I just feel it is my duty as a Californian to keep up on these things.