The Marijuana 'Eradication' Fiasco

“Eradication” campaigns appear to have literally driven the growers into the hills.

Marijuana Eradication Courtesy: co.amador.ca.us

(SAN FRANCISCO) - As summer nears its end, marijuana “eradication” efforts are in high gear – and nowhere more so than in California, whose effort is called the “Campaign Against Marijuana Planting” – CAMP for short.

And as usual, the news is filled with stories of CAMP raids like this one, in which whopping numbers of marijuana plants are seized. These are habitually accompanied by breathless tales of criminal gangs despoiling forests and wilderness areas with their marijuana growing operations.

Missing from these reports is any recognition of the evidence that CAMP actually makes these problems worse. Maybe that’s because stories like this one from CNN and this one from the New York Times quote only government sources.

Other than completely failing to “eradicate” marijuana, how does “eradication” make problems associated with marijuana cultivation worse? Take a look at the charts at the bottom of the CAMP page linked above. As the number of plants seized skyrocketed starting in 2002, a key shift occurred: Where once the majority were seized from private land, in recent years the overwhelming majority of seizures have been on public lands – those very national forests the “eradicators” claim to want to protect.

The charts only go through 2006, but the trend has continued. In 2008, CAMP seizures set an all-time record of nearly 3 million plants, with 70 percent seized on public lands.

“Eradication” campaigns appear to have literally driven the growers into the hills.

Two years ago, MPP challenged California Attorney General Jerry Brown – who oversees CAMP — to provide evidence that the program reduces marijuana availability, cultivation in dangerous or environmentally sensitive areas, availability of marijuana to young people, or involvement of criminal gangs in marijuana production and distribution.

He did not respond.

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Dave September 3, 2009 4:43 pm (Pacific time)

It may not "eradicate" all of the MJ being grown but it gets rid of what they find. And how about restriction of the population from public lands by these lawless (and sometimes illegally here) growers. If you don't like a law get it changed--otherwise shut up and live with it.

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Daniel September 3, 2009 1:58 pm (Pacific time)

Bruce The shift from private to public lands is because with private lands there is a greater chance its medical related . With public lands its always illegal and less hassles all around for the government . The numbers increase because every want to be grower in the US and Mexico has heard about the California gold rush . If there is a buck to be made it is like a magnet . Marijuana is the largest cash crop in california and the locals are not happy about all the influx of new landless growers, it brings their price down and floods the market after the harvest . The only solution is for national legalization . This will take the criminal element out of the equation !

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