• 15
  • September
    2011

Want proof that the war on drugs is showing no signs of slowing down? Local and federal authorities recently removed more than 3,000 marijuana plants growing in Pike National Forest.

The plants in the Colorado forest carried a street value estimated by law enforcement officials to be nearly $9 million. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado National Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the South Metro Drug Task Force all worked together to raid the cultivation site, which was located near the Colorado town of Deckers.

Interestingly, even though such a significant number of marijuana plants were seized, authorities made no arrests during the raid.

The Huffington Post reported that both law enforcement officials and forest officials are worried about more than just the risk to public safety posed by these marijuana farms.

As it turns out, the pot farms can also have a negative long-term impact on the environment. Growers use harmful pesticides that can have a long-term negative impact on surrounding natural resources, and frequently leave behind both trash and human waste.

Growing marijuana it seems is not always a "green" activity.

It is worth noting that this isn't the first time that Colorado authorities have shut down a marijuana farm on U.S. Forest Service land. According to news reports, authorities have shut down 13 illegal pot growing sites in Colorado forests since 2009.

Of course, this is probably far from the actual number of active marijuana farms dotting National Forest Service land. One thing these huge raids prove is that people will continue to grow marijuana, even if doing so is illegal.

Stay tuned for more news from our Denver criminal defense blog ...

This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Source:

The Huffington Post "$9 million worth of pot plants removed from Pike National Forest" Sept. 9, 2011