Pubdate: Fri, 07 Sep 2012
Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2012 The Modesto Bee
Contact:  http://www.modbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/271

WE CAN DO WITHOUT THIS NEW KIND OF (ILLEGAL) FARMING

With a $3 billion agricultural economy, we know Stanislaus County is 
great for farming.

Virtually everything grows here - wheat, corn, rice, walnuts, 
almonds, apricots, peaches, watermelons ... and marijuana.

With ongoing discoveries of massive marijuana farms, it is apparent 
that marijuana farmers have put down roots, so to speak, in 
Stanislaus County. We just wish they hadn't.

On Thursday, authorities pulled 192 more plants out of the ground. 
That's on top of the 490 plants that were pulled up Aug. 28, the 
1,800 that were eradicated Aug. 23 and the 1,500 plants authorities 
disposed of Aug. 16.

Sick people have a right to grow medicinal marijuana for their own 
use. But that's not what we're seeing here. As we wrote in an 
editorial on Sunday, this is marijuana growing on an industrial scale.

So we're happy that law enforcement is responding in a way that 
appears equal to the task. It does, however, beg the question: If 
authorities are pulling up this much weed, how much more is being 
harvested and sold to the public?

And we have an idea. Along with the pistols, protective gear, radios 
and everything else that officers must carry into the field, should 
we be providing them Weed Eaters, too?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom