Jul
15
2021
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With illegal marijuana grows becoming an almost unmanageable problem for local authorities in the High Desert, Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita), and Assemblymembers Tom Lackey and Thurston “Smitty” Smith are looking for a statewide approach. The legislators have invited California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) Secretary Jared Blumenfeld to visit the region and see first-hand the growing public safety and environmental problems resulting from these unfettered grows.
Senator Wilk points to the recent seizure of 74 tons of illicitly grown marijuana in east Los Angeles County on June 8th as a reason why both Attorney General Bonta and CalEPA Secretary Blumenfeld need to act immediately to identify additional resources to aid in addressing the increasing issues associated with illegal marijuana sites.
“Illegal marijuana grows are lucrative and have become prolific in California because of the state’s soft-on-crime policies. They have exploded in my area of Los Angeles County because the County’s new District Attorney has made it a point to not prosecute these types of crimes to the full extent of the law. This stance brings a major criminal element into otherwise safe communities, causes pollution from the illegal chemicals used in these grows, creates rampant water theft, and pushes legal, licensed marijuana farmers out of the marketplace.
“There is no denying that decades of failed criminal policies have contributed to a situation where the rights of criminals seem to be prioritized over those of law-abiding citizens. But unless the state acts with definitive authority on this issue, I believe we are rapidly approaching the point of no return with our environmental goals, public safety, water rights – and the list goes on.”
“I will continue to fight for residents of the 21st Senate District, and for families around the state whose communities have been devastated by the presence of these criminal operations in their backyards.”