Ending Illegal Marijuana Operations

Floor Speech

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Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, in California, we are known for having a lot of marijuana grows. But we have to recognize this is still an illegal substance at the Federal level.

We have, in my district--it is amazing--many hundreds of illegal hothouses that have been planted in Siskiyou County full of marijuana grows.

Now, we haven't had many resources to help out up there until very recently, when a sheriff up there took it upon himself to eradicate these grows, to go against the county ordinances there, to go against other ordinances on water use, chemical use. They are using chemicals that are not even available to farmers that have long been made illegal in this country and in the State of California.

These grows cause irreparable damage to the environment and wildlife and are even dangerous to people who happen to traipse in there accidentally, with folks who are so heavily armed. They are cartels from out of the country that are in there doing this operation--all illegally. Why do we allow this to go on?

These marijuana grows are dangerous and are against the law. The Federal Government needs to be a stronger partner in backing the locals on eradicating these grows because of how much damage they do to the community, to the environment, to the wildlife, and to the overall feeling people have of their community up there. We need to help more.

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