California Attorney General Rob Bonta has revealed that efforts to control illegal cannabis grow operations in the state have eradicated nearly 1 million cannabis plants in 2022.
Since 1983, the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) 13-week Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) program has eradicated more than 33 million cannabis plants.
CAMP partners include the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and others.
Bonta says California has the largest regulated cannabis market in the world, though illegal unlicensed grow operations persist.
“The California Department of Justice’s CAMP task force works tirelessly each year to eradicate illegal grows and reclaim our public lands, but shutting these grows is no longer enough,” says Bonta in a press release. “With the transition to EPIC, we’re taking the next step and building out our effort to address the environmental and economic harms and labor exploitation associated with this underground market.”
A New Task Force
Bonta says California will replace the seasonal CAMP program with a new year-round task force this fall.
According to Bonta, the new Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis (EPIC) program will allow California’s DOJ to step-up its cannabis enforcement work.
Bonta says EPIC will also help the DOJ investigate and prosecute civil and criminal cases, focusing on illegal cultivation’s environmental, economic, and labor impacts.
“CAMP and the cooperative efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners play a vital role in sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands,” says California BLM Office of Enforcement and Security Special Agent Dylan Ragan. “Working together, we bring a whole government approach to combating the damage caused by illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands.”
Ragan says illegal cultivation threatens public lands by introducing dangerous pesticides and diverting waterways, and involving drug trafficking organizations.
During the 2022 season, CAMP teams conducted 449 operations.
Toxic Chemicals at Illegal Grows
In 2022, erradication operations removed nearly 67,000 pounds of cultivation infrastructure like dams, water lines, and toxic chemical containers.
Toxic chemicals included carbofuran, methyl parathion, aluminum phosphate, zinc phosphide, and illegal fertilizers.
Bonta says carbofuran, a lethal insecticide, is particularly dangerous and poses untold risks to public health.
Once applied, carbofuran, which is illegal in the United States, stays on plants and seeps into the soil and nearby water sources.
Carbofuran is toxic enough that one teaspoon can kill a full-grown bear.
Bonta says EPIC is an evolution in the DOJ’s cannabis enforcement work, mirroring concerns and issues stemming from CAMP’s summer operations.
EPIC will collaborate with the DOJ’s Cannabis Control Section, Special Prosecution Section, And Tax Recovery and Underground Economy (TRUE) task force to investigate and prosecute cases.
“Illegal cultivation of marijuana on public lands continues to be a major problem for California,” says California State Director for BLM Karen Mouritsen. “These illegal operations have a devastating impact on our environment and the health and safety of communities and public land users.”
List of CAMP Operations in 2022:
- Mendocino: 18 sites, 190,018 plants eradicated
- Riverside: 77 sites, 159,287 plants eradicated
- San Bernardino: 41 sites, 138,815 plants eradicated
- Lake: 51 sites, 97,677 plants eradicated
- Kern: 53 sites, 77,837 plants eradicated
- Siskiyou: 52 sites: 68,130 plants eradicated
- Trinity: 22 sites, 46,632 plants eradicated
- Monterey: 11 sites, 37,247 plants eradicated
- Tulare: 30 sites, 27,020 plants eradicated
- Shasta: 19 sites, 26,413 plants eradicated
- San Benito: 1 site, 24,295 plants eradicated
- Los Angeles: 20 sites, 23,492 plants eradicated
- Sacramento: 4 sites, 17,973 plants eradicated
- Fresno: 19 sites, 11,064 plants eradicated
- Madera: 14 sites, 8,757 plants eradicated
- Nevada: 2 sites, 8,279 plants eradicated
- Mariposa: 11 sites, 5,761 plants eradicated
- Ventura: 1 site, 2,370 plants eradicated
- San Diego: 2 sites, 1,510 plants eradicated
- Sonoma: 1 site, 1,407 plants eradicated
- Santa Barbara: reconnaissance only
- Santa Cruz: reconnaissance only
- Santa Clara: reconnaissance only
- Tuolumne: reconnaissance only
- Humboldt: reconnaissance only
- Stanislaus: reconnaissance only
[…] According to DCC, a less-accessible legal cannabis marketplace threatens consumer safety and perpetuates the illicit trade. […]