Huge Santa Barbara County wildfire caused by marijuana farm; suspects at large in forest

A fire that has burned more than 75,000 acres in Santa Barbara County over the last week was started in an illegal marijuana growing area operated by a Mexican drug organization, authorities said.

Authorities said they confirmed that the blaze, which is burning out of control, started in a cooking area of the pot farm. They believe those responsible are still in the forest area trying leave the forest by foot. 

"The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit has confirmed that the camp at the origin of the fire was an illegal marijuana operation believed to be run by a Mexican national drug organization," according to a statement from the Los Padres National Forest. "The Narcotics Unit has been working in the area within the last month eradicating other nearby marijuana cultivation sites." 

The location of those who ran the pot farm isn't known, but forest officials warn "not to approach anyone who looks suspicious but to instead contact the nearest law enforcement agency."

The fire, known as the La Brea fire, is now 25% contained. Vicki Collins, a fire information spokeswoman at Los Padres, said that although the La Brea fire was only 10% contained by Friday night, firefighters successfully charred some lines in front of the fire in the Tepusquet Canyon area, depriving the blaze of new fuel. 

Since the fire started Aug. 8, about 234 residences have been evacuated. Collins said if firefighting efforts continue to be successful, residents might be able to get back into their homes within a couple of days. Progress has been slow on this fire because of the low humidity, 90-degree temperatures and remote terrain. 

She said they still have no crews on the ground in some wilderness areas, such as the Sisquoc River area.

 “We have a lot of work ahead of us yet, though things are looking fairly good on a couple flanks of this fire,” Collins said. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with firefighters in the Santa Cruz Mountains who have been battling the Lockheed fire. 

That blaze, which started Wednesday, has burned nearly 7,000 acres. By this morning, the fire was 30% contained, officials said. About 2,400 people have been evacuated in areas including Swanton and Bonny Doon.

 “I want the people here in these communities to know that we will do everything in our power in order to save properties, to save lives and to save their memories,” Schwarzenegger said. “The important thing is also to follow the evacuation orders.” Schwarzenegger said there are 11 fires currently burning across California. He defended the state's investment in fire resources even though it is in a budget crisis. 

Del Walters, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection director who spoke at the news conference with the governor, said he worried that the incoming winds and high temperatures in Northern California could worsen the Lockheed fire and also the Corral fire in San Joaquin County. 

That fire has blackened about 15,000 acres and was 20% contained by this morning. 

-- Shelby Grad and Jia-Rui Chong

Comments

[george]

You can add this fire to the cost of making marijuana illegal. It's time to legalize marijuana.

[Danny Padnick]

Once again we see devastating consequences caused not by marijuana but by the war against it; pushing the cultivation of a crop easily grown anywhere into remote areas "occupied" by criminals. The only effective way of putting these criminals out of business and putting an end to the environmental degradation they cause by living in and cultivating the forests is to legalize marijuana cultivation.

[David Haines]

Suspicious... whats the law to do? arrest all the mexicans in California legalize mj already its as common as dirt.

[Bonsai Shaman]

This would never happen if Cannabis was legal.

The Mexicans have the same problem we had during Alcohol Prohibition,
the Gangsters have ruined Mexico, and now they're coming over here.
It's all about the Money. Take the Money out of the hands of the Gangs,
put it in the hands of the American Farmers. They are the ones that need it.

Simple.

[Caroline]

Legalize pot. If this fire is an example of how well we have done managing and containing the illegal pot industry, then we have not done very well. If it were a legal farm they'd have had a proper kitchen. The workers would be able to complain to authorities when their conditions were substandard. Etc.

[cindy]

Great.. I bet the LATIMES a million dollars that the criminals that caused the fire illegally entered our country, unlike our legal immigrants who followed the law and are now probably loosing their homes and livelihoods in this fire..

So lets review, the illegal law breakers burn down our forest land, destroy our homes and in exchange we will also use my tax money to rescue them and pay for their medical care.

How is the TIMES going to stand up for these illegals?

[Major Variola (ret)]

Yet another reason to legalize it. Just as during Prohibition fires were
started by moonshiners, and accompanied by violence, the US endures
the same effects from its current prohibition on a safer drug.

[Dave]

Yet another reason to legalize Marijuana...it would send these illegal Mexican cartel growing operations back to Mexico.They cause terrible damage to the forests that they set up operations in with the pesticides and herbicides they use on their crops and divert water from it's normal paths through the forest.They also leave huge amounts of trash when they abandon the site.Let legitimate farmers grow the crops properly on their farms and generate tax revenue for the state instead of huge profits for the cartels.

[david]

Are you sure this isn't an episode of Weeds?

[jojo]

illegals....
"the gift that keeps on giving"

[KK]

This is what we feared most. The invasion of Mexican crime. Now we are paying.

[Lewis Sanborn]

Yet another reason, among the deluge of reasons, to create a real border.

[Gerrie Warner]

If marajuna was legal we wouldn't be having these sorts of disasters happening at all.

[Louweegie272]

Clearly not every illegal immigrant is here to work. Isn't it time we got serious about closing our borders? I wonder what La Raza or MALDEF has to say about this?

[Mark]

Remember, 'undocumented' immigrants are only here to do the work lazy Americans won't.

If you're against illegal immigration, you're a racisr.

[Kathleen]

CA and D.C. politicians have allowed illegal immigrants to continue entering and residing in our country. As a result thousands of Americans have been the victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens and thousands of acres of land, hundreds of properties, and several lives have been lost a a result of fires directly attributed to illegal aliens. For this reason, DHS Secty Napolitano and CA Governor Schwarzenegger should immediately be removed from office and charged with dereliction of duty (among other charges).

[william cormeny]

Mexico is in a Civil War.Let us not repeat the mistakes of the Italian government and write off Sicily and Naples as lost provinces.California,Arizona,New Mexico,and Texas do not deserve to be written off.We don't need fires in the woods to tell us it is out of contro.l
Mexico has shootings,decapitations,mass evacuations,destruction of propety and threats to civilians,tourists, police,and diplomats.
It is costing California taxpayers $48,000 a year to incarcerate the civil war participants.
Why should we incarcerate them? Is there not a country overseas or a state,like Liberia which would enjoy getting $10,000 a year for every prisoner we send them?
The legislators cannot handle these costs and the demands made by frightened prison guards and wardens now subjected to threats of the Mexicans factions.
Let's not California sink into the status of Columbia.

[Marin Local]

These aren't your 'old school' hippie plots, that if you came across and left alone, there probably would not be any trouble. -These cartel mini-farms are a serious danger to hikers, or anyone interfering w/their operation. -I used to hike off-trail quite a bit, and follow animal trails to reach remote areas. Now, I would not go alone, nor w/o someone knowing a general area of our hike. -And now that we're getting close to harvest time, I wouldn't recommend hiking off trail at all 'till it's over.
-Yea, as far as I remember, the hippies never held a workers's family's hostage, so the worker would live in the wilderness to tend to the plants.

[Frank]

Ok. The la times has gone too far. This is some racist reteric. Why would Mexican drug lords come to Santa barbara to grow weed. If I were a pot farmer I would want a much more rural area and less police presence. Mexico is clearly the better of the two to grow. Did Lou dobbs or glen beck do this investigation. Is the la times that intersted in continuing racist reteroric? First the mexicans infectthe gringos with swine flu and now they are coming over to the white swanky hills of Santa Barbara. Hide your woman and children. Ya viene Los Mexicanos. La times stop the xenophopia and stop spreading fear. Dobbs beck and arpaio have already got that handled.

[Don]

Legalize it.

It is astounding how much human and natural damage the absurd racist inspired drug laws have inflicted (entirely at the behests of the Unite States) on cultures world wide. Scores in prisons, turning regular citizens into criminals, and laying the foundation for deep mistrust and disillusionment with governments in general. The laws are based on a lie. The damage the laws are doing, and have done, is a fact.

[JFRMRE]

PEOPLE THAT LOOSE THEIR HOME SHOULD SUE THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL OR THE STATE THAT KNEW ABOUT THE FARM AND DIDN'T TAKE ANY ACTION TO STOP THEM? IT'S A SHAME.

[jeff newman]

legalize cannabis 2010 across california. hemp too! we have the power californians!!!
http://californiacannabisinitiative.org/

this will remove these illegal operations run by the drug cartels. get the profits in the hands of true farmers. cannabis & hemp are excellent rotational crops. they give back energy and nurtrients to the soil. but we need to prevent horrible mishaps like this fire. and legalization is the only way!

yes we cannabis!

[Richard Pietrasz]

More taxpayers' dollars wasted as a result of the "War on Drugs". Except, it would have burned sooner or later anyway.

[Jeffro]

There is a huge demand for marijuana because americans like to smoke it. This is just another situation that would have been avoided if it was legalized taxed and regulated.

[No Filter]

So now the media will spin this into a negative against the legalization of MJ, the Cedar Fire in San Diego '03 was started by a guy that was poaching dear go lost and lit a signal fire AND that fire killed 17 people.
Those idiots shouldn't have been cooking in the wood but shoulda coulda woulda...
Avoid suspicious people = Mexican dudes that come walking of of the woods THAT aren't dressed like wildland firemen.

[Warren]

I don't know how they can determine that the farm was ran by a Mexican national drug organization but, if that is what they want us to believe, okay. Weather it was ran by a Mexican national drug organization or some local boys who realize the demand for the product this is a good example why marijuana should be legalized.

"America’s marijuana industry is thriving and raking in what’s estimated to be tens of billions of dollars nationwide." Marinjuana Inc. (CNBC.com)

[Khatt]

This fire is a fallout from fighting wars that can't be won.

Isn't it time we enter into a reasoned discussion of the legalization of non-alcoholic, non-nicotine drugs? What would it mean? How could we do it? Who would be involved? Would the existing alcohol companies be the practical place to start, then opening up the market quickly to other companies? Or should it be a trial period, controlled by...whom?

Lots of issues, lots of problems, lots of emotion attached and lots of misinformation. As long as people want to use substances that excite, stimulate, comfort and kill, they will do so. America should lead the globe in a move to try and control this awful issue in a different way, partly by understanding human nature.

Why not stop being hypocrits or, is it true as I heard on a European radio station that the illegal drug trade provides a huge percentage of the inmates for America's massive prison industry and there is no motivation at all to ever look at legalizing drugs in this country?

[massmang]

This is just one more reason why marijuana needs to be legalized, taxed, and regulated.

Take the business out of the black market, and put it into the hands of real farmers. Keeping it illegal just raises the price, and creates an irresistible profit motive for these violent cartels.

Despite all of the tax dollars, and man hours spent on eradicating marijuana, it is still readily available across the US. If they were perfect at eradicating it here, it would just increase the profit motive for other countries to smuggle it into the US.

[Erich Elster]

It's time to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. Doing so would bring in valuable tax revenue, lower the number of prisoners and enable law enforcement to go after these damn Mexican cartels like the ones who started this environmental disaster.

[theman]

More reason to LEGALIZE it so that it grows in a normal farmers field that isn't in a national forest. Thanks to prohibition, our children have more access to marijuana and other drugs than alcohol. WAY TO PROTECT THE KIDS>
OR THE ALCOHOL COMPANIES?
hmmm
just a thought

[Scott]

Legalize it. Build the wall. Give America back to Americans.

[Drew]

Obviously the problem here is pot.

[Tucano Fulano]

What can the LAT be thinking calling a MJ farm an "Illegal" MJ farm ! And, guess what/who else is illegal on that farm besides an open fire ?

[troy]

So much pain caused by our inability to control our boarders. What will it take for us to finally take this seriously?

[Kasey Kelly]

legalize and control marijuana

[eric]

Just another reason why we need to Legalize and Tax it. Until that happens, organizations like the one mentioned will continue to destroy land growing it.

[Jack Meoph]

Did they save the weed?

[uncle_vito]

Mexican National Drug Organization. Trying to sugar coat the illegal Mexican drug gangs. You would think the Marijauana fare is run my the Mexican equivalent of the FDA.

Vito

[maria]

just stand outside and inhale everybody....mmmm!

[Duh!]

Think you can be a pot smoking environmentalist? Think again!

[hm]

Another Hidden Cost of open borders...

[shirley]

A MEXICAN "drug organization" (WHAT does that mean, exactly? cartel? coop of illegals making illegal dough?) causes millions in damage and firefighters' overtime during a huge local and state budget deficit?

And who's going to pay for it -- us, the American taxpayers, because the criminals are still trying to escape? Probably too stoned from the heavy pot smoke to make it, if we're lucky. Trying to go "Home" to Mexico where they can't be caught, because they're here illegally, without legal ID or social and of course, don't pay income taxes? If this were Americans being as stupid at least we could find and catch them, seize their assets if any, but this just encapsulates what a joke this state has become with our open borders.

[hal9000]

santa barbara fire caused by pot heads... oh my god ..get a life

[robertoc]

Sure we have issues with our borders, but we also have major problems with drugs. If a demand for illegal drugs continues, people will find clandestine ways to produce and market a product that is not legitimate.

[Jason S.]

There are illegal pot farms in the forest ? Trippy.

[jk]

It is time for sever penalties to be meted out for the pyromaniacs, pot farm growers and careless individuals who start these fires. We in Santa Barbara have seen careless students, laborers and the pyros cause incredible suffering and environmental damage. Some of these recent fires are intentional but more and more it is simple carelessness that is the cause. It is time to put the fear of state prison into people who light fires and use the wrong machinery to clear brush. A few public floggings of the guilty may serve as a strong deterent to those with room temperature IQ's regarding fire safety.

[Roy From Atwater]

The cause of this fire is strictly due to government stupidity.

There is a demand for marijuana (just like alcohol).

Marijuana is no worse than alcohol (some would say even less harmful) and by keeping it illegal the government insures that the criminal element is involved in creating and distributing the supply to meet the demand.

This incident caused a tremendous amount of damage to the environment, danger to people and waste of government resources.

This sort of scenario and others are repeated over and over, as in interdiction at the boarder, wasting money in other countries trying to eradicate the crop and prosecuting/persecuting people who are doing the equivalent of nothing more (and probably less) than enjoying a beer.

It's time to look at this in a reasonable manner and consider that we would be much better off (and a whole lot safer, too) if marijuana were completely decriminalized and treated like alcohol (regulated by the government, taxed and restricted to adults).

[Adam]

This article is quite oxymoron and produces ignorance. To many individual legalizing it would counter the black market of marijuana sales but, this is not a assertion, such as the plantations where placed by Mexican Cartels. Any accusation could go anywhere, even could pertain to those individuals abusing the "medical card" use and growth of marijuana in California. I believe the example here is evident on how the Federal government needs to seek stronger enforcements and legislation and the production of marijuana and take the whole epidemic seriously!

[Wagner]

Nice...illegal aliens are now growing pot in America and selling it to Americans. But, we shouldn't enforce our immigration laws. Just let them burn hundreds of acres of America. Let them grow illegal drugs and then sell them to American children. It's the liberal/progressive way.

[Sm. Dave]

Yes - legalize it already. Stop supporting the current Mexican government in the drug wars. Back -- and protect -- drug law reform candidates there.

[bearbjamin]

Another reason to legalize pot. Add this one to one of the many harms caused by outlawing a plant. Get it out of the hands of Mexican cartels just as in the days of prohibition.

[dpug l]

The consequences of prohibition. If it were legal for individuals for what ever reason to grow up to a dozen plants for private consumption you can be reasonably well assured that we would not have mexicans, or anyone for that matter, growing weed in the NF, or in greenhouses,or anywhere except on their own property. That all 4 top condenders for the governor's seat in CA are adamantly knot-headed on the subject does not bode well for anyone hoping to see an end to the expensive, futile and self-defeating program of prohibition that our so-called democratic leaders have given us. One can only surmise that the criminal element is paying huge amounts to candidates campaigns to keep it illegal as it creates a very lucrative market for them. No wonder it's called dope. It's turned our leaders into that very thing.

[skeptical]

Nice propaganda. Evil weed, potheads...bad. Drug war...good. Remember the gov said it, so it must be so. Maybe the drug warriors set the fire and are blaming it on the bad mexicans. Would they admit it if it were so? They do like to burn things.

Legalize it.

[Uncle Jim]

Wen will we ever learn? Legalize now and STOP these Mexican's from destroying our land!

[Henry Anslinger]

Marijuana [cannabis] has never hurt, killed, anyone!

70 years of cannabis prohibition has been a financial boon for prohibitionist, cops, the courts, judicial system, pee labs, politicians.

The War on [natural] Drugs has imprisoned millions of good honest people for using a plant! Destroyed families, robbed American citizens through the very UN-American process called asset forfeiture. Many, denied higher education. Many, denied medicine. And America has been deprived of the most valuable bio-resource on the planet in order to protect corporate profits.

This new American policy of "you don't own your own body" is not the America I or my Dad or three Uncles fought in wars about!

Unless you have personal knowlege of this botanical superplant, unless you have studied the history and physical effects of this plant either show me the bodies or shut up!!!

[M. Stone]

The real question here is how "blazed" did the fire and rescue crews get?

[anti_wagner]

@Wagner
Well if you uptight rights would not have a hissy fit when we try to legalize we wouldnt have this problem. There would be no market to drive these actions.

Now go chill out with a bourbon on the rocks...

[jim]

Get real .... legalize the plant, this is rediculous . this plant should help the environment, not destroy it. criminals are causing this great state much harm.

[pat rand]

wh;y, as a nation, as we so stupid not to legalize this stuff.
no, I am not a user.

[Craig]

But lets keep the bootlegging alive since the "drug war" is going so well. Maybe we should make booze illegal too. Oh, right, prohibition doesn't work. Hmmmm...

[Ralph]

A propaganda 'Double Header' that vilifies two of the regressive right wing's favorite straw dogs, at the same time ; 'drugs' and illegal immigrants. And this from the same bunch of racists that tried and failed to incarcerate Michael Jackson for all these years.

[John Bagsley]

If marijauna were legalised and regulated we wouldn't be dealing with such hazardous situations. Criminalisation causes more problems than it solves.

[Brian Milburn]

A little, realistic part of me is whispering that it was police/DEA ineptitude that caused the blaze, not the marijuana growers themselves.

I predict an eventual Wikipedia article on this, in the distant future, elaborating upon this as truth.

[AW]

I am so tired of the blame game. What has happened to us as individuals that we cannot take responsibility for ourselves? Why not blame God for creating pot or even better creating the Santa Anna winds??? Or hey here is a good one....blame the residential developers for building houses in an area of CA that is destined to burn just like any undeveloped part of rural CA. Or... OR...how about we blame the people for spending too much money on extravagant homes that they don't really need that waste electricity, and that money could have been used to help pay for border control. Or how about we blame the trees for being too dry...
It never ends... stop bitching about other people and take care of you and your own. Life would be a lot better and easier if we would all just chill.

[Bill]

Who dreams up those 'containment' percentages ? --- Just like a baseball game, its not over until its over.

[Woochifer]

Actually, the "liberal/progressive way" would be to legalize pot, regulate it, and tax it. No more money going to the Mexican drug cartels, no more illegal marijuana farms in our state and national open spaces, and millions of new tax dollars that can support our state rather than the criminals south of the border. I'd rather have that than self-righteous enforcement of morality that tries to turn this into yet another attack on them illegals.

[Anonymous Dissenter]

Wagner: Come on, dude. Liberals want kids sold drugs by illegal immigrants? Seriously? Legalization and regulation would solve a lot of this so your kids couldn't get pot any easier than they can get liquor or cigarettes or prescription opiates. Or... what else did you have in mind to deal with it? Other than to blame liberals for all but setting the fire and pouring gas on it while getting high with your kids off the fumes?

[revhatchell]

legalization keeps looking better and better.

a taxed, government regulated marijuana industry probably would not cause massive fires, incarcerate millions, and COST billions of wasted dollars.

[rich (richmanwisco)]

So legalizing will simply make the bad guys go away? Are you sure about that?

And simply taxing the stuff will solve all our financial problems? Have you run that past your libertarian friends? Is that what you want, is another "sin tax" that only serves to tax those who can least afford it?

I've been leaning more toward the grow your own, smoke your own model.

[mAX cohen]

LEGALIZE LEGALIZE LEGALIZE. UNTIL this happens then incidents like this are going to keep happening.
FRESNO STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL = 340 million
street value of POT confiscated by law enforcement in last week Fresno raid= 1 billion.
cmon people. Lets wake up here. Northern California can become the new nappa valley. Jobs, tourism, money money money. What are we waiting for?

[jim]

Whats a "cooking area" in a pot farm?

[Ochitananda Mangoyoni]

Oh come now. If you actually believe that an illegal Mexican Drug cartel is responsible for this fire, I have some lovely oceanfront property to sell you in Colorado! The article says the Federal drug warriors have been burning pot crops in the area for the past two months. Connect the dots. Marijuana, Mexicans, Fire...Bingo! It is like winning a double header for the Feds! Wake up America and smell the pot! End the ridiculous prohibition on pot and get on with switching drunks over to pot. Never saw a pothead pick a fight or kill someone. Hmmmm....Smoke pot, don't want to fight or kill anyone. Hmmmm...What if our military got stoned instead of drunk? Maybe they would not want to show up for the next war de jour!

[elwood seedplanter]

I live near the scene of the fire. I have been high from the fumes since Wednesday. Great stuff!!!!

[Jack]

LEGALIZE POT!

[Wandagb]

I suppose they were just trying to put pot on the table for their kids.
These people need to be brought out of the shadow so they can grow their pot in the sun.

Youtube - "Amnesty Downfall"

[John]

Great, instead of being worried about my kids using pot I now also have to be worried about the drug cartels growing it near my house and setting it on fire!

As a parent I don’t want my kids using pot, but it doesn’t seem like our current approach is working and it’s simply putting my family and our land in even more danger.

I think it’s time we rethink the way we deal with marijuana in America. Our current approach doesn’t seem to be fixing anything.

[Maureen]

I don't in any way mean to make light of a horrible situation, but it occurred to me that now a whole lot of firemen and other nearby people get a "free ride" on their drug tests for the next month.

[gary noel]

Cindy McCain, a well known drug dealer, can run her husband for president, and he can select a flagrant drug user, Jill sixpack for vice president. If you smoke pot your rights as a citizen are forfeited, including search and seizure, ability to hold office, etc. It looks like you are not a 'real' American unless you drink. I have tried and tried to understand that reality and have finally come to the conclusion that alcohol is a centralized endeavor which requires infrastructure and capital. Thus the oligarchy and capitalists can control it. Weed just grows.

[Katie T.]

This was a plot line on Season 3 of Weeds. Art is supposed to imitate life, not the other way around.

[bearbjamin]

So obvious, legalize pot. Even though it's obvious the powers that be, those making money from the drug war, and I'm not talking about the cartels but rather American politicians, those who own prisons, and the like are keeping this from being legalized. Or is that these powers that be don't want more people opening their minds?

[nowhappened.blogspot]

If authorities knew about this illegeal operation, someone is getting payed off to start a blaze every summer now in California. This is so sad because we all know how many lives are saved by marijuana/hemp use, including animal life, and a collective life by stopping the fossil fuels use. It's no secret that wet marijuana does not burn, neither does we soil, what you need to grow marijuana. This is very suspicious and probably very deliberate when you cross reference with what happens as a result with authorities.

Legalize marijuana like others have suggested, and welcome a victory garden over the powers that be!

[Henk]

For those blaming immigration: People would not be coming here to work if there were no jobs. Its very simple, huge fines, jail time and maybe an execution of a CEO or two, for companies and individuals who hire illegal workers. Its the same for the weed, if no one smoked it this wouldn't be an issue. We've tried the criminal prosecution route, but that doesn't seem to be working in this case. Maybe it is time to legalize.

[No doper]

I hear a lot about legalizing marijuana. ok so for medicinal reasons if its effective I agree with it, but the people pushing for legalization are the pot heads why do you need to get stoned? to escape reality? to sit and be high? wow man that so productive..it's not about legalizing marijuana here it's about an illegal activity that brings money to criminals if marijuana is legal than the criminals will do something else to profit. put the pipe down people and see it's not the drugs that are the problem it's the people doing drugs that don't have a need or a reason other than wow man i'm so stoned. as well as the people selling them without demand there is no need for supply..yes and I know everyone who smokes pot has a argument for legalizing it..but I always remember when I speak to these people.. they are on drugs..

[AC]

The fire would be more contained, but the fire fighters' progress has been slowed by extreme cases of the munchies.

[bearbjamin]

Let's grab our pitch forks and torches and run the politicians out of town who want to keep the war on drugs going for their greed.

[Aaron]

I am a land owner, hiker, hunter, and botanist who spends days each week in the coast ranges, usually remote areas. I sometimes get the feeling that pot smokers don't understand how dangerous it is for some of us to be on OUR OWN property. Additionally, we can be held responsible for something other people are doing without our knowing, or if we attempt to do anything, again we are in danger. And when we do inform the authorities they over burdened and under funded. Everytime you blaze up, YOU contribute directly to the endangerment of thousands of hikers, biologists, botanists, natural resource managers, land owners, sheriffs, backpackers, horsepackers, hydrologists, power line workers, foresters, loggers, anglers, hunters, and ranchers. And you support illegal human trafficking across the border where hundreds are hurt, threatened, or die if they refuse to cooperate with the cartels. So, even though I too think it should be legal, until it is, why don't you stop giving your money to the cartels and stop using it. After all it's not addictive, right? Also, Frank, do you wanna come walk the south-facing drainages of our ranch in Mendocino Co, unarmed and test your theory that it's Lou Dobbs stirring this stuff up and not violent criminals from Mexico? Guaranteed, the last words you'll hear are in Spanish.

[martinchill]

"marijuana" is Spanish.

are we speaking Spanish now?

it's called Cannabis.

[ClaudeB]

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same [...]

[Ted]

Wait up California before it too late! Our scenic forest and national parks are being destroyed by drug cartels. Since it is now hardier for large shipments of pot to be shipped across the border organized drug cartels (not all Mexicans) are using are using are parks as their personal drug farms. It is unsafe to venture off the beaten path in many wilderness area’s, as more and more heavily armed 'undocumented' immigrants have setup shop.

[Chris]

I agree with Aaron and No Doper. If we want to blame someone, we can blame the stoners who create the market for this illegal substance. The practice of invading and occupying public lands to grow pot is horrendous and should not be used as a justification to legalize marijuana. It is like terrorism being used as a reason to concede to the terrorists. If we just give the terrorists what they want, they will stop. This is my public land, and I don't want anyone growing marijuana on it, nor do I want marijuana legalized. It is one thing to grow it on your own land, but not on mine. This is outrageous and if it is the reason for legalization, I will fight legalization to the death.

[Lisa]

I'm also for legalizing it. With this many (it seems) in favor of it, how come our voices are falling on deaf ears? We should, as a people, be able to get this done. It's absolute insanity that marijuana smoking is still treated as a punishable offense. Aren't there bigger fish to fry?

[Bullfighter]

America must use bacterial warfare on the race that is killing Americans with its chemicals.

[Angela Bacca]

I think it is important to look at the entire picture here. Cannabis is the largest cash crop in California, estimated at $17 billion. It is solely an artifact of cannabis prohibition that we have Mexican drug cartels cultivating the plant in our national parks, destroying the ecosystem and not caring for the land like a legitimate farmer would.

Legalizing in California would not only reap large tax revenues, it would eliminate any form of profit from growing in our national parks. Instead, it would open up a new industry to thousands of California's jobless.

Let's please look at this for what it is!

[RB Lozano]

...just tired of drugs in general

[Doug]

Interesting how, after the cause of this fire was confirmed by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and Los Padres National Forest authorities to be by a cooking fire made by individuals tending an illegal Mexican cartel-owned marijuana plantation on U.S. soil, that now the party line given by the mass media is that the cause was arson. No mention is being made now of the involvement of the illegal Mexican cartel operations.

That the mass media would change their story is not surprising to me, since they (most of the time) have the same liberal and socialist agendas as the U.S. government and State government of California. It is not politically-correct to point out that Mexican nationals here illegally have been the cause of this fire, and it makes government appear complicit through their astoundingly poor control of the U.S./Mexico border.

But this change of story by the media really brings home the stark reality of the manipulation of news to further government agendas, through their meda acolytes. The government/media complex knows that "perception is everything", and they carefully manipulate public perception through the news. This is machiavellian.

Machiavellian - "being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described."

[Crissee]

I Am Feel So Bad For The Firefighters Have To Deal With The Wildfires. Stay Safe.From,Crissee