Issues with the Illegal Growing of Marijuana

The de-criminalization of marijuana use was supposed to reduce the illegal growing of Marijuana.  The backers of the initiatives to “legalize” either the medicinal and or recreational uses of marijuana believed that by providing a means to license the growing and sale of marijuana there would be no need to grow it illegally.  This has not turned out to be the case.

Proliferation of illegal growing

The US Forest Service reports that illegal cannabis cultivation is an escalating problem.  Marijuana use is still illegal under Federal Law and US Forest Service land is not available for private use without express permission of the Forest Service.  The Forest Service does its best to identify illegal grows and clean them up, but it is a Sisyphean task.  The demand for cannabis is strong enough to keep the illegal market quite lucrative for cartels to exploit whatever means they can to bring it to market.  Find out more here.

Check out our printable info-graphic on the environmental harms of illegal growing here.Environmental Harms of Growing Marijuana_A_Truong

Human trafficking

The National Institutes of Health reports that the demand for marijuana has created a “concealed epidemic within the expanding cannabis industry”.

The competition to bring a popular product to market relies on using the cheapest labor available.  As marijuana/cannabis has been illegal for so long, and is still illegal for any use in a number of states, it already had cartel involvement in the growing, distribution and sale.   This has only grown with the “legalization”  (it is still illegal under federal law).

Checking your source

If you fell that cannabis/marijuana is something that is important to help with a medical condition or enjoy the effects, do make sure that it is coming from a source that has been licensed by your state.   In California that is the Department of Cannabis Control.