‘Pots of pot’ found growing in the trees

Press, 29 August 1986, Page 22

‘Pots of pot’ found growing in the trees

From

JOHN HUTCHISON

in San Francisco

It is called the Emerald Triangle. There are no emeralds, but the tall, green, illicitly-cultiv-ated cannabis can be worth more than jewels.

The fanciful nickname defines a three-county area of Northern California, about the size of Otago. Thinly populated the area is mostly forest wildernesses and deep, stony canyons, inhospitable to all but the strong, the bold, or the lawless. Among the venturesome in recent years have been the marijuana growers. Now the big-time cultivators are under severe attack from the law. County, state, and federal agents, slogging along the dry mountainsides in the last four summers, have increasingly succeeded in. “search and destroy” missions. They target the hidden gardens where “sinsemilla” (seedless) cannabis is grown with sophisticated methods to produce very potent, high-priced “pot.” One plant can bring $4OOO at wholesale.

The destruction of many of the gardens, and a shift in public attitudes have significantly reduced the marijuana production. The culture began in the mountain counties about a decade ago, individuals growing enough pot to supply themselves and make a living from relatively small sales. As the trade grew and the environment became known as excellent for cannabis, mountain towns began to thrive on the cash that flowed in, at a time when timber and conventional crops were depressed. In at least one county, pot became the largest cash crop, ahead of wine grapes and timber. Otherwise law-abiding citizens, including some politicians, condoned or furtively sup-

ported the new industry. But the profits from cannabis drew in big-city criminal elements, willing to spend what it takes to develop electricallytimed irrigation systems, hightechnology cultivation, clever | camouflage, and very dangerous security systems, with armed guards and deadly ■ booby traps, There were ugly confrontations with loggers, hunters, and public forestry personnel. Some people were killed. Public opinion began to shift. An industry run by violent, organised criminals was not what the local people had in mind when they tended to tolerate the earlier growers. Meanwhile, a co-ordinated assault called Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, after a bungling start in 1982, has steadily gained in effectiveness. Aerial surveillance, information from tipsters, and a great deal of strenuous ground search had resulted in the eradication by mid-August of plants worth an estimated $l3O million. The raids will continue through to October. Few growers are apprehended; surprise is difficult, and they disappear into the bush at the approach of any stranger. And growers are reported to be more adept than ever at hiding their gardens, often in the huge forest reserves, far from tracks and roads. At least one plantation was discovered in “pots of pot” wedged in trees high above the ground. Penalties for growing cannabis can go beyond fines and jail. A federal law which became effective last year makes it possible for the Government to confiscate the land of a grower and all the property op it.