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..... Whitmore says of the crops: "These grows not only use chemicals that can pollute streams. They create mounds of human waste and thousands of pounds of camp trash." Source: http:// www. mercurynews. com/ breakingnews /ci_7406380 ?nclick_check =l California tops marijuana eradication record Submitted by Bill Weinberg / 11/23/2007 .....Nearly three million pot plants destroyed California not only leads the nation in pot production, but also in plant eradication. With the outdoor harvest over, the state's Department of Justice announced on Nov. 13 that 2.9 million cannabis plants were destroyed this year. That's an increase of 1.2 million plants since last year and a total increase of 1.8 million plants since 2005. The seizures were conducted by CAMP - Campaign Against Marijuana Planting - a task force of local, state and federal agencies. California Attorney General Jerry Brown stated "When you're out there hiking in the country, the rural area of California, you don't expect to be confronted with some illegal person pointing an AK -47 at you. " He claimed that medical marijuana was not taken in any of the 472 raids. "This is one way of alleviating people's pain," the AG said. "Although I can tell you, having watched one of these marijuana clinics outside the Oakland police station, the people going in look rather young and vigorous on their way to pick up their material." Ironically, Brown signed California's decriminalization bill into law when he was governor in 1975 and has admitted to using marijuana. CAMP's not -plant seizures vear - by -vear: 2000 - 345,207 2004 - 621,315 2001 - 313,776 2005 - 1,134,692 2002 - 354,202 2006 - 1,675,681 2003 - 466,054 2007 - 2,905,021 Source: http: / /www.ww4report.com /node /4694 Latest Western States Information Network Intelligence bulletin states 2006 Record high seizures with 2007's expected to be even higher Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations employing Mexican nations to grow crops on California wild lands. The growers are heavily armed, utilizing two way radios to communicate and are establishing elaborate escape plans. The THC level obtained from these outdoor grows has risen from 2 -3% to a current level of 8 -12% a capability not seen from Mexican marijuana producers before. WSIN estimates that 90% of California's indoor marijuana gardens are attributed to Caucasian DTO's in and around Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity Counties. It is believed that this group is expanding to conduct operations in Sonora and Lake Counties as well. WSIN states that "It is suspected by Law Enforcement authorities that marijuana production will increase among Mexican DTOs and criminal groups due to large profits." WSIN reports that "Law enforcement officials are saying that the increase of indoor marijuana grows can be directly associated with an increase in homicides and robberies in California. People are being killed and homes are being robbed because marijuana plants produce huge profits." Source: WSIN October Intel report This last quarter was also a busy one for searches and closures of store front dispensaries. With the large number of dispensaries in California and the apparent "booming" business they are doing one has to suspect that the record numbers of indoor and outdoor grows are increasing to keep pace with demand from the dispensaries. When information is released on seizures from the raids on marijuana dispensaries, we see significant amounts of marijuana and cash seized as well as a significant amount of assets either in real- estate or together property pointing to fact that dispensaries are very lucrative cash businesses. 0