California Cops Prepare To Waste More Money ‘Eradicating’ Pot

Local, state and federal law enforcement officers will gather May 10-13 in San Diego to begin “organizing” this year’s Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), which has failed annually since 1983 to achieve its stated goal: reducing cannabis use and availability in California by “eradicating” illegal grow site

Yes, every single year — all 27 of them, so far — CAMP has failed miserably in its quixotic quest, as marijuana became more and more availabl

The waste, arrogance and abuse associated with the program — which has become the largest law enforcement task force in the United States, with more than 110 agencies taking part — have become legendary.

Ordinary families have been terrorized by paramilitary units, peaceful homeowners have been repeatedly buzzed by low-flying helicopters, and community relations between citizens and law enforcement have suffered almost everywhere CAMP has laid its heavy hand.

The fact that all this is done at taxpayer expense, to the tunes of millions of dollars — along with the dire condition of California’s state treasury — focuses more attention than ever before on CAMP’s futility.

On Monday, at a press conference where CAMP “strategizes,” marijuana advocates will call on government to end this wasteful policy.

CAMP’s wisdom is, even more than ever before, being called into question this year as Californians prepare to vote on a November ballot initiative that would end the state’s prohibition on adult marijuana use.

“These so-called ‘eradication’ efforts have had zero effect on marijuana use, availability, or price, but once again, California law enforcement agencies are perfectly content to throw more tax money down the CAMP rabbit hole,” said Aaron Smith, California policy directory for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

“It’s time to stop this insanity of repeating the futile exercise of CAMP and instead replace marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation,” Smith said. “Only then will we be able to eliminate the clandestine marijuana plantations — just as the repeal of alcohol prohibition did away with the bootleggers of that era.”

“It’s no coincidence that drug cartels don’t plant vineyards or hops fields in our national forests,” Smith added.