On Wednesday July 21, US Representative Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., posted videos of himself in a bulldozer. Joining the Siskiyou County Police Department, he destroyed greenhouses holding illegal cannabis operations. Representative LaMalfa continuously opposes cannabis reform legislation. So when the police asked for volunteers to help remove illegal growth operations — which in Siskiyou county are any sites growing more than six cannabis plants — Representative LaMalfa was one of the first to join.
In the videos, Representative LaMalfa excitedly jumps into a bulldozer and gets to work with a large grin on his face. He isn’t the only one bulldozing however. Police and contractors are in a few other machines themselves. Together, they bring down the dome-like greenhouse structures storing plants. After a job well done, Representative LaMalfa got out and flexed his arms. Then, he paid homage to the 1979 war film “Apocalypse Now.”
“I love the smell of diesel power in the afternoon. It smells like victory.”
Anti-Cannabis Action
For the past several years, Representative LaMalfa has spoken on the House floor about allocating resources to states in order to fight illegal cannabis farmers. In 2018, the congressman even filed legislation calling for such, known as HR 7018, the Protecting Lands Against Narcotics Trafficking (PLANT) Act. Under the PLANT Act, local, state and federal enforcement agents would receive resources to remove illegally grown cannabis. However, the bill failed to pass the House Committee on Natural Resources.
“Illegal marijuana cultivation has become a huge problem on our federal lands – to the point where it’s a clear danger to the public and harmful to the environment. Law enforcement doesn’t have the resources to keep pace with organized, large-scale grow operations often run by international cartel organizations,” Representative LaMalfa said shortly after HR 7018 became introduced.
“The PLANT Act helps support efforts to combat these illegal grow sites while creating a fund to restore land damaged by illegal pesticides and other chemicals. This is a bipartisan issue that I’ve been working on since I’ve been in Congress. Our public land is being abused and held hostage by armed drug traffickers, and we need to be able to enjoy our federal public lands without fear of stumbling across one of these very dangerous grow sites. The environmental damage done by illegal pesticides, illegal water diversions, and killing of wildlife at these sites is immense. My bill equips law enforcement with the tools they need to eradicate this threat and begin the cleanup.”
Future
Recently, Representative LaMalfa filed an amendment to the 2022 fiscal year spending bill. This amendment would transfer $25 million from the Environmental Programs and Management enforcement activities account to the National Forest System. Additionally, these funds would help enforce and remediate illegal cannabis farms and sites using federal lands. It would also help with clean-up funds and removing any toxic waste any illegal operations may have left behind.
Though extreme, Representative LaMalfa helping police use a bulldozer over illegal growth sites is on brand for the congressman. “Nothing about the organized criminal grows in Siskiyou county is legal. These grow sites are destroying our environment. Trash is piled everywhere, human excrement is untreated in open pits, illegally used pesticides are strewn about and fuel containers leak into the dirt,” Representative LaMalfa said. “Local wildlife is now nonexistent in the area of these grows. This cannot be tolerated.”
US Senators are currently preparing to file a federal cannabis legalization bill. But it appears other lawmakers are doing everything in their power to stop cannabis reform and change.
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