Every summer for 28 years, the deep bass whop whop whop of helicopter blades have thrummed across California skies. This year is no exception. According to the Times Standard, the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) has returned to Humboldt to join our Sheriff’s office for its annual effort to reduce the supply of marijuana by “eradicating the large marijuana crop sites.” Yesterday, their first day of operation in this county, they removed 800 marijuana plants from near State Route 299. They expect to remove a lot more. Last year in 4 days they tallied above 60,000 plants. For the last two years in fact, CAMP has counted removing around 4 million plants per year from across the state. Record numbers. Nonetheless, next year, they may face closure as budget cuts across the state affect the bottom line on many agencies.

While some growers may breath a sigh of relief if CAMP is forced to retreat, other community members worry that our public lands will face increased environmental damage and still others worry that without millions of pounds of marijuana being destroyed every year, the price of pot will drop causing economic havoc for communities and individuals which rely on cannabis sales.