The Sheriff's Department in Marin seized more than 500 marijuana plants, the Mercury News reports. The Sheriff indicated that the operators of the marijuana farm diverted water from a neighboring property to grow the plants, that ranged from six to ten feet tall. The growers were seen fleeing the scene but no one was apprehended. It took the department about seven hours to remove all the plants from the vicinity.
Last month Bay Area police discovered more than 2,000 plants in the Marin area and another 500 at the Skywalker Ranch. Police report that they have seized approximately $1 million in marijuana just this last week, with the help of Federal resources.
It is unclear whether anyone has been arrested in these series of raids from last month.
Although not applicable here, the strongest defense for growing and using marijuana is for specifically prescribed medical treatment. The Compassionate Use Law provides that those statutes which prohibit possession and cultivation not apply to patients and caregivers "who possess or cultivate marijuana for the personal medicial purposes of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of a physican."
The law lists eight specific illnesses but also provides a catchall phrase: "or any illness for which marijuana provides relief." Although the law allows the cultivation of six mature and twelve immature plants, it also provides the patient to provide that amount of cannibis consistent with his or her needs.
The plant operation in Marin county is more likely gang or Mexican cartel related, which typically establish farms in isloated areas with plenty of vegetation on the ground and overhead.
Some have suggested that legalizing marijuana would damage drug cartels as it would cut a great deal of revenue to them (maybe by 50%). This is, however, a controversial topic, but one that should at least be discussed in the near future.
