Illegal immigrants connected to Mexico's drug cartels are growing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of marijuana in the heart of one of America's national treasures, authorities say. It's a booming business that, federal officials say, feeds Mexico's most violent drug traffickers.

Ten thousand marijuana plants, some 5 feet tall, dotted the mountainside's steep terrain amid thick brush, often located near streams. This garden's street value is worth an estimated $40 million, authorities said.

Walters clutched three plants he said were worth $12,000 on the streets.

"This is about serious criminal organizations," Walters said. "They're willing to kill anybody who gets in their way. They're taking money back to those who kill prosecutors, judges and law enforcement." Authorities have arrested 38 people and have seized 29 automatic weapons, high-powered rifles and other guns, Boudreaux said.

Once at the national forest, the growers carry with them everything they need -- tents, food, guns, fertilizer, irrigation hose and marijuana seeds. Armed men keep watch over the gardens day and night during planting season, officials say.

Full article - Mexican cartels running pot farms in U.S. national forest - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/08/pot.eradication/index.html)

Full article - Mexican cartels running pot farms in U.S. national forest - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/08/pot.eradication/index.html)

I hope the pot doesn't have E.Coli :ohwell:

I hope the pot doesn't have E.Coli :ohwell:

Maybe it should. :lol:

Maybe it should. :lol:

"What if" mental image

:lmao:

...can put the bastards out of business tomorrow.

feeds Mexico's most violent drug traffickers.



LEGALIZATION.

...can put the bastards out of business tomorrow.




LEGALIZATION.

Unfortunately it'll never happen, you can't regulate it. :ohwell:

Unlike alcohol, you could be high on a Saturday, be tested a week later and pop.

If I were riding an ATV in that National forest they would bust me in seconds.

Unfortunately it'll never happen, you can't regulate it. :ohwell:

.

...you can't. American ingenuity can do anything including putting molecular markers in it and run foreign dip####s out of the market and still make a buck. We NEED drug legalization to get rid of the corruption and violence.

...you can't. American ingenuity can do anything including putting molecular markers in it and run foreign dip####s out of the market and still make a buck. We NEED drug legalization to get rid of the corruption and violence.
and if we legalize killing, we wont have no murderers

...you can't. American ingenuity can do anything including putting molecular markers in it and run foreign dip####s out of the market and still make a buck. We NEED drug legalization to get rid of the corruption and violence.

Then why is it not legal?

and if we legalize killing, we wont have no murderers

...not only are your math skills weak but your comparative analysis skills are about on the same level.

How, do tell, is unjustly taking another persons life equivalent to an individual choosing to ingest something, bad for them or otherwise?

I'll go change the oil while I wait.

Then why is it not legal?

...post #9 represents the thoughtful consideration of so many of my fellow Americans. :lmao:

...not only are your math skills weak but your comparative analysis skills are about on the same level.

How, do tell, is unjustly taking another persons life equivalent to an individual choosing to ingest something, bad for them or otherwise?

I'll go change the oil while I wait.

I wasn't going to say anything b/c
a) I thought he was being sarcastic
and
b)you don't argue with someone who uses a double negative in a sentence

which brings me back to I thought he was being sarcastic by using the double negative :confused:

...not only are your math skills weak but your comparative analysis skills are about on the same level.

How, do tell, is unjustly taking another persons life equivalent to an individual choosing to ingest something, bad for them or otherwise?

I'll go change the oil while I wait.
maybe We just look at it different.
but for your sake lets see.. oh I know.
if we get rid of all speed limits, we will solve all problems realated to speeding.

you go under the theory that nothing can be done to stop the illegal drugs, and if you work with liberal laws you are correct. However, if the police were allowed to just go in and kill everyone they find associated with the production of those drugs, burn the fields then move on to the next, pretty soon we would be in a better position.

what good reason is there to legalize drugs other than being too lazy to police it properly.

I wasn't going to say anything b/c
a) I thought he was being sarcastic
and
b)you don't argue with someone who uses a double negative in a sentence

which brings me back to I thought he was being sarcastic by using the double negative :confused:

...tell with him some times. His wife hits him in the head a lot with metal objects.

maybe We just look at it different.
but for your sake lets see.. oh I know.
if we get rid of all speed limits, we will solve all problems realated to speeding.

you go under the theory that nothing can be done to stop the illegal drugs, and if you work with liberal laws you are correct. However, if the police were allowed to just go in and kill everyone they find associated with the production of those drugs, burn the fields then move on to the next, pretty soon we would be in a better position.

what good reason is there to legalize drugs other than being too lazy to police it properly.

...I think we can dispense with the 'maybes'.

Under my theory something should very much be done to stop the illegal drugs; legalization.

Then, the money dries up. Then, the violence dries up. Then, the corruption dries up.

However, if the police were allowed to just go in and kill everyone they find associated with the production of those drugs, burn the fields then move on to the next, pretty soon we would be in a better position.

what good reason is there to legalize drugs other than being too lazy to police it properly.

...you PG SWAT by any chance?

...post #9 represents the thoughtful consideration of so many of my fellow Americans. :lmao:

:doh:

More people should be really thinking about this though. If you could legalize something as harmless as pot it might make alcohol look really bad.

maybe We just look at it different.
but for your sake lets see.. oh I know.
if we get rid of all speed limits, we will solve all problems realated to speeding.

you go under the theory that nothing can be done to stop the illegal drugs, and if you work with liberal laws you are correct. However, if the police were allowed to just go in and kill everyone they find associated with the production of those drugs, burn the fields then move on to the next, pretty soon we would be in a better position.

what good reason is there to legalize drugs other than being too lazy to police it properly.


If thats the case why is this "war on drugs" is the longest war the US has been loosing since 1971?

Then why is it not legal?

Becasue Hemp and Cannabis can be used in the manufacture of paper products.

Becasue Hemp and Cannabis can be used in the manufacture of paper products.

food and textiles as well. Are you saying this isn't good? Bamboo can be used for the same but that isn't ilegal.

food and textiles as well. Are you saying this isn't good? Bamboo can be used for the same but that isn't ilegal.

Look into the History of the US and when Marijuna was determined to be bad for us, and HAD to be made illegal for our own protection. Then find out who was behind getting the laws passed (common term would be lobbying, or paying for lobbyists).

It had nothing to do with the "drug" but that was the only way they could make it illegal.

:doh:

More people should be really thinking about this though. If you could legalize something as harmless as pot it might make alcohol look really bad.




If thats the case why is this "war on drugs" is the longest war the US has been loosing since 1971?
because its not being fought correctly.
If starting in 71 drug growers and distributors would have been shot and killed when found, there would be a much lower usage today.

and speaking of alcohol, since society cant handle that responsibly, why add another item to the list of things that make you stupid.

...can put the bastards out of business tomorrow. LEGALIZATION.It would make more sense to put the bastards out of business by going after their customers instead of the suppliers.

Our "war on drugs" (thanks, Nixon...) goes after supply. By making supply weaker by seizing and destroying captured drugs, capturing suppliers, etc., we make drug selling more lucrative.

If we went after the drug USER, we would take away the demand, thus lowering the overall cost of the drug. Continue to also go after the drug seller, and fewer would be interested in the risk of selling drugs for little or no profit.

The reasons drugs (we're talking pot here, so I'll stick with that) are illegal are numerous. One government study says:Workers who smoke (http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/Marijuana4.html#school)marijuana are more likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies have associated workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover. A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use.

Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances are all associated with marijuana use. Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana use has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. In one study of cognition, adults were matched on the basis of their performance in the 4th grade on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. They were evaluated on a number of cognitive measures including the 12th-grade version of the Iowa Test. Those who were heavy marijuana smokers scored significantly lower on mathematical skills and verbal expression than nonsmokers.9

Moreover, research has shown that marijuana's adverse impact on memory and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. For example, a study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana - those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the preceding 30 days - critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours. The heavy marijuana users in the study had more trouble sustaining and shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using information than did the study participants who had used marijuana no more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana once daily may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time. More recently, the same researchers showed that a group of long-term heavy marijuana users' ability to recall words from a list was impaired 1 week following cessation of marijuana use, but returned to normal by 4 weeks. An implication of this finding is that even after long-term heavy marijuana use, if an individual quits marijuana use, some!! cognitive abilities may be recovered.

Another study produced additional evidence that marijuana's effects on the brain can cause cumulative deterioration of critical life skills in the long run. Researchers gave students a battery of tests measuring problem-solving and emotional skills in 8th grade and again in 12th grade. The results showed that the students who were already drinking alcohol plus smoking marijuana in 8th grade started off slightly behind their peers, but that the distance separating these two groups grew significantly by their senior year in high school. The analysis linked marijuana use, independently of alcohol use, to reduced capacity for self-reinforcement, a group of psychological skills that enable individuals to maintain confidence and persevere in the pursuit of goals.In short, it costs US taxpayers money in crime, accidents, etc., etc. Yes, I know the same can be said of alcohol and tobacco, but we're unwilling to handle that appropriately.

However, the first state law outlawing marijuana did so not because of Mexicans using the drug. Oddly enough, it was because of Mormons using it. Mormons who traveled to Mexico in 1910 came back to Salt Lake City with marijuana. The church was not pleased and ruled against use of the drug. Since the state of Utah automatically enshrined church doctrine into law, the first state marijuana prohibition was established in 1915. (Today, Senator Orrin Hatch serves as the prohibition arm of this heavily church-influenced state.)

Ok.. does the thought of a bunch of stoned Mormons make anyone else laugh?

because its not being fought correctly.
If starting in 71 drug growers and distributors would have been shot and killed when found, there would be a much lower usage today.

and speaking of alcohol, since society cant handle that responsibly, why add another item to the list of things that make you stupid.

...there was an experiment on that very subject.

Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)

When we got done being stupid, we fixed that one.

Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-first_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)

Ok.. does the thought of a bunch of stoned Mormons make anyone else laugh?

...have that! It might lead to dancing!"


:lmao:

because its not being fought correctly.
If starting in 71 drug growers and distributors would have been shot and killed when found, there would be a much lower usage today.

and speaking of alcohol, since society cant handle that responsibly, why add another item to the list of things that make you stupid.

Wait 'till the campout.......:buddies:


:killingme:killingme:killingme

likely than their coworkers to have problems on the job. Several studies have associated workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover. A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use.



Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances are all associated with marijuana use. Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana use has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. Because marijuana compromises the ability to learn and remember information, the more a person uses marijuana the more he or she is likely to fall behind in accumulating intellectual, job, or social skills. In one study of cognition, adults were matched on the basis of their performance in the 4th grade on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. They were evaluated on a number of cognitive measures including the 12th-grade version of the Iowa Test. Those who were heavy marijuana smokers scored significantly lower on mathematical skills and verbal expression than nonsmokers.9


Moreover, research has shown that marijuana's adverse impact on memory and learning can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. For example, a study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana - those who smoked the drug at least 27 of the preceding 30 days - critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours. The heavy marijuana users in the study had more trouble sustaining and shifting their attention and in registering, organizing, and using information than did the study participants who had used marijuana no more than 3 of the previous 30 days. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana once daily may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time. More recently, the same researchers showed that a group of long-term heavy marijuana users' ability to recall words from a list was impaired 1 week following cessation of marijuana use, but returned to normal by 4 weeks. An implication of this finding is that even after long-term heavy marijuana use, if an individual quits marijuana use, some!! cognitive abilities may be recovered.


Another study produced additional evidence that marijuana's effects on the brain can cause cumulative deterioration of critical life skills in the long run. Researchers gave students a battery of tests measuring problem-solving and emotional skills in 8th grade and again in 12th grade. The results showed that the students who were already drinking alcohol plus smoking marijuana in 8th grade started off slightly behind their peers, but that the distance separating these two groups grew significantly by their senior year in high school. The analysis linked marijuana use, independently of alcohol use, to reduced capacity for self-reinforcement, a group of psychological skills that enable individuals to maintain confidence and persevere in the pursuit of goals.In short, it costs US taxpayers money in crime, accidents, etc., etc. Yes, I know the same can be said of alcohol and tobacco, but we're unwilling to handle that appropriately.
in all fairness, that word marijuana could be exchanged for the word alcohol all the way through and been just as accurate for the most part.
not to mention its a government study, this has to shed some doubt on it. Other than keeping inner city pets, what has the government ever excelled at?

It would make more sense to put the bastards out of business by going after their customers instead of the suppliers.



...that's what we need. More people in jail.

Are you high?

There is no reason dope can't be treated more restrictively, no public consumption, no dope bars, can't drive high, work high, etc while getting rid of the violence and the corruption.

in all fairness, that word marijuana could be exchanged for the word alcohol all the way through and been just as accurate for the most part.
not to mention its a government study, this has to shed some doubt on it. Other than keeping inner city pets, what has the government ever excelled at?

...for you! :buddies:

because its not being fought correctly.
If starting in 71 drug growers and distributors would have been shot and killed when found, there would be a much lower usage today.

and speaking of alcohol, since society cant handle that responsibly, why add another item to the list of things that make you stupid.

So just take away alcohol too? That happened once and look at the negative outcome, NASCAR.

Thats not how they wage the "war on drugs" Nobody is shot, its not a violent crime.

I don't agree that all drugs should be legal, hell look at the list of pharmeceuticals that were listed safe when put on the market just to be taken off because people were haveing violent episodes and even killing thmselves. Marijuana is not that bad.

[/b]

Wait 'till the campout.......:buddies:


:killingme:killingme:killingme
I wont be drunk.

I wont be drunk.

:jerry:

A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use.

OKAY, why are you testing them if you are going to hire them anyways if they pop positive on the test??

Have they done the same research for the Alcoholics that work at the Post Office?

So just take away alcohol too? That happened once and look at the negative outcome, NASCAR.

Now there's a war worth fighting!!!

"Hey! Gimme another beer! They's gonna do another circle!"

:buddies:


:lmao:

...that's what we need. More people in jail.

Are you high?

There is no reason dope can't be treated more restrictively, no public consumption, no dope bars, can't drive high, work high, etc while getting rid of the violence and the corruption.
You say that like its a bad thing.

Although I think the gov't should legalize marijuana, I don't think they ever will because they couldn't control it. It would be hard to keep people from growing their own, (for personal or business) thus cutting the government out of their share of the $$$$

You say that like its a bad thing.

...I think dope smoking is hysterically stupid and anyone that does better be a kid or be ashamed of themselves.

That goes for American Idle, too.

Walters clutched three plants he said were worth $12,000 on the streets.


THREE plants, twelve THOUSAND dollars??


How many plants can you fit in two acres??

So just take away alcohol too? That happened once and look at the negative outcome, NASCAR.


I wonder what form of entertainment we are missing out on by not going after drugs a little harder.

Although I think the gov't should legalize marijuana, I don't think they ever will because they couldn't control it. It would be hard to keep people from growing their own, (for personal or business) thus cutting the government out of their share of the $$$$

...home brew with specific limits and it hasn't shut down the republic yet.

I wont be drunk. HICCUP

:fixed: :lmao:

Although I think the gov't should legalize marijuana, I don't think they ever will because they couldn't control it. It would be hard to keep people from growing their own, (for personal or business) thus cutting the government out of their share of the $$$$

The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.


Reason stated why pharmaceutical companies were lobbying for making it illegal.. in 1937.

BUT the same could be said for tobacco, and how people you know that smoke grow their own??

Although I think the gov't should legalize marijuana, I don't think they ever will because they couldn't control it. It would be hard to keep people from growing their own, (for personal or business) thus cutting the government out of their share of the $$$$
I dont agree with that either.
if it were true more people would be brewing their own beer, distilling their own whiskey and growing their own tobacco.

people are too lazy and too impatient to produce for themselves when they can just go down and waste a few dollars and purchase ready made.

A study among postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana on a pre-employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries, and a 75 percent increase in absenteeism compared with those who tested negative for marijuana use.

OKAY, why are you testing them if you are going to hire them anyways if they pop positive on the test??

Have they done the same research for the Alcoholics that work at the Post Office?

wait.... what? :lol:


Not that it helps any but I do know that smoking pot lowers your immune system, really smoking anything does.

BUT the same could be said for tobacco, and how people you know that smoke grow their own??

...it get up to, what, anybody know how much dope is these days? Let it get high enough, no pun, and people will grow their own.

:fixed: :lmao:
never get drunk around people you dont really know.

The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.


Reason stated why pharmaceutical companies were lobbying for making it illegal.. in 1937.

BUT the same could be said for tobacco, and how people you know that smoke grow their own??

You can get organic homegrown tobaccy in St. Mary's County, it tasates like crap.

The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.


Reason stated why pharmaceutical companies were lobbying for making it illegal.. in 1937.

BUT the same could be said for tobacco, and how people you know that smoke grow their own??

:blushing:

You can get organic homegrown tobaccy in St. Mary's County, it tasates like crap.

...I wonder what the organic crap tastes like, tobacco? :lmao:

You can get organic homegrown tobaccy in St. Mary's County, it tasates like crap.

No chemicals.. or additives.

Nicotine, and arsenic tast GOOOOD!!

...that's what we need. More people in jail.

Are you high?

There is no reason dope can't be treated more restrictively, no public consumption, no dope bars, can't drive high, work high, etc while getting rid of the violence and the corruption.No, I don't think more people in jail, but good pun with the "are you high?" :lmao:

My thought was a fine - hefty - based upon either income or net worth (not just a license for rich people to use and poor people not to use). Increase the coffers, lower the value of selling, deter the use.... where's the downside?

I guess this explains the number of Mexicans I saw around the Monangahela (sp?) National Forest.

The pharmaceutical companies could neither identify nor standardize cannabis dosages, and besides, with cannabis, folks could grow their own medicine and not have to purchase it from large companies.


Reason stated why pharmaceutical companies were lobbying for making it illegal.. in 1937.

BUT the same could be said for tobacco, and how people you know that smoke grow their own??

Now I don't spoke Tabacco or cannabis, but I would guess it would be easier to plant, grow and harvest weed then Tobacco to make ciggs... Plus they add so much stuff in Ciggs, and weed they can just grow, dry and smoke.......

No chemicals.. or additives.

Nicotine, and arsenic tast GOOOOD!!

Don't forget 46-0-0..:rolleyes:



:lmao:


:howdy:

No, I don't think more people in jail, but good pun with the "are you high?" :lmao:

My thought was a fine - hefty - based upon either income or net worth (not just a license for rich people to use and poor people not to use). Increase the coffers, lower the value of selling, deter the use.... where's the downside?

...now and people get in all sorts of trouble from hardly any to years in jail. It's just stupid to have the sort of corruption and violence we do, that affects all of us, over what some people to choose to ingest.

never get drunk around people you dont really know.

:yay:

Now I don't spoke Tabacco or cannabis, but I would guess it would be easier to plant, grow and harvest weed then Tobacco to make ciggs... Plus they add so much stuff in Ciggs, and weed they can just grow, dry and smoke.......

...the hell's the difference?

...now and people get in all sorts of trouble from hardly any to years in jail. It's just stupid to have the sort of corruption and violence we do, that affects all of us, over what some people to choose to ingest.The chronic effects are pretty severe, though. Long term loss of cognitive skills, etc., that puts more people "entitled" to my tax money because they can't/won't work to support themselves as well as they'd like to.

We have a problem now where we take the users, the enablers of drug traffickers, and coddle them like they did nothing wrong. If we strongly deterred the users, while still keeping the seller in hot water, we'd limit the violence and corruption.

Again, I'd do away with the jail time for both users and traffickers, and turn it into a fine (payable by hard time ((chain-gang type)) in jail, if necessary, as a further deterrant) that is based on someone's net worth, not just a set "fee".

...the hell's the difference?

No chemicals.. or additives.

Nicotine, and arsenic tast GOOOOD!!

Like I said before, they add all kinds of stuff to ciggs to make them taste good (if there is such a thing) and to get you hooked. People really don't care how the weed taste, they just want to get high..

"This is about serious criminal organizations," Walters said. "They're willing to kill anybody who gets in their way. They're taking money back to those who kill prosecutors, judges and law enforcement." Authorities have arrested 38 people and have seized 29 automatic weapons, high-powered rifles and other guns, Boudreaux said.

Once at the national forest, the growers carry with them everything they need -- tents, food, guns, fertilizer, irrigation hose and marijuana seeds. Armed men keep watch over the gardens day and night during planting season, officials say. They won't deport them to Mexico and even if they do the Mexican gov't won't put them in jail. We won't put them in jail so the next best solution ....

AC-130 gunship can whip them and their crop out with pinpoint accuracy. :yay:

They won't deport them to Mexico and even if they do the Mexican gov't won't put them in jail. We won't put them in jail so the next best solution ....

AC-130 gunship can whip them and their crop out with pinpoint accuracy. :yay:

...come on! You want a REAL war on dope??? Good Lord, don't let George Bush run it. They'll all just run off to Pakistan and keep right on shipping the junk only in new record levels.

:lmao: