Apparently I’ve been going to the wrong forests; I NEVER leave any of the places I hike in looking for Cheetos and pizza! I guess I’d better head up to Inyo!
From the USFS website:
The Inyo National Forest and the Bishop Field Office of the BLM seek to provide a safe environment for the public, its employees, and natural resources. So while only a fraction of our public lands are affected by illegal marijuana cultivation, the agencies believe that safety risks are real and visitors and employees should be informed about them.
“The safety of public land visitors and our employees is our top priority,” said Forest Supervisor Ed Armenta. “Marijuana cultivation does occur on some public lands. It’s important for people to understand that they need to be aware of their surroundings.”
As a big fan of our open spaces including national forest, state parks, and so on I firmly believe that using them to grow marijuana is a bad idea. It’s not that I’m against the plant in any way – I’m very 420 friendly – I just don’t believe public lands should be used to grow it. I’m a firm supporter of the Mendocino County, California’s yellow zip-tie program from a couple of years back. It was a great idea, and it’s a shame the state of California didn’t stand behind it and allowed the federal government to swoop in and wipe out the legal and law-abiding growers crops.