Illegal Pot Hurts Mother Nature

An investigative report in the latest issue of Mother Jones reveals the detrimental environmental effect of unregulated, illegal marijuana farming in the U.S. Focusing on California’s famed Emerald Triangle of pot cultivation, the report looks at how the illegal farming damages the environment in a number of ways, “whether grown in bunkers lit with pollution-spewing diesel generators, or doused with restricted pesticides and sown on muddy, deforested slopes that choke off salmon streams during the rainy season.” Many growers even apply rat poison to protect seedlings, a tactic that's banned from crops that are legally regulated. Worse, environmental advocates are often harassed and threatened for exposing these issues. Way to kill your high.