Tulare County supervisors agree marijuana is a growing problem

June 29, 2011 6:00 AM
By DENISE MADRID
THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER

On Tuesday, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors upheld 14 grand jury findings on illegal marijuana grows in the county, and the growing problem they pose.

The grand jury, a citizens’ body with governmental watchdog functions that presents recommendations for local government problems, opted to investigate the illegal farming, harvesting, and distribution of marijuana for several reasons, including a report by the Director of the Office of National Control Policy stating that a majority of marijuana exported to other U.S. states originates from the Central Valley.

Among some of the findings the Board agreed to Tuesday were the following:

- At any given time there are over 100 known illegal marijuana gardens in Tulare County.

- The Sheriff’s Department indicated that an increase in border security after 9/11 prompted cartels to grow the drug in the U.S. rather than importing it through the borders, resulting in an increase in gardens and plants in the county.

- In 2010, the 227,000 marijuana plants removed in the county had an estimated street value of over $900 million.

The report, titled “Marijuana Gardens — A Growing Problem” concluded that marijuana is Tulare County’s number one cash crop and that there is an immediate need to eliminate the illegal activity.

In November of 2009, as a preventive measure in case the federal government changed its stance and deemed marijuana as having legitimate medicinal value, the Board adopted an ordinance that restricts how many plants can be grown in unincorporated communities, only for medicinal purposes in industrial zones, and enclosed within four walls and a roof.

Those who don’t comply with the ordinance are subject to code compliance.

According to First District Supervisor Allen Ishida the number of marijuana grows in his district, which includes the communities of Lindsay and Poplar, have been curtailed substantially due to code compliance and because growers are learning they are targets of thieves who are after their harvest.

The Board voted Tuesday to modify its response to Finding 13, which states, “The County of Tulare receives a negligible amount of money from the federal government to help combat this growing problem.”

The Board clarified that it preferred the term “adequate” over “negligible.”

Third District Supervisor Phil Cox said he found it necessary to recite the facts of what the Board has accomplished with lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. and that the federal government has also assisted the county with additional people from the Department of Interior, federal dollars, resources, and agencies, but still not adequate to meet Tulare County’s needs.

Contact Denise Madrid at 784-5000, Ext. 1047 or dmadrid@portervillerecorder.com.

http://www.recorderonline.com/news/county-49222-supervisors-tulare.html