Over 25,000 Marijuana Plants Confiscated in California State Parks in 2021
The California State Parks system has successfully removed tens of thousands of illegal cannabis plants, along with 18 firearms and thousands of pounds of trash, as reported by the parks’ special enforcement team.
This year alone, staff members have eradicated 25,558 cannabis plants, 4,820 pounds of processed cannabis, and made 18 firearm seizures on state park property. Additionally, these efforts led to seven arrests.
These actions are part of the parks’ Cannabis Watershed Protection Program (CWPP), which operated a dedicated “special enforcement team” to conduct 16 law enforcement operations within or near state park premises this year. The team was also responsible for uncovering water diversion schemes and addressing waste and pollution issues during these operations.
Comprised of law enforcement officials, resource managers, maintenance crews, and technical experts, the CWPP team collaborates to achieve its objectives in safeguarding California’s natural resources.
State Parks Director Armando Quintero emphasized the critical threat posed by illegal cannabis cultivation to California’s natural resources and reiterated the commitment to identifying and eradicating grow sites within and around State Parks, ensuring the safety and preservation of these valuable public lands for future generations.
Notably, the CWPP removed 4,672 cannabis plants from Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is the largest park in California, in addition to recovering 500 pounds of waste and 1,000 feet of irrigation line from the park.
Statewide Operations
The special enforcement team and CWPP went on to remediate 23 historic grow sites within State Parks territory, clearing approximately 16,000 pounds of waste, including 33,000 feet of plastic irrigation tubing, and over 600 pounds of fertilizer.
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A helicopter lifts super sacks filled with waste away from a former grow site at Henry W. Coe State Park. California State Parks
The park’s news release outlined the devastating environmental impacts of illegal grow operations, including water pollution and disruption of native ecosystems, emphasizing the critical role of remediation in mitigating these effects on the landscape.
Established in 2019 with funds from the Cannabis Tax Fund, the CWPP is actively engaged in identifying and eliminating illegal cannabis sites within park boundaries while also addressing waste and hazardous materials.
“California cannabis enforcement efforts are ongoing to prevent illicit cannabis from entering the legal market,” stated San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus.
The state parks’ special enforcement team collaborates with the state Department of Justice’s Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis program, along with Governor Gavin Newsom’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, to dismantle illegal cannabis cultivation sites across the state’s extensive park system, which encompasses 280 parks spread over 1.59 million acres of land.
Throughout the year, the team conducted operations in or near various parks, including Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Clear Lake State Park, Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, Onyx Ranch State Vehicle Recreation Area, Saddleback Butte State Park, and Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
