California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the National Guard has been ordered to eliminate all unlicensed cannabis grows in California, according to a Marijuana Business Daily report.
“We applaud [Newsom] for allocating resources to eliminate very destructive and dangerous trespass grows. … These operations are typically on public lands, use extremely harmful pesticides and are run by organized crime.” — Terra Carver, Executive Director of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance, via MJ Biz Daily
Newsom signed an order than will redeploy 360 National Guard soldiers from the Mexico border to several other assignments. Some will be sent to northern California to seek illegal cannabis farms; 150 soldiers will be also assigned to the National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, with 100 more assigned to police smugglers at “existing border checkpoints.”
Newsom has also sought further funding for California’s National Guard Counterdrug Task Force from the Department of Defense. The governor sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, hoping to acquire more funds to fight international cartels.
The mission of these troops is expected to be complete in the near-term and the troops’s duties could be complete as early as March 31.
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