The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is looking to crack down on illegal marijuana growers while also considering lifting the ban on commercial cannabis production.
“Illegal marijuana growers are something that impacts the entire county,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
The illegal operations can harm cannabis consumers no matter where they buy from, according to Barger.
“Illegal growers are using unregulated chemicals to process marijuana, selling products to legal and illegal dispensaries in and outside the LA basin [and] endangering cannabis users.”
Barger submitted a motion that reads, "Enforcement against illegal cannabis cultivation in the Antelope Valley has become a significant challenge."
Several people called into the supervisors' meeting to express their concerns.
“The situation in rural communities is still out of control, and residents continue to feel threatened,” said one caller.
Authorities in the Los Angeles area reportedly seized more than 370,000 marijuana plants with a street value worth an estimated $1 billion in July.
Only a month earlier, The Associated Press reported that authorities seized tens of millions of dollars worth of illegal marijuana.
Twenty-three people were arrested in the June operation in the Antelope Valley, 70 miles north of Los Angeles. Officials planned to bulldoze 500 illegal grows in the area over the coming days, according to The Associated Press.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger worked with law enforcement to close down the illegal operations. But even among the supervisors, there are disagreements about the best way to confront illegal marijuana growers.
“Providing a legal pathway for people to grow, produce and sell cannabis can help us tackle the illegal market,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Hahn wants to provide a legal market instead of increasing legal penalties.
Barger said she's "all for" moving ahead on that but doesn't think it will help solve the issue of illegal grows.