On 17 October 2021 Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that California’s Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) had eradicated nearly 1.2 million illegally cultivated marijuana plants and seized more than 180,000 pounds (about 81.6 tonnes) of processed marijuana during the 2021 season.[1][2] Over the 13-week season, multi-agency CAMP teams conducted 491 operations across 26 counties on public and private lands, recovering 165 weapons and removing more than 67,000 pounds of cultivation infrastructure such as dams, water lines and containers of toxic chemicals.[1][2]
The teams worked in seven national forests, including Los Padres, Cleveland, San Bernardino, Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, Sierra and Sequoia.[1] At grow sites they found highly toxic chemicals, including the insecticide carbofuran, which is effectively banned in the United States, alongside methyl parathion, aluminium phosphate, zinc phosphide and illegal fertilisers.[1]
A six-month review
Bonta directed the justice department to review the CAMP program over six months, saying illegal planting harms the environment, the economy and community safety through dumped chemicals, stolen water and lost tax revenue.[1][2] The review was to build on efforts against the environmental, labour and economic impacts of illegal cultivation as California faced severe drought; researchers estimated that one marijuana plant consumes six gallons of water a day.[1]
