Rangers Remove 2,400 Marijuana Plants from California National Park
Park rangers with the National Park Service removed almost 2,400 illegally planted cannabis plants from California’s Sequoia national park. Damage on the site includes building an illegal irrigation system, contamination from the use of hazardous pesticides, and clearing natural vegetation to make space for the marijuana farm.
Thousands of marijuana plants were found and removed from California’s Sequoia national park, a home of some of the world’s most breathtaking, ancient giant trees. As part of the action, National Park Services law enforcement rangers along with special agents of the Bureau of Land Management removed a total of 2,377 flowering marijuana plants. In addition, 2,000 pounds of trash and infrastructure were cleaned manually and by helicopter sling-load operations, according to a press release.
Illegal Cannabis Plants in California National Park Were Treated with Dangerous Pesticides
Various pesticides appear to have been used to grow marijuana in the national park. Runoff water from the site may also be polluted. Evidence found on the site includes “a semi-automatic pistol and several hazardous chemicals, including about one gallon of Methamidophos, a highly toxic insecticide banned in the United States since 2009,” according to the press release.
The illegal marijuana farm within California’s Sequoia national park was initially detected in 2024, but it was not rehabilitated until this year because of the presence of hazardous chemicals. The investigation is ongoing to find the suspects, who also left behind campsites and cooking utensils.
Park rangers detailed the damage on the site. The illicit farmers constructed an irrigation system with several large pits for water storage; water was diverted from a nearby creek. A significant area of natural vegetation was cleared by the growers to make space for the thousands of cannabis plants. Illegally maintained trails and evidence of poaching were also found.
The NPS highlighted the environmental impact of large marijuana cultivation sites in California’s Central Valley. A single plant uses up to eight gallons of water per day that would normally be used by local vegetation and wildlife, it said.
Large-scale illegal cannabis operations remain a huge challenge in the area of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. Over the last twenty years, almost 300,000 plants worth around $850m have been removed from the national parks, the NPS said.
Since 2021, more than 80 illegal marijuana grow sites have been dismantled from California national forests, according to the U.S. Forest Service. National parks are considered federal land; cultivation of cannabis on federal land is illegal under federal law.
No Rules Apply to California’s Hidden Cannabis Market
California is the world’s biggest cannabis market, where around three percent of the total electricity used is purposed for cannabis cultivation. Even with a $5bn legal market in place, illicit cultivation and trade is booming. In fact, it seems, there’s no part of California that has remained untouched by clandestine activities such as farming. While commercial cultivators are subject to rigid rulemaking, the same cannot be said for the black market.
Illicit cultivation in California has consistently threatened wildlife as well as availability of drinkable water. Thousands of people are believed to be living in seasonal makeshift camps where cannabis is grown without approved access to water or sewage supplies. This cannabis is then distributed elsewhere in the country. Illegal Californian marijuana has been seized as far as New York, and it’s probably going out of North America as well.
When marijuana was legalized in California, the vast majority of voters had high hopes that a tightly governed sector would force out criminals. Nine years later, the multibillion-dollar black market is flourishing, while the regulated sector along with small farmers and craft cannabis producers, are in a constant state of crisis.
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Stephen Andrews
