Yes on G: Yes on H

Measure A changed Butte County's unincorporated areas for the better. It began the process of reigning in an out-of-control, unregulated Cannabis Industry where any Felon or Greedhead from Ohio, could find a piece of land and make a million dollars within one season. And they could do that tax-free with the blessing of the county.

When the Greedheads ruled the rural areas of Butte County, all sorts of abuses occurred. For those of us who live out in the remote hills where many of the Cannabis Growers chose to hide out, we noticed immediate changes when they moved in en masse. The first thing I noticed was that I saw fewer critter tracks on hikes. And then a local felon who was released from jail purchased a bit of land and started growing pot. The land rush was on! Then I noticed the herd of deer, which numbered in the dozens, were gone. Then I noticed that the Red tailed hawk that used to inhabit a meadow near my home was gone. He probably died from rodenticide that the growers use voraciously.

Gun shots would ring out at night--probably taking out deer that strayed too close to a grow.

A Fish and Wildlife person told me that the tributaries of Lake Oroville have been destroyed by the Cannabis Farming. On a hike one day, way out in the middle of no-where, a small trickle of a seep from a spring had a pipe attached, leading it to a grow. Almost all the water sources were tapped in the rural areas illegally, to the detriment of wildlife. The MJ grows were everywhere. Millions of dollars were to be made! Wells were put in for commercial purchases and the Commercial Growers don't pay a nickel for the water. Meanwhile, the Fish and Wildlife Service report that the local fauna suffered from the water that was stolen to raise pot.

Frankly, it was a rape of the land akin to the Gold Rush days. Call it the Green Rush. These foothills, which really are the last decent habitat for anything wild in California, was under full assault by an industry that cared nothing for its impact on the land.

Then the voters of Butte County got smart and passed Measure A; things instantly got better. Many of the growers reduced their grows and also put them under plastic. Many growers left for greener pastures in other counties.  Gun shots during the night were greatly reduced. The amount of young, stoned kids at the swimming hole was reduced by half. These kids move out here for the growing season; fewer workers means fewer grows. All in all, I'd guess the grows in my area were reduced by fifty percent.

Civility improved in my rural area due to the Growers having to be a bit more friendly to their neighbors or they could be turned in (the rules as to who could report a grow had changed). The Growers weren't near as cavalier with their attitudes as they were prior to the passage of Measure A.

Now the County is back with more reforms. The first, Measure G, wants to make sure Cannabis isn't listed as a protected agricultural product. Of course, THC isn't wheat. And if you are growing pot to be your Pharmacy---the equivalent of Norco or Percocet, well, Norco isn't a crop and neither is your Cannabis. You will still be able to report the stench of a pot grow as a public nuisance if Cannabis isn't a protected agricultural product.

Measure H streamlines the collection of fines. Last year, the first for Measure A, a couple million dollars in fines were written, and through stonewalling, only a couple hundred thousand dollars were collected. The Greedheads still managed to grow their crop and skedaddle out of there to enjoy their profits before their day in court came due. Streamlining a code matter just makes sense. And it will help deter those who want to grow commercially and, if they do grow commercially, the County will be able to collect the fines faster.

Justice should be quick.

And so I am voting for Measure G and H. I will vote for it because the wildlife of Butte County can't vote for it. Neither the Red tailed hawk, nor the Pacific fisher, nor the eagle, nor the osprey, nor the black tailed deer, nor the otter, nor the eagle, nor the opossum, nor the jackrabbit, nor the bear, nor the skunk, nor the raccoon, nor the mountain lion, nor the martens, nor the salmon, nor the trout, nor the raccoon, nor the coyote, nor the fox----none of these animals that have been impacted by the Greedheads can vote. We have to be the voice of wildlife. Vote yes on G and H.