YREKA, Calif. – Over a week after the sheriff of Siskiyou County asked California’s governor to declare a state of emergency due to illegal marijuana cultivation, he reached out to America’s wealthiest man.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said in the last few years, the number of non-permitted illegal grow sites in his county has exploded. Aerial footage indicates there are about 5,000 greenhouses and outdoor grows on federal and private property in Siskiyou County.
According to Sheriff LaRue, the exponential growth of black market cannabis operations is leading to a dramatic increase in homicides, property crimes, animal abuse, and other violent crimes in the community.
The sheriff also said the grow operations are triggering an environmental crisis because of increased pollution and wasteful groundwater extraction.
LaRue called for California Governor Gavin Newsome to declare a state of emergency and “acknowledge the rampant black market industry endangering our communities.”
On May 16, 2022, he personally invited any state or federal representative to come “experience this disaster first-hand.”
The sheriff’s office said that by May 27, the request for help from the state “seems to be falling on deaf ears.” So, Sheriff LaRue tweeted @elonmusk “Please help us!”
The next day, SCSO tweeted, “We can’t even get the state to even acknowledge our situation. The black market industry thrives in their silence. Where is the outrage from the legitimate cannabis industry? Why is everyone silent?”
It’s unclear whether Musk got the sheriff’s message.
You can read the sheriff’s entire statement HERE.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.