The war on flora

Ridiculous drug eradication of the day is this search and destroy mission in Pennsylvania.

LISBON — With a helicopter overhead and a small army made up of state and local agencies, the search for marijuana plants in Columbiana County was under way Friday.
The search was hardly an easy task to accomplish.

...The Columbiana County Drug Task Force, Bureau of Criminal Investigation and members of the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Department were all part of a team combined with a helicopter from the state to eradicate marijuana.

....The helicopter was manned with a BCI agent and several members of drug enforcement agencies flying overhead keeping a sharp eye on the ground for marijuana plants growing throughout the county.

...There were a total of 68 marijuana plants discovered during the search, according to Sgt. Brian McLaughlin, director of the CCDTF. The value of the plants found during the search is estimated at $68,000.

First of all look at the photo that went with this story. There are no buds on those plants. They are worthless at this point and even if the plants were actually worth $1,000 a piece, I would bet with all those cops and the helicopter, the cost of the operation far exceeded that figure.

Not to mention these appeared to be personal use grows and if the goal was really to stop drug dealers, these raids have the opposite effect. The loss of their personal crop will force these people to go out and get their herb on the black market. Counterproductive all around.