Federal intelligence agencies may help target pot growers

Lawmakers soon may enlist the nation's spymaster to help fight Mexican drug traffickers and others who use federal land in California and elsewhere to grow marijuana. A provision of the 2012 intelligence authorization bill calls on the director of national intelligence to assess and report on how federal intelligence agencies can help park rangers, fish and wildlife wardens, and other U.S. land managers weed out pot gardens and other activities operated by foreign drug traffickers. The bill, now before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, also directs the top spy to consult with federal public land managers to identify intelligence and information-sharing gaps related to drug trafficking. The House passed its version of the bill, HR 1892, in September. U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., who wrote the provision, said the nation’s intelligence apparatus needs to address marijuana grown on public land because of the presence of foreign drug traffickers and the accompanying threat of violence...more

Smokey and federal spooks will be after the only profitable crop grown in our national forests. Remember: No permit required, no EIS, no ESA clearance, no limitation on size or seasons of use. No wonder its profitable.