Nunes Focuses Federal Attention on Drug War

Nunes focuses federal attention on drug war
November 11, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, today lauded a Congressional hearing set to develop a strategic plan to eradicate marijuana gardens from nearby federal lands.

"We are fighting a guerilla war with drug cartels in our own backyard," Rep. Nunes said. "This is not a problem we can address one marijuana garden at a time. We need a proactive battle plan that destroys this enemy once and for all.

"These gardens and the bandits that tend them are a threat to the safety of visitors and employees on federal lands, as well as an environmental disaster to the pristine lands and the communities around them."

The hearing will be held Nov. 17 in Washington, D.C. by the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Rep. Nunes - the former chairman of the subcommittee - will participate in the hearing.

This is the second hearing focused on the problem in two years. The first was held in October 2003 by the House Committee on Government Reform, in which Rep. Nunes participated. Since then, Rep. Nunes has fought for additional federal resources to address the problem. However, recent changes within the Department of Homeland Security have hamstrung some eradication efforts.

Rep. Nunes plans to call for a renewed effort, possibly coordinating local and federal law enforcement agencies in a more effective plan.

Every year local law enforcement officials team up to raid dozens of gardens tended by armed men on national park and forest land. The raids typically yield hundreds of thousands of plants worth millions of dollars.

http://www.house.gov/nunes/press/2005/nov/111105ParksHearingonDrugs.htm