Colorado Public Lands a Popular Place For Growing Marijuana
Plenty of people are growing pot legally at home, but as it turns out, Colorado public lands have become a popular spot for illegally grown marijuana.
Last year, law enforcement confiscated some 81,000 marijuana plants on public land, nearly double the amount from 2016. By contrast, in 2011, fewer than 4,000 plants were seized off public land. The 81,000 plants is more than triple the amount found just three years ago.
We're not talking about a handful of plants being grown here and there, but rather fairly major operations trying to circumvent the system. Marijuana grows have been found in various isolated areas like islands on the Colorado River, White River National Forest, Whitewater, and the San Isabel National Forest, which features some of the state's highest peaks.
Illegally grown marijuana is certainly not something that suddenly popped up with the legalization of recreational pot in Colorado. However, there's more of it due to the significantly higher demand that came with legalization.
Most people growing marijuana want it for their own personal use, but there seems to be a substantial number of individuals hoping to capitalize on Colorado's booming pot industry. Growing it in out of the way, off the grid places clearly seems to be gaining popularity.