cannabisnews.com: Patton of Pot - 60 Minutes II Patton of Pot - 60 Minutes II Posted by FoM on February 13, 2001 at 17:18:13 PT Scheduled Air Time 9 PM ET Source: CBSNews (CBS) In California, marijuana is a huge business, raking in an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion a year. California grapes only bring in around $3 billion and tomatoes, just $1 billion. Some communities turn into boom towns when marijuana growers harvest and sell their crop. 60 Minutes II's Vicki Mabrey reports. But it's not acceptable to state officials, who have declared war - not just on dealers and growers - but on the plant itself. Leading that war is Sonya Barna, called by some The Patton of Pot. She commands a state program called the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, with the mission of wiping out every pot plant in California. Her team includes three dozen foot soldiers. For 11 weeks of the year around harvest time, they search for California's pot crop. Since the leaves of the plant are almost an iridescent green, "it stands out from the air," she explains. To avoid detection, growers have gone deep into the public lands of California's national forests and parks. In some places CAMP has found massive farms with as many as 59,000 plants, worth millions. The plants Barna finds today are 10 times as strong as the pot of the '60s and '70s, she says. "They'll get a pound and a half," she estimates of one plant. "Each pound is worth $4,000 on the street." Small-time entrepreneurs have been joined by drug gangs, many from Mexico. "This is about big, big money," says John Gaines, a special agent. "This is about making a profit, taking the profit out of the United States, taking it back to Mexico. This is organized crime, bottom line." In October, Gaines and officers from the state narcotics bureau finished a three-year investigation that culminated in the arrests of 41 people, all allegedly working for the Maganyas, a Mexican crime family. The Maganyas have realized over five years a profit estimated at $40 million to $50 million, he says. "There's less risk to getting caught coming across the border with a large load of marijuana," Gaines explains. "Our marijuana laws in the state of California are not real strong." In Mexico marijuana laws are much tougher, he says. In August, a Mexican citizen allegedly working for the Maganyas opened fire during a CAMP raid on a 7,000-plant garden. He was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies. "Whenever you take these types of people moving into that industry and taking such large efforts to make their money, they're going to protect it," Barna says. "They're going to take care of it. And that means more guns, more violence, and people getting hurt." Increasingly Barna encounters huge operations, with irrigation systems and armed guards. Mexican farm workers are brought in blindfolded and paid a few hundred dollars a month to live with the crop. Barna points to some evidence of habitation, including a kitchen, popane tanks for cooking and canned goods, corn oil, tuna, tortillas. As the growers become more sophisticated, the pot police have adapted. There's an Short Term Airborne Operation, or STABO, Barna says. "The helicopter drops (a) 150-foot-long line down, and we're hooked up to that line and get inserted into the garden." A mother of three, Barna is committed to fighting drugs. She went undercover at age 21 as a drug-dealing student, who "purchased everything from marijuana, methamphetamine, LSD." Under Barna's direction, CAMP is weeding out more plants. Last season's take was 345,000 plants, enough marijuana for 310 million joints: one for every American and an extra for every Californian. "The people of the state of California have decided that they don't want this for their state. So that's what we're here to do, not to judge whether it's just pot, or not as strong as cocaine," Barna declares. CAMP has been trying to wipe out California's marijuana crop since 1983. Some critics say that the group is fighting a losing battle. "Marijuana is more prevalent than ever, and what does that tell us?" asks former U.S. Congressman Dan Hamburg, who says CAMP's plant seizures may be up, but they're barely scratching the surface. "There's another six or 800,000 plants that they haven't touched," Hamburg says. The commercial growers have learned very well how to deal with CAMP. And they're willing to sacrifice, a certain amount of their crop...because marijuana is literally more valuable than gold." Mendocino County is one of three northern counties where pot is so rich and plentiful the area is known as the Emerald Triangle. There CAMP's pot commandos aren't considered heroes; they're the enemy. Restaurants refuse to serve them. The local radio station broadcasts warnings when CAMP's troops are patrolling. "It's just like a terrorist operation," says Richard Littlefield. "You have that helicopter over your head,...and circling around you for no reason; you will feel intimidated." CAMP intimidated Littlefield when its helicopters spotted 120 marijuana plants on his property. He and his brother say they're allowed to have the plants, thanks to a 1996 law that lets Californians have marijuana for medical use. All 10 of the Littlefields claimed that their pot was purely medicinal. Law enforcement didn't buy it. Barna and her team eradicated all but seven of the plants. But using marijuana for medical reasons is not uncommon. The former congressman grows six plants for his mother, 76, who has cancer. Hamburg and his wife turn their crop into butter to make Rice Krispie treats to ease his mother's nausea and increase her appetite. What they are doing is completely legal, he asserts. Voters in Hamburg's county recently passed Measure G, making Mendocino the first county to legalize marijuana not just for medical use, but also for personal use. "The people of Mendocino County are really leading the way for the entire nation, in saying we're grownups, we're big kids and we can decide what the laws should be around marijuana," Hamburg says. But California has already decided marijuana is against the law. Despite the medical marijuana exception, the drug remains illegal in the state. So Barna will continue waging war against individual entrepreneurs and gangs in every California county. Source: CBSPublished: February 13, 2001Copyright MMI Viacom Internet Services Inc. To Read More:Patton of Pot - 60 Minutes IIhttp://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,269478-412,00.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #25 posted by FoM on February 14, 2001 at 20:05:17 PT I bet it's good Thanks Dan,I have trouble with audio or video features but I'm sure Mr. Cowan's analysis is good. He knows how to get to the heart of the issue. [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by FoM on February 14, 2001 at 20:01:43 PT You're welcome Kevin You're welcome Kevin and please do post any responses here for us to read. [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Dan B on February 14, 2001 at 17:52:16 PT: Richard Cowan's Analysis Hey, everyone! Check out Richard Cowan's 4:20 Marijuana News analysis of this 60 Minutes II segment, only on POT-TV. I think everyone would be interested in hearing what Richard Cowan has to say. It is quite good analysis, and of particular interest to me was his description of a letter he sent to CBS about the segment.Peace!Dan B 4:20 Marijuana News on POT TV [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by Dan B on February 14, 2001 at 16:18:20 PT: Kevin, I Know It Was Propaganda The point is that the propaganda in this piece was utterly transparent. It shows a group of people who grew marijuana for medicinal purposes being robbed right before their eyes, and by whom? By the State, of course!Yes, it is the same kind of prohibitionist blather we have grown to hate since before the passage of the 1914 Harrison Act--the same demonization coupled with gung-ho "we can get the druggies" mentality that comes with all such programming. But even the casual observer would have to admit some glaring holes in the story. What, for example, happened to the Littlefields? Did they have documentation to prove their claims of medical necessity? Were they even asked to produce such documentation (it appears they were not)? What happened to all that weed? They showed it being airlifted out of the forest, and they showed it processed and bundled in rows of nice big bags. Where did it go from there? Yet another glaring omission--one that begs to be answered.I hate the lies propagated in this story, but at least it made even a halfhearted attempt to show a glimpse of the real good guys--the folks growing the most profitable agricultural product in the state of California. These people should be praised as heroes. Instead, they're demonized, and the enemies of freedom are given gloriously undeserved names like "Patton of Pot."One can be disgusted and still enjoy the irony of poorly designed propaganda. Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on February 14, 2001 at 15:02:56 PT Patton? My patoot! To call this lady the "Patton Of Pot" is an insult to one of our country's heroes. Patton liberated concentration camps - in one instance, he actually took a group of nearby townspeople and forced them to wander through the camp. They look all happy when you see them walking to the camp, but they look quite shaken afterwards. To compare this woman to General George S. Patton is an affront to the General, the kind of which you'd NEVER do when he was ALIVE or you'd be in DEEP trouble. We need a better title for this woman. Howzabout the Rudolf Hess of Herb? The Amon Goeth of Ganja? The comparison to Nazis is not just petty name-calling - she has publicly called for the total eradication of cannabis sativa. Sounds like a "final solution" to me! This is the kind of person who will be first against the wall when the revolution comes - which is what makes her so vicious, like a rabid dog. Don't forget, the survivors of the concentration camps reported that the female camp guards were exceedingly brutal and that they seemed to get a certain sick thrill out of trying to top one anothers' tortures. This woman will dance at the end of a hemp rope too if she lives long enough to see the post-war trial period... [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by Kevin Hebert on February 14, 2001 at 12:05:20 PT: Re: Contact Information Thanks, FOM, for the information. I will write to them and I will post any response here. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Kevin Hebert on February 14, 2001 at 12:03:23 PT: Re: I guess I'll weigh in While I agree that there was a tiny amount of good, true message in the news piece, I still feel that it was overwhelmingly propaganda. I tried to watch the piece from the point of view of an average American who might not have access to the facts and knowledge we have.CBS News did not make any attempt to address WHY California feels it is necessary to have helicopters airdrop police into forests to destroy cannabis plants. They didn't explain that it is the criminalization of cannabis that has forced growers to move into the forest (if it was legalized, growers could go indoor or have farms on their own property). They also did not really attempt to address why it's illegal in the first place. That was my biggest problem with the piece: they started with the (false) given that "cannabis is really bad therefore it's illegal" and went from there. I thought it was irresponsible journalism.All that CAMP will do is force growers to take ever more drastic tactics to protect their crops. When you have a product worth as much as pure gold and it can be manufactured so quickly and easily, there is no way that suppressing production will have any effect. Not when people can grow in their closets. CBS News's reporting only makes the drug war seem like a viable answer to the drug problem. However, it is obvious to any dispassionate observer that interdiction only increases profits for the seller. By fighting the drug war, we are making selling drugs much more profitable than it would be otherwise. But, where's the media? Will anyone in the mass media report this fact honestly?FOCUSING ON PRODUCTION MAKES THE DRUG INDUSTRY UNBELIEVABLY WEALTHY. THE DRUG WAR CONCENTRATES THE VAST MAJORITY OF ITS RESOURCES ON PRODUCTION.THE DRUG WAR IS MAKING DRUG DEALERS FANTASTICALLY WEALTHY.And yet, the focus in government continues to be to try and stop production. This has led me to believe that our government has some reason to want to keep money flowing to foreign nations from the pockets of Americans. There must be some vested interest there. Anyone have any ideas or information showing this connection? [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by FoM on February 14, 2001 at 09:52:37 PT Maybe it's time to move! I'm ready to move to Mendocino! I loved that the radio station alerts them and that they represent this fine herb as well as they do! My hats off to them all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on February 14, 2001 at 09:50:04 PT Contact Information Hi Everyone,Sledhead just sent me contact information for the program so here it is. Write away!Here's how to get in touch with 60 Minutes II.Address: 60 Minutes II524 West 57th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10019Phone: (212) 975-6200Email: 60II cbsnews.comTo order a transcript, call: (800) 777-TEXTTo order a videotape, call: (800) 848-3256 [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by Morgan on February 14, 2001 at 09:34:59 PT On the other hand... Although I agree with most of you that this piece was mostly the same prohibitionist tripe that we all expect from the lap-dog media (watch our brave anti-drug forces risking life and limb and soiled uniforms as they heroically rapel down from a helicopter into a evil pot patch run by dangerous MEXICAN drug lords), it was heartening to see a little of the other side being shown. The former congressman saying that we are grownups, and don't need big brother making these decisions for us, the fact that the local residents see these CAMP people, rightfully, as the enemy. That the local resturaunts refuse them service, and the local radio stations broadcast CAMP movements. Beautiful!Three cheers to the people of the Emerald Triangle!In the journalistic overview of this War on (some) Drugs, I see this as a step foward.************************************************* [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by ras james rsifwh on February 14, 2001 at 09:17:56 PT sonya barna is being used. sonya is a foot soldier...a fool who needs a job. the war against cannabis sativa, THE TREE OF LIFE, was lost before the first anti-marijuana law was written. bow before mental midgets today...for the cannabis user stands eternally tall...bob marley, louis armstrong... [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Dan B on February 14, 2001 at 08:55:51 PT: I Guess I'll Weigh In . . . Frankly, when I watched this episode last night, I thought "Ho-hum, here we go with another anti-pot rant. But I was actually pleased with a couple of things. First, they let Hamburg have his say, and they even showed how to make some great Cannabis Rice Krispies Treats. Didn't they look tasty? And harmless, to boot! Not only that, but he said who he was making them for: his 76-year-old cancer-stricken mother. Hardly the stereotypical "pothead" these major media organizations like to talk about.Second, it put a face on the war on drugs. Here is a woman who admits to a national audience that the first heroin transaction known to have taken place in that high school campus was made by her working undercover. In effect, she introduced that high school to heroin. What does that say about her? Not only is she a zealot, but she is an obviously corrupt zealot with no morals and a penchant for robbing the sick and dying of their medicine. This is the kind of face America needs to see.Sure, they couched all this in the rosiest of terms (she's "doing the will of the people of California"--Hogwash!), and of course they slanted it all to appear like she was doing some great service "for the children," but what came through to me, and probably a lot of other people, was that she is a ruthless, hard-hearted person who cares only about her "mission" to destroy both plants and people--anything and anyone who keeps her from causing the most useful plant known to humanity to become extinct.I am thankful to know she will never succeed.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by Big Ab on February 14, 2001 at 08:10:50 PT: Load of B.S..... What a load of crap !I am SOOOO sick of this crap about pot being 20 times stronger now than it was then BULL S*** !!!!!Let me tell you the Sativas we got in the late 60's early 70's makes the weed now look like NOTHING !!!!!!I'v personally seen Sativas of such potency that a pen joint would set 3 poeple tripping.....I have'nt seen any in years.....Stronger ??? My Ass.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Kevin Hebert on February 14, 2001 at 07:43:37 PT: CBS News should be ashamed I watched 60 Minutes II last night and I came away absolutely disgusted. This was a one-sided garbage story that was almost devoid of factual knowledge. Just a rehashing of disproved myths.I plan on writing to CBS News telling them how ridiculous this story was. CAMP is a terrorist organization operated by the state of California. It is time to really assess what we can do to compel the media to show a more accurate portrayal of what marijuana prohibition really costs America. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Anarchist on February 14, 2001 at 06:41:34 PT War on drugs .................................. They want a war on pot? We can bring a most horrible war to them if they want. The politician in Illinois, I think, that said that he no longer had any compassion for cops killed in drug raids said a mouthful of truth that the public is not ready to hear.Every SWAT who dies is an enemy soldier, and as Patton (the REAL Patton) said, " Don't die for your country, make that other sonofa bitch die for HIS."If it becomes a shooting war I have a list for my community already. Are you making your list? Checking it twice? Those that are naughty won't be treated nice?Lists were made in preparation for the French Revolution. We must make lists, now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Frank on February 14, 2001 at 04:42:40 PT Marijuana Should Be Legal Marijuana needs to be legal. If it were legal the money, crime and police would be out of the picture overnight. As for the medical garden that this lady destroyed – she needs to respect the laws of California, as people who have a physician’s approval for marijuana use are exempt police action. However, if the police don’t obey the Law why should anyone respect them? The law does not just apply to the citizens but to the Police also. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Neutrino on February 14, 2001 at 02:19:30 PT Reporting Why are reporters such as Mabrey being paid what must be a 6 figure income only to produce such drivel. How difficult would it be to ask any of the following questions:1. How does eradication reduce demand?2. Doesn't eradication only make the balance more profitable?3. Prohibition has been our official government policy since the 30's. Do you think it has worked?4. What gives law enforcement the right to determine what is a proper amount to grow under prop 215?5. Is marijuana harder or easier than alcohol for minors to obtain?6. Just exactly what is the reason for prohibition?7. How does marijuana compare to alcohol, tobacco, and other legal drugs in terms of addiction, usage, and overall danger to society?8. Why was Peter McWilliams denied access to cannabis? 9. Shouldn't the government be held responsible for his death?10. Sonya, how do you feel about Mr. McWilliams choking to death in his own vomit when marijuana would have saved his life? 11. Is marijuana prohibition really worth the destruction of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution?Well Sonya, what do you have to say? [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Neutrino on February 14, 2001 at 02:13:13 PT Reporting Why are reporters such as Mabrey being paid what must be a 6 figure income only to produce such drivel. How difficult would it be to ask any of the following questions:1. How does eradiation reduce demand?2. Doesn't eradiation only make the balance more profitable?3. Prohibition has been our official government policy since the 30's. Do you think it has worked?4. What gives law enforcement the right to determine what is a proper amount to grow under prop 215?5. Is marijuana harder or easier than alcohol for minors to obtain?6. Just exactly what is the reason for prohibition?7. How does marijuana compare to alcohol, tobacco, and other legal drugs in terms of addiction, usage, and overall danger to society?8. Why was Peter McWilliams denied access to cannabis? 9. Shouldn't the government be held responsible for his death?10. Sonya, how do you feel about Mr. McWilliams choking to death in his own vomit when marijuana would have saved his life? 11. Is marijuana prohibition really worth the destruction of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution?Well Sonya, what do you have to say? [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hitman on February 13, 2001 at 22:31:44 PT You Just Wait... Sooner or later someone is going to subject that narc bitch to a most gruesome violation before she is disposed of... People get what they deserve, and I damn sure hope she gets hers soon... If not, eventually someone will hunt her down and take care of business... [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by aocp on February 13, 2001 at 19:56:23 PT: BingBangBoom "This is about big, big money," says John Gaines, a special agent. "This is about making a profit, taking the profit out of the United States, taking it back to Mexico. This is organized crime, bottom line."You'll probably stumble anyway, but i'd really like you to take a step backward with me, d'ac? Why in the world would organized crime have an interest in providing this substance, which has killed nobody, ever, to consenting adults that wish to purchase it? I'd rather it were available from a licensed, tax-paying distributor who checks ID, but hey, your laws don't offer that option. In fact, i believe it has yet to be *tried*. Then again, as the other posters have stated, that'd mean you'd have to get a real job, just like the rest of us. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by legalizeit on February 13, 2001 at 19:08:32 PT Even a former Congressman thinks this is bull! >"This is about big, big money," says John Gaines, a special agent. "This is about making a profit, taking the profit out of the United States, taking it back to Mexico. This is organized crime, bottom line."I have an experiment for you to try: Legalize this herb, and time how long it takes for this organized crime to vanish - and, furthermore, not only will the $$ stay in the US, taxation will send some of it to Uncle Sam! You will be amazed. (Oops, if the herb is legalized, you "Special Agents" will be looking for a special job. How about cannabis gardening?)>"They're going to take care of it. And that means more guns, more violence, and people getting hurt." Violence and hurt usually only come in response to assaults by these thugs.>A mother of three, Barna is committed to fighting drugs. She went undercover at age 21 as a drug-dealing studentThis "woman" is committed to ruining people's lives. The DARE program must have brainwashed her at an early age. Watch some pro-DARE dork touting her as a poster child for DARE's "effectiveness".>All 10 of the Littlefields claimed that their pot was purely medicinal. Law enforcement didn't buy it. Barna and her team eradicated all but seven of the plants.Not only are these sad excuses for human beings rabid, they don't know how to obey the laws of California, either. The Littlefields should sue the bastards for all they can get and then some!>"The helicopter drops a 150-foot-long line down, and we're hooked up to that line and get inserted into the garden." Can anyone say "Stinger Missile"?It's time for Cal's AG Bill Lockeyer to prosecute these jerks for disturbing the peace, violating the provisions of Prop 215, and helping to promote organized crime!Oh, I forgot, they are the law and can do no wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Luis on February 13, 2001 at 19:03:01 PT: Stand up for your rights. I hate how sonya wants marijuana wiped out in california. Marijuana helps people with diseases and she want's to wipe them out.Sonya has no respect for the Mendicino county laws. She is a disgrace to the law enforcement and to her country. If I lived in mendicino county i would be outraged. for all crop growers in mendicino county for crop she takes away grow twice as much. If sonya wants war well give the bitch a war. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by John Doe on February 13, 2001 at 18:42:40 PT The Sickest of The Sick “ Leading that war is Sonya Barna, called by some The Patton of Pot. She commands a state program called the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP, with the mission of wiping out every pot plant in California.” You would think this lady would have something better to do than play Nazi. The people in the counties where CAMP operates should not wait on them, sell them fuel or food nor cash their paychecks etc. If called to serve on a jury and the case is a pot bust vote for an acquittal or if you can't get an outright acquittal hang the Jury. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by sm247 on February 13, 2001 at 18:12:53 PT Listen to your voters "The people of the state of California have decided that they don't want this for their state.Evidently you do not know the people of your state look at all the voter initiatives that have passed in california Prop 215 prop 36 Measure G geez get a life and a real job stop trying to play god to people.Didn't you know what CAMP really stands for ??Go to www.millionmarijuanamarch.com and find the real CAMP Freedom to the People maryjane too!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by freedom fighter on February 13, 2001 at 18:00:29 PT Sonya Barna is a pure war criminal..Wanted for killing millions of souls... FOR EVERY PLANT SHE TOOK, 1000 HAVE TAKEN ITS' PLACE.. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: