A House committee is backing federal efforts to track down illicit grows on public lands in California. This will become a reality if issues around cybersecurity and domestic production can be resolved so that the drones can be fully trusted to carry out their mission. While drones looking for growth is not a new idea, the language is different this year, as newly discovered grows have brought more attention to how many cannabis farms can pop up on public land under the radar. “The Committee is aware that trespassers illegally grow marijuana on public lands in California,” the report claimed. “These unlawful activities harmfully impact the public, water, soil, and wildlife. The Committee supports Forest Service efforts to develop tools to detect and eradicate grow sites.” “The Committee also supports the Department of the Interior’s use of drones to conduct statewide remote-sensing surveys of federal public lands to identify grow sites and allow for the development of cost estimates for reclamation after concerns about cybersecurity, technology, and domestic production have been addressed,” it added. So far, the report doesn’t get into cybersecurity issues, including technology and domestic production, but last year, Chinese-made drones were grounded because of the risk they cause to cybersecurity and U.S. security in general. The committee may now be looking to get drones that are produced in the U.S., since they will be used to carry out surveillance over legal cannabis operations near public lands and illegal ones popping up on public lands. Growing communities like those in Humboldt County could be caught on the drones, as they border federal lands, so their rights have to be considered as well.
420 Intel – Marijuana Industry News, 07/06/2021 20:00:00