MORE POT SEIZURES ARE LINKED TO DRUG CARTELS

Mexican drug cartels, attracted by the state's rich soil and remote
forests, grew nearly three-quarters of the pot seized in California this
fall, state officials announced Tuesday.

That marks a dangerous shift toward large and sophisticated growing
operations, said Sonya Barna, commander of the Department of Justice's
Campaign Against Marijuana Production.

"It used to be an industry controlled by hippies with small gardens," Barna
said. "Now, it's not uncommon to see cartels planting anywhere from 2,000
to 10,000 plants in a garden."