MEASURE G REPORT: POT SEIZURES UP

Deputies of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office found more illegal pot
plants in 2004 than they did in 2003, but not as many as the record year,
2002, when sheriff's deputies found and destroyed almost 127,000 marijuana
plants growing in 383 places in the county.

That's according to an annual report filed by the sheriff's department each
year mandated by Measure G, the 2000 county ballot measure requiring the
county to use its budget pressure to stop enforcement of marijuana laws and
prosecution of marijuana crimes in the county.

The measure was symbolic only as the county has no authority to dictate to
either the Sheriff or the District Attorney what laws they will or won't
enforce. However Measure G also required an annual report on the number of
plants seized and arrests made by both COMMET and regular deputy patrols.

In 2004 deputies on regular patrol took 1,273 illegal pot plants at 13
sites in the county. That was up from 374 plants in 14 sites in 2003.

According the Undersheriff Gary Hudson, there are but two COMMET deputies
in the county. However, they make most of their raids during the harvest
season when they also have help from other law enforcement agencies like
the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, hence the higher numbers.

In 2004, COMMET took 72,918 illegal pot plants at 332 sites.

Overall that year, deputies on regular patrol arrested 64 adults and four
juveniles for possession of marijuana charges and four were arrested for
cultivation. Some 47 adults were simply cited for marijuana possession and
26 juveniles. The COMMET made 19 arrests for cultivation in 2004.

The 2004 report was recently presented to the Mendocino County Board of
Supervisors.

Hudson said he's not sure what story the numbers tell, although he noted it
appears to show that there's "a lot of marijuana in this county if only two
deputies are finding that many illegal plants."