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Corrupt Government Title: Bush Govt send $2.2 million in law enforcement funding to FIGHT POT White House Sends Money To Fight Pot Growing Washington, DC -- The White House is sending money and some momentary manpower to reinforce the fight against California marijuana growers. When national drug czar John Walters lands in Fresno on Tuesday, he'll be bringing a commitment of an additional $2.2 million in law enforcement funding. The money will include $100,000 grants for Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties, as well as more support for a coordinated anti-pot campaign. He'll also be bringing the extra attention that comes along with the job of directing the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. That, too, has value for local law enforcement officials, even though Walters lacks the star power of some of his predecessors. "It's all part of our effort to take back the public lands from the marijuana growers," said Bill Ruzzamenti, head of the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The Sierra Nevada region is a particular focus, as investigators track the producers who cultivate commercial gardens amid the area's national treasures. Last year, Ruzzamenti said, 70 percent of the 2 million marijuana plants seized in the greater Central Valley area were found on public lands. "The problem is getting worse," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. "There are so many mountains and valleys and peaks." Reflecting the problem and the federal response, Nunes met this week with Tulare County officials who pressed for more government assistance. This includes securing $300,000, currently included in the Senate's Interior Department spending bill, for helping the county chase marijuana growers off of public lands. "The local officials are trying to nip this before someone gets killed," Nunes said. In this, the federal government plays several roles. Swinging the spotlight may be the simplest. Walters' trip to Fresno and adjoining areas Tuesday and Wednesday will be his second to the region as drug czar. He has a far more subdued profile than some of his predecessors, like retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey and one-time secretary of education William Bennett. Under Walters' watch, the White House has periodically tried to cut funding for the high-intensity drug trafficking area task forces like the one serving the Central Valley. But Walters, who formerly served as Bennett's chief of staff, also has a White House official's inherent ability to help set the public agenda. A news conference Wednesday morning with local prosecutors and drug-fighters will further rivet attention to the public land pot-growing issue. Uncle Sam's money is even more welcome by local officials. It comes in several forms. One is an earmark in an annual appropriations bill, like the $300,000 that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein secured in the Senate bill for helping the Tulare County Sheriff's Department fight pot on national forest land. "The invasion of drug trafficking organizations on federal lands constitutes a danger to visitors, agency employees and fire suppression teams and damages pristine wildlands, requiring intensive restoration," the Senate Appropriations Committee stated in its bill report. The House and Senate still must agree on the final funding total. Another form of federal aid comes through ongoing programs, like the Fresno-based Central Valley HIDTA, which coordinates anti-drug efforts between Sacramento and Bakersfield. When originally formed in 1999, the collaborative effort among federal, state and local agencies focused on methamphetamine. Since then, the Central Valley HIDTA has redirected more attention to marijuana. "The number of super labs has gone down precipitously," Ruzzamenti said. At the same time, "the meth producers have decided that there is more money in the cultivation of marijuana, so they have just switched over." Nationwide, Walters' office reported, the number of workers testing positive for methamphetamine has fallen by 45 percent over the past two years. Investigators likewise reported a 30 percent drop since 2004 in meth lab incidents, which could be anything from discovering of an operational lab to uncovering of a lab's dumpsite.
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