Pot busts aplenty

So far this year, Butte County has investigated 512 cases under Measure A, the ballot initiative passed into law by voters last November that restricts medical marijuana gardens by square footage rather than number of plants.

The county has ramped up enforcement of Measure A as growing season reaches full swing, recently hiring six additional code enforcement officers to hit the foothills. And the county has received a large volume of complaints regarding pot gardens—an average of 45 to 50 a week and a record of 30 in one day, Tim Snellings, director of the county’s Department of Developmental Services, reported to the Butte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (June 23).

A total of 402 cases have been related to the size of gardens, and 60 cases have resulted in fines totaling $145,500—of which the county has received $27,870.