Corn growers in northern Franklin County have reported a problem in many of their fields, illegal marijuana grows.  Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond said these sweeps started a few weeks ago after farmers and citizens reported the pot plants.

 

“We’ve been doing a lot of drone flights, looking over acres and acres of corn and ravines and those types of things.  Roughly we believe we’re going to be on about a 70,000 plant eradication that we’ve removed from the fields.”

 

Raymond said these plants have nothing to do with legal marijuana operations.  He added this is not a victimless crime.  First off, someone is trespassing on the farmer’s property, and secondly they are introducing a foreign plant into a grain crop.

 

“The farmers are at risk of losing their certification on their grains, there’s a high probability that they will go through those grain fields with a combine or a chopper and that marijuana actually gets chopped and goes right into their corn and contaminates it.  There’s all kinds of issues.”

 

If you come across marijuana plants on your property, contact your local Sheriff’s office as soon as possible.

 

 

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