Political Quotes

“I rise to introduce the Protecting Lands Against Narcotics Trafficking or PLANT Act of 2013 with my colleague and friend, Senator Orrin Hatch. This bill, which is similar to House legislation introduced by Representative Jared Huffman, will help curb the severe environmental damage caused by illegal marijuana grows. I thank my friend and fellow Californian, Representative Huffman, for his leadership on this issue. Across our Nation, but especially in California, drug traffickers cultivate marijuana with zero regard for the environmental destruction it causes. Motivated solely by profits, these criminals illegally divert streams, poison wildlife, pollute watersheds and destroy the natural heritage that we have worked so hard to protect. Recognizing the destructive ecological impact of illegal marijuana cultivation, this legislation directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and amend Federal sentencing guidelines to account for the environmental crimes drug traffickers commit on public and trespassed lands.…”