The “Green Rush” in rural California has many questioning the wisdom of legalizing pot in the state. Many poor counties thought the weed would be a boom for stagnate economic conditions but instead they are being swallowed up by illegal growing operations that contaminate the land and the water.

Local law enforcement officials in places like Calaveras County are cutting down illegal plots of pot and have racked up more than 30,000 plants plus scores of arrests. Its turning out that all that green has not turned into gold as promised by the promoters of the marijuana industry.

In fact so bad are some of the results that many residents that once supported legal weed have turned against the idea because they say the price is just too high. The damage to the environment and the renegade growing operations have demonstrated that many are willing to break the law even though the state has moved to legalize pot.

All those dreams seem to be up in smoke.

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