The government’s message was working well to separate society into two groups–one of lazy, no good “them” and the other righteous, hard working “us”. There’s an easy psychological empowerment to be had by looking down on someone, and politicians often use this fact to manipulate public opinion for or against something because it serves as an effective tactic.
Jerry Brown was elected as governor to replace Reagan, and continued pumping state funds into eradication. Eradication is a key word because it was the entire mission of the War on Drugs, like they were fighting some God-awful virus or deadly disease. It’s fair to say that law enforcement in the Emerald Triangle at that time was hyper-focused on cannabis as a disease of society. Eradicate it.
Common (horseshit) knowledge back then that “marijuana” was what they called a Gateway Drug. There is plenty of research to disprove this now (read some modern data here), but at the time it was effective propaganda since the general public, scientists, and other politicians didn’t have any factual information to the contrary.
So, despite being categorized as a Schedule 1 narcotic (labeled as the most dangerous), it was also simultaneously somehow seen as a lower level drug that had the potential to be a gateway into trying more dangerous, Schedule 1 narcotics, like heroin. Try to find logic in that–I dare ya’!
Keep in mind, this is when cigarette vending machines and smoking were allowed in restaurants. If you’re a Millennial or younger, this will blow your mind–kids could go to the store with a note from an adult and be sold cigarettes and alcohol! This was also the time when sugar cereals were making their debut at breakfast tables around the country. If we’re looking at gateway drugs, I see nicotine and sugar as two of the worst. Both lethal, legal, and historically marketed toward kids.
But I digress, back to the State’s mission of eradication…as I mentioned, the epi-center of that mission became NorNorCal, as we natives now call it (due to the misconception that Northern California ends at Sacramento, so NorNorCal is what those of us from the area call California above Sacramento). The cannabis farms in the mountains of NorNorCal were of most concern to law enforcement because of the trifecta:
Plenty of moisture (creeks, rivers, rain, fog)
Plenty of California sunshine, and
A bit of tree canopy for camouflage
Fun Fact: An interesting evolution in cannabis cultivation is that back in the early 1970s, the plants were generally short–like 4 feet tall–and loaded with seeds. The science of growing cannabis professionally was developed by Legacy Farmers throughout that decade.
When the Legacy Farmers started, the importance of separating male and female plants to avoid cross-pollination was not yet standard knowledge. All the weed had seeds so no one complained because that’s just the way it was! Eventually, any cannabis farmer with a drive to succeed would own Ed Rosenthal’s book, The Marijuana Growers Guide, published in 1974. That instructional horticulture how-to became somewhat of a bible for Legacy Farmers, and backyard enthusiasts, like my pops.
Cannabis laws had loosened under President Carter, making possession of under an ounce a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Say what you will about his presidency, Carter was a politician genuinely “for the people”...he listened, showed compassion, and wanted to help. This is shown in his character post-POTUS and his work founding (and hammering nails with) Habitat for Humanity, an organization of volunteers in America that builds homes for families in need.
Looser cannabis (“marijuana”) laws caused many conservatives to be uneasy with what they felt was a slide into a drug nation. Remember, these folks had ONLY heard an anti-”marijuana” point of view–filled with lies–for over 40 years. And since there was no scientific research available to reference, any alternate perspective was provided by criminals, right?
The goal of criminalizing people during the War on Drugs meant that the “potential criminal” label in society was a visual one and could be slapped on someone due to the way they looked by their race or length of hair.
In the decade following Civil Rights, racism was still common, and hippies were often not respected. In hindsight, manufacturing a War on Drugs to criminalize people who would otherwise vote against you, was an extremely creative and effective political strategy in creating “us vs. them” mentality. The criminals have really done nothing to hurt anyone, and yet–they’re criminals and therefore, should not be trusted, nor valued. In other words, “them”.
I’ve included an article below from the Humboldt Times Standard (January, 1976) showing local reaction to these new reduced penalties. Funny, I remember my parents using the style of scale held by Sheriff Cox in the photo.
In 1978, the feds and state of California decided to start seriously organizing cannabis eradication efforts from the top down by creating the Sinsemilla Strike Force the following year. Reagan was preparing to run for President, so California would soon have federal support for these efforts, should Reagan win.
State law enforcement worked with local Sheriff Departments to isolate the most active regions of illegal “grow patches” (as law enforcement often called cannabis cultivations). Back then, folks didn’t know there were regions were weed just doesn’t thrive, so they were trying to grow outdoors all over the western region.
Other hot spots in also included the Central Valley of California (Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield area), parts of Oregon, Colorado, and believe it or not, Tucson, Arizona, due to its open space (at the time) and proximity to Mexico for distribution.
Over time, though, law enforcement began to see that all terroirs are not equal, and the Legacy Farmers in NorNorCal had lucked upon the best. They were beginning to perfect modern cannabis cultivation…bigger, higher yielding plants without seeds, and huge, dense buds.
That notoriety drew focus to a tri-county area of NorNorCal that would eventually be named The Emerald Triangle by a Sergeant Sheriff in his effort to describe the three counties of Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity in Northern California at a meeting in 1981. And it stuck!
Yep, you read that right—The Emerald Triangle was named by law enforcement. (Details of that story from the Sergeant who named it to come in my future article How The Emerald Triangle Got Its Name.)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Merchant’s Mall in Weaverville, California is a huge community of indoor vendors, each with their own booth and category of product. One booth is jewelry, another will have folding knives, the next booth may have clothing like a thrift store, and on the next aisle is children’s toys, or antiques, or sporting goods, or quilting supplies. The variety in this store is second to none! It’s one of my all-time favorite places to shop for just about any occasion. If you can’t find something to buy at Merchant’s Mall, you’re not looking hard enough!
Thanks for reading! Whether you’re a fan of cannabis, California, history, true crime, or law enforcement, I hope you’ll subscribe and stick with me for more unbelievable stories about the War on Drugs in the Emerald Triangle and my crazy childhood during it all. It won’t be boring! After the free publications, paid subscribers will receive this weekly article with historic & proprietary pics, and exclusive audio and video tracks of interviews. A podcast option will also be available to paid subscribers.
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GLOSSARY
Eradication - Total elimination of illegal marijuana grows. As far as law enforcement was concerned, this was their mission in the War on Drugs.
Gateway Drug - A term created to falsely vilify marijuana as being an entry level drug that may influence the future use of harder drugs, as if humans have no free will.
Grow Patch - 1970s law enforcement slang for an active marijuana cultivation.
NorNorCal - Northern California, above Sacramento.
Sinsemilla Strike Force - A task force created by leaders across several regions in 1979, involving every segment of the War on Drugs for law enforcement (identification, approach, warrants, court, etc.).
The Marijuana Grower’s Guide - Published in 1974, the book was commonly used by Legacy Farmers in the Emerald Triangle to perfect cultivation of the modern cannabis plant/flower as we know it today.
