The House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee recently introduced the Targeting and Offsetting of Existing Illegal Contaminants TOXIC Act, sponsored by lawmaker Scott Peters D-CA to protect the environment from illegal cannabis growers.
The bill seeks to reduce the use of banned pesticides on illegal marijuana grows on public land and to correct the environmental damage caused by illegal pesticides.
Peters said illegal pesticides used on cannabis plants can seep into the plant and end up in consumer products during a hearing.
Medical cannabis users who rely on the plant for relief from symptoms associated with various medical conditions, but may not be able to afford safe market rate cannabis at current price points, he said, per Marijuana Moment.
If the legislation passes, it would authorize $250 million for the Forest Service to use Superfund toxic waste remediation to address environmental damage caused by the release of banned pesticides on federal lands for cannabis cultivation.
The measure proposes to raise criminal penalties for using banned pesticides in illegal cannabis cultivation to a maximum of 20 years in prison and $250,000 in criminal fines to make parity with the criminal penalties for smuggled pesticides in the country.
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