Count Down to Zero TimeJust when you thought the police couldn’t be more irrelevant and ridiculous in america have a look at this.
BECKLEY (AP) — West Virginia natural resources police say they have made 11 arrests and seized 190 pounds of dry ginseng that was illegally harvested.(as if this was cocaine )
The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources estimates the market value of the native herb at $180,000.
IN an atempt to make the bust seem relevant and not ridiculous they added
The department said Wednesday the arrests followed a year-long investigation in southern West Virginia. Besides the ginseng, they said they also seized stolen guns, illegal drugs and $30,000 in cash.
West Virginia has a ginseng digging season. It begins Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
The department says the seized ginseng was harvested before the digging season began.
Ginseng long has been coveted in many Asian cultures because the plant’s gnarly, multipronged root is believed to have medicinal properties.
Natural resources officials say demand has spurred illegal harvesting.
When terrorism worldwide is rearing its ugly head crime is of the charts the police are out seizing harmless vegetable roots and arresting people just growing in their own back yard.
http://countdowntozerotime.com/2014/09/19/police-seize-190-pounds-of-illegally-harvested-ginseng/
They got the $30,000 though, right?
Consider, though, that the problem of overharvesting to the point of near extinction of our native medicinal plants is a real one. Ginseng is powerful medicine and is our birthright. I don’t know about you, but it kind of irritates me that poachers would steal this resource from us, to ship overseas to Asia. Ginseng takes many years to grow; it requires a particular climate which is found only in limited areas, and is a renewable resource but must be guarded by people who understand and appreciate its value. Americans are not taught ginseng’s value, in order that this resource may be taken from us. Ginseng farmers understand that poaching is a real problem. Herbalists understand that responsible harvesting (wildcrafting) means that you take only about 1/3 each time, and make sure enough is left to keep the plants producing an abundant supply.
This is a problem for ginseng in our country, but I can think of many other valuable medicinal plants that have been removed from where they would grow, through laws prohibiting them, or through unthinking clearing of natural habitats, as well as overharvesting by irresponsible and greedy people.
Many people think that the cure for cancer (etc) lies in the Amazon rainforest. Sure, it does, but it also lies here — and everywhere. There are many valuable medicinal plants to cure our ills, spread over the earth. And we have ignorantly allowed them to be slowly diminished, to the point where many of them are currently unavailable to us. A shame.
I’m sure that’s exactly what the cops were thinking when they got that $30,000 too. Save the Ginseng. While it’s true the best Ginseng requires years of abuse in extreme climates it can be grown and harvested by just about anyone, anywhere on the planet in a single year. Lets not overstate things or try and justify the actions of the policy officers. I’m sure the people harvesting the Ginseng were just trying to win in an environment where they are set up to fail, which they did and now will serve time in the private prison industry making products for Starbucks for pennies an hour. Their fines and personal property will go to pay for the policy officers who terrorized them in their own home, to the prosecutors and Judges to prosecute them. The Jailers to jail them… Lets be for real.
I’m definitely not justifying actions of policy 🙂 officers.
I’m for the people 1) having the freedom to grow and harvest our own plants and 2) having the knowledge and wisdom to do so responsibly (which is a good topic for discussion — what that means and how to do it, within the context of valuing the individual; not valuing the group at the expense of the individual — to be stewards and not to oppress)
But yeah, being real about the day to day of our current situation is part of hopefully moving towards a better day for us all.
Yea, see I was encouraged that these people were actually harvesting something else besides illegally grown weed! I was thinking that these people were worried about getting healing herbs to the sick and soon to be sick peeps, honestly. Harvesting Ginseng requires real work, too. Up here we harvest Osha Root. Also, up here it would be the BLM who investigates and files charges. Not the local Sheriff. Kinda like getting wood with no permit or hunting/fishing without a license. The article states that “Natural resources officials say demand has spurred illegal harvesting.” they don’t specify if it was on public land or what so I’m only speculating anyhow.
Is this an Agenda 21 thing or is it just like shooting doves out of season?
the pharmaceutical companies must be sick to death over this
natural resources as in free
they’re setting a precedent for any of us not on their payroll