The laws governing the production, sale, use, and possession of marijuana across the United States are rapidly changing. Marijuana is only fully illegal in 5 US states. As of June 2021, 18 states, and the District of Columbia, have fully legalized marijuana. The rest of the country is a mix of decriminalized and medicinally legal. However, these numbers are changing as more and more states vote to remove marijuana restrictions for good reason. The number one reason behind these changes in law, is that marijuana is a good business.

The current medical and recreational marijuana market is valued at around $8.3 billion. Within 4 years, industry experts predict that the market value will be over $80 billion and provide nearly 340,000 full-time employment opportunities. Unfortunately, there are plenty of marijuana growers that plant illegal farms, or do not stick to the strict codes that allow for marijuana farms.

In Nevada, officials have been considering using drones as a means of tracking down individuals who do not grow marijuana properly. As Diana Gamzon, executive director of the Nevada County Cannabis Alliance, explained, illegal marijuana growers pose a threat to the environment and sensitive watersheds by diverting resources. These growers also enforce the negative stereotypes of violent illegal drug production. In May of 2021, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors met to discuss the implications of using drones to identify and hold these growers accountable.

While police in Nevada use drones extensively, there is a feeling of unease to use them to locate illegal marijuana farms. Authorities, with the support of some local citizens, fear that using drones in this capacity could infringe on privacy issues. Supervisor Heidi Hall said, “Drones serve as a wonderful process: for environmental restoration, rescue, river safety, and realtors. But a number of egregious growers are getting away with (noncompliance with permits). I remain uncomfortable with using drones as part of our enforcement policy. The guidelines are reasonable, And I agree with concerns of privacy. It’s a tough issue, but I feel conflicted.”

In 1996, California became the first state to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana. Since then, California has been widely recognized as a trailblazer for the legalization process of marijuana. Like Nevada, California also has to face the issues of illegal marijuana farms and has begun looking to drones for answers. Unlike Nevada, California seems to be making better headway in the idea of drones that can monitor marijuana farms. A Californian Congressional House Appropriations Committee has made a note in an existing bill being brought to the Department of the Interior and Environmental Efforts. If passed, this bill would allow for drones to be used to survey public lands in search of unauthorized marijuana farms, as well as authorized farms that are non-compliant.

The loophole that could potentially see this bill being approved is that the committee is posing the use of drones in this capacity applies to issues of cybersecurity and domestic production. “The Committee is aware that trespassers illegally grow marijuana on public lands in California,” states the report released by the committee. “These unlawful activities harmfully impact the public, water, soil, and wildlife. The Committee supports Forest Service efforts to develop tools to detect and eradicate grow sites. The Committee also supports the Department of the Interior’s use of drones to conduct statewide remote-sensing surveys of federal public lands to identify grow sites and allow for the development of cost estimates for reclamation after concerns about cybersecurity, technology, and domestic production have been addressed.”

In the eyes of many, for the marijuana industry to maintain its upward growth, all aspects of the industry must be carried out in accordance with the law. Illegal growers harm the ability of all those working to legalize and normalize the production, sale, and use of marijuana. Using drones to monitor safe and legal growing practices just may be the key to achieving total federal compliance.

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