Cannabis growers in the American West haven’t escaped the massive water shortages this year that have forced farmers growing crops such as almonds and blueberries to rip out plants or let them die in the field.
The drought is depressing hemp acreage and worsening reports of water theft by illicit marijuana growers.
“It’s just a hot mess out there, to put it mildly,” said John Nores, special operations lieutenant with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who told Hemp Industry Daily that water theft in his state this year has never been so severe.