Read our Part 1: Marijuana, fires and global warming. We continue with a theme linking marijuana to the wildfires in the West.
One man has been arrested for starting six fires around Portland, and another for the Sweet Creek fire near Eugene. Officials have also arrested two men in Washington and one woman in California. In southern Oregon, Michael Jarrod Bakkela started a fire which merged with the Almeda fire. The Jackson County sheriff’s office alleges significant damage from the fire Bakkela started in the town of Phoenix. Since he also violated probation on an original charge of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, it’s important that we look into his drug history and test for drugs in those arrested for starting fires.
(We suggest that drug use, rather than political ideology, contributes directly to acts of arson. ) Continue reading Is marijuana a direct factor in some of the wildfires?