Even though marijuana continues to move towards being decriminalized, even in California the government is still cracking down on people who grow it, and this week a huge bust went down, with almost $2 billion worth of pot seized in raids.

"Tremendous devastation has been done and continues to be done by these industrial-sized grows," said Gil Kerlikowske, who directs the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy and was in Fresno on Thursday to support the raid. "I think when people see what these marijuana grows do to their land, it makes a huge difference." Marijuana is believed to help with glaucoma, stress, insomnia, chronic pain, and maybe even to slow tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain.

$1.7 Billion Worth Pot Seized
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Nearly 100 people have been arrested in an ongoing sweep of marijuana-growing operations that has netted more than $1.7 billion worth of pot in California's Sierra Nevada range, federal and state agents said Thursday. Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said several Mexican drug cartels were involved in the grow operations and that most of the 97 people arrested are Mexican nationals. Agents were combing tracts of public land in the remote stretches of Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties.

$1.7 Billion Worth Pot Seized