'Thick Poisonous Smoke' Prompts NorCal County To Declare Emergency

SISKIYOU COUNTY, CA — A county in Northern California has declared a state of emergency over an illegal use of pesticides that are causing "thick, poisonous smoke."

Officials warn that pesticides used at illegal cannabis grow sites could pose “extreme peril to the safety of persons and property that are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of this County,” Siskiyou County supervisors wrote in an emergency declaration.

The poisonous pesticide products have been found in 18 counties across California, but Siskiyou has been found to have more than any other area, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency.

In a 5-0 vote, county supervisors are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom and the White House to intervene.

The resolution points to a surge in the use of highly toxic, unregistered pesticides—many of them illegally imported and labeled in Chinese. Supervisors said the hazardous substances — which they claim are commonly discovered at unlawful grow sites — include a cocktail of insecticides (such as organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and chlorinated hydrocarbons), along with fungicides and herbicides. Many of the chemicals are recognized under California’s Proposition 65 as carcinogens, toxic air contaminants, or threats to groundwater, the resolution says.

The local sheriff also issued a stern warning to the public, urging that serious health risks are also being imposed on first responders.

"The toxic cocktail of illegal pesticides used during cultivation poses significant environmental and health risks to cultivators, law enforcement, firefighters, and the public," said Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue.

The sheriff urged that the issue goes far beyond his county's borders.

"We are battling something far bigger than just an illegally grown plant. This is about environmental destruction, human trafficking, banned chemical fumigants, and transnational organized crime networks operating with impunity across rural America," he continued.

Since 2023, about 176 investigations have been conducted by the county's code enforcement and environmental health departments, which the resolution says has revealed widespread "blatant misuse" of highly toxic "Chinese-labeled pesticides, as well as other less frequently observed Thai-labeled and Spanish-labeled pesticide products."

By declaring an emergency, the county aims to establish a multi-agency emergency response task force to identify, mitigate and remediate contaminated sites, the resolution says.

The supervisors are also demanding aid from Newsom's office and at the federal level.

"If we don't act boldly and get support from the State and Federal partners, the long-term consequences to public health and California's ecosystems will be irreversible," La Rue said.