Campaign Against Marijuana Planting

• Bob Elsburg - Incident Commander (1983)
• Jack Beecham - Incident Commander (1984-1989)
• Carolyn McIntyre - Special Agent in Charge (1990)
• Dale Ferranto - Special Agent in Charge (1991-1995)
• Dave Mansfield - Operations Commander (1991-1993)
• Walk Kaiser - Operations Commander (1994-1997)
• Mitch Brown - Special Agent in Charge (1996-1997)
• JT Taylor - Special Agent in Charge (1998-1999)
• Gil Van Attenhoven - Operations Commander (1998-1999)
• Rick Oules - Special Agent in Charge (2000-2001)
• Sonya Arriaga-Barna - Operations Commander (2000-2003)
• Ron Gravitt - Special Agent in Charge (2002-2003)
• Dave Tresmontan - Acting Chief (2003-2004)
• James Parker - Senior Agent in Charge (2004-2005)
• Val R. Jimenez - Operations Commander (2003-2005)
• Michael Johnson - Operations Commander (2005-2009)
• Jack Nelsen - Operations Commander (2019-2020)

In 1996, California voters approved ballot proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, legalizing the medical use of cannabis. As a consequence, CAMP's commander, a California law-enforcement officer, was specifically ordered by the state Attorney General to respect the state's medical marijuana laws in the course of his duties. Consequently, CAMP shifted priority to large commercial grow operations on public lands, and coordinates with county authorities so as not to interfere with medical grow operations known to them, which in any event tend to be smaller. Nevertheless, such operations are still against Federal law and are subject to action by the DEA.

While the influence of CAMP has waned since the Compassionate Use Act and later decriminalization of marijuana, there is interest at the state level regarding valid growing permits and environmental concerns. As a result, CAMP is utilized as a policing body, in accordance with the DEA. Yearly CAMP reports, published by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) are available online through Humboldt State University's Special Collections.[5] Beginning in 1983, the annual reports detail the organizational structure and names of individual participants, a summary of the season's activities, tactics, and mention of special successes, trends and hazards.[5]

In October 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that CAMP, a seasonal eradication program, will transition into a year-long task force called the Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis, or EPIC.[6] The agencies that worked with CAMP in 2022 include the California Department of Justice, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, California National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Central Valley HIDTA, California State Parks, and numerous local law enforcement agencies.[7]

• The first national television coverage of marijuana eradication in Humboldt County, including footage of a raid by CAMP's predecessor the Northern California Sinsemilla Task Force, aired on CBS Evening News May 16, 1979.

• A 1987 comedy sci-fi feature film, filmed and produced in Garberville, "Ganjasaurus Rex," parodied CAMP and their enforcement in Southern Humboldt County.

• CAMP was featured in "Home Grown High", a 1989 episode of 48 Hours, as well at ABC News.[8]

• The June 1993 National Geographic Magazine issue featured CAMP teams in Mendocino County.

• Real Stories of the Highway Patrol followed Humboldt County's CAMP team in 1995 and two episodes aired in February 1996.[9]

• The German Television USA news magazine Weltspiegel produced a 1995 episode on CAMP operations filmed in Mendocino County.

• 60 Minutes II ran a segment title "The Patton of Pot" on then CAMP Commander Sonya Barna, which aired on CBS in 2001.

• DEA Special Agent in Charge Javier Peña was the lead DEA agent for CAMP from 2004 to 2008, while he ran the San Francisco DEA Office.

• Discovery Channel's Pot Cops followed the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, who works closely with CAMP.

• National Geographic Channel's Wild Justice followed wardens from the then California Department of Fish and Game, and multiple episodes followed the game wardens and local sheriff deputies on marijuana raids on National Forest land, conducted in conjunction with CAMP.

• The 2013 book Humboldt: Life on America's Marijuana Frontier by Emily Brady, written about the marijuana industry in Humboldt County and the surrounding Emerald Triangle, makes multiple references to CAMP enforcement operations in Humboldt County.[10]

• Hulu's Sasquatch and Netflix's Murder Mountain both feature footage of CAMP in the 1980s and interview marijuana growers and former CAMP officers including CAMP Commander Dale Ferranto, CAMP Officer Mark Saiz and CAMP Officer and former Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey.

• Larry Livermore, a longtime resident of the Spy Rock area of Mendocino County, wrote about CAMP in Lookout! Magazine, his 2013 book Spy Rock Memories, and multiple songs for his band The Lookouts.[11]

• CAMP has been referenced in multiple songs by Humboldt County musicians, including Darryl Cherney and Rod Deal & The I-Deals.

• For decades, the Garberville radio station KMUD has broadcast the location of law enforcement activities, including CAMP, to warn local residents.[12][13]

• In 1985, CAMP coined Emerald Triangle as a name for Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties in Northern California.

• Gonzales v. Raich
• War on Drugs
• Office of National Drug Control Policy

• California Department of Justice CAMP Page