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New Law Helps Crack Down On Illegal Marijuana Grow Operations

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- A new law in Colorado is making it easier for law enforcement to crack down on illegal marijuana grow operations.

The law limits the total number of pot plants in any home to one dozen, instead of the six per every adult.

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Deputies seized more than 230 plants from a home in El Paso County on Thursday.

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RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive

The sheriff says growers need to learn the law and get rid of extra plants before his deputies have to step in.

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"We are not focusing on medical marijuana pieces. The recreational marijuana is what it is, we're not trying to take that back. We're trying to get a handle on these grows in eastern El Paso County that are exporting most of their marijuana to other parts of the country," said El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder.

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El Paso County recently gave the sheriff's office $100,000 to pay for the deputies' overtime to help shut down the illegal grows.

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