Arizona: Cutting Down A Cactus
Getting 25 years in prison sounds like a very harsh punishment for cutting down a cactus in Arizona, but many people actually believe that the crime here fits the punishment.
It is believed that a lot of people decided to decorate their front lawns with cacti- which seems pretty innocent on the surface until you realize two things. One, the species are actually in danger, so preserving cacti is of utmost importance. Two, it takes a Saguaro cactus ten years to grow by just one inch. That means that when the plant is about 70, it’ll be as tall as a person.
So you might think it’s no big deal to cut one before you realize just how difficult it is for them to grow. Now multiply that by the hundreds and you’re probably looking at the making of an environmental disaster!
On the surface, this law seems pretty silly, especially considering you could end up in prison for more than a quarter of your life, but in reality, it’s all about sending a strong message and protecting mother nature!
