California’s raging wildfires have burned more than 220,000 acres this year, destroyed homes and businesses, and displaced thousands of people.

Fire victims need shelter, food, clothing, toiletries and money. But in one county, they are being offered pot.

[lz_ndn video=29761326]

In a shameless PR scheme, California’s marijuana industry is using this year’s fire tragedies to promote its product.

Fire victims need shelter, food, clothing, toiletries and money. But in one county, they are being offered pot.

Two Santa Rosa marijuana providers have offered $20,000 worth of medical marijuana products to Lake County residents who have prescriptions for the drug.

Related: Pot Boom and Big Agriculture

Despite no proven accepted medicinal value, media reports of the marijuana “donation” have exalted it as altruism.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency categorizes marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which means the drug or substance has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and finds a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

Even the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to carve out an exception for marijuana under a theory of medical viability.

California’s pot industry is only quasi-legal. Yet marijuana is the largest cash crop in the state.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Related: Pot Pushed for PTSD

And now we have “donations” of pot being offered to fire victims.

The Gift of Pot
Through Wednesday, each fire victim with a pot prescription can receive up to $200 worth of products without cost. The two companies issued a joint statement, saying, “This disaster happened in our own backyard. As a company that prides itself on putting patient needs first, we felt there was no better time to reach out and help our neighbors in their time of need.”

‘Legalization’
“Cartels aren’t in it for the drugs, they’re in it for the money,” said Kevin Sabet, an assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida. “We’re being told pot will fund our schools, get rid of drug cartels, and cure cancer all at once. And worst of all, we’re being sold this false dichotomy — that our only choices for drug policy are legalize or lock ’em up.”

Related: Oregon Joins Weed Wagon

He added, “Give a kid a criminal record for holding a joint or allow another addictive industry to take over meetings in the state capitol. And now that argument is being extended to other drugs. And once again we’re getting caught in that very same false dichotomy. We’re being told the only alternative to current policy is to legalize.”

 The state of California is estimated to have 50,000 small pot farms, which produce about 20 million pounds of pot annually. And a little free pot may be a way to get grateful customers for life.