20 Jaw-Droppingly Weird Laws That Still Exist In America
19. Arizona - Cutting Down A Cactus Will Earn You Life In Prison
Law's Origin: Unknown, updated every year
Risk of Prosecution: Exactly 3.75 years in prison
A life sentence for just one cactus? Yes, at one point, but Arizona has since revised their laws to be far less Draconian. It is now only considered illegal to cut down a saguaro cactus; doing so is a class four felony as sixteen year old Robert McClure found out only last year when he was charged for cutting off a piece of a large saguaro.
This might make sense if the saguaro was a vital part of Arizona's natural resources, except it's not.
Arizona is a desert literally covered in saguaros. The law is actually meant to protect Arizona's natural beauty by stopping cactus thieves from taking them from the desert to sell in people's front yards. Wait... What?
Our Rating: It's time Arizona takes a fresh look at its list of priorities.