Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in Maine. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 5.8 percent of Maine residents report having abused marijuana in the month prior to the survey compared with 4.7 percent nationwide. According to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, an estimated 95,000 of Maine's approximately 1.2 million adult residents routinely abuse marijuana. They also report that the total number of treatment admissions for marijuana abuse increased from 856 in 1995 to 1,301 in the first 11 months of 2001. (See Table 1 in Diverted Pharmaceuticals section.)

Marijuana is readily available in Maine. According to MDEA data, state and local task force officials seized 198 kilograms of marijuana in FY2001, an increase from the 163 kilograms seized in FY2000. Marijuana-related arrests decreased from 278 in FY1998 to 172 in FY2001. MDEA notes that this drop in arrests is the result of a reallocation of law enforcement assets to combat other drug threats, and it does not reflect a drop in marijuana availability or abuse. In the first quarter of FY2002, commercial grade marijuana sold for $1,000 to $1,600 per pound, sinsemilla sold for $1,800 to $2,000 per pound, and a marijuana joint sold for $3 to $5, according to DEA.

Mexico-based criminal groups produce most of the marijuana that is available in Maine. Marijuana produced in Canada is also available but to a much lesser extent. Caucasian criminal groups, local independent dealers, and abusers produce high quality marijuana for personal use and distribution within the state. According to MDEA data, state law enforcement officials seized 5,320 cannabis plants in FY2001 and 9,524 cannabis plants in FY2000. MDEA state and local task force officials report that eradication efforts have resulted in cultivators' increased use of indoor operations and smaller, more dispersed plots in outdoor operations.

Caucasian criminal groups, local independent dealers, and OMGs transport most of the marijuana available in Maine from Mexico and Canada, as well as from distribution centers in Massachusetts. These groups primarily use private and commercial vehicles to transport marijuana into the state. Package delivery services and couriers aboard commercial aircraft are also used to transport marijuana.

OMGs dominate wholesale marijuana distribution in Maine, distributing approximately 300 to 500 pounds of marijuana each month. Caucasian criminal groups and dealers are the dominant retail distributors of marijuana in Maine.

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