Marijuana

National Drug Intelligence Center
Wisconsin Drug Threat Assessment Update
June 2002

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused drug in Wisconsin. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 5.1 percent of Wisconsin residents reported having abused marijuana at least once in the month prior to the survey compared with 4.7 percent nationwide. Marijuana-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities increased steadily from 912 in 1994 to 1,728 in 1998, then decreased in 1999 before increasing again to 1,907 in 2000, according to TEDS. (See Table 1 in Cocaine section.)

Marijuana is widely available throughout the state. According to USSC data, the number of marijuana-related federal sentences in Wisconsin in FY2000 (21) was higher than in FY1996 (13). Arrests for marijuana possession increased from 14,243 in 1998 to 15,578 in 2000, according to the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. The Milwaukee HIDTA reported a dramatic increase in the amount of marijuana seized from 2000 to 2001. In 2001, the HIDTA reported seizing approximately 592 kilograms of marijuana, compared with 11 kilograms seized in 2000.

In April 2001, investigators from the Wisconsin Department of Justice uncovered a major marijuana trafficking ring that resulted in one of their biggest seizures in history. An individual, along with his associates, had been arranging large shipments of marijuana into Milwaukee from Houston and Chicago in tractor-trailers and by couriers (usually women) on commercial airline flights. The individual was responsible for the distribution of more than 13 tons of marijuana in Milwaukee each year from 1996 to 2000.

Marijuana produced in Mexico is the dominant type; locally produced marijuana is available to a lesser extent. Prices have remained stable for the past decade, and in the first quarter of FY2002, marijuana sold throughout the state for $50 to $210 per ounce and $500 to $1,650 per pound for both Mexican and locally produced marijuana, according to DEA.

Cannabis is cultivated outdoors and indoors throughout Wisconsin. Outdoor grow sites typically are located in remote areas on private land as well as public land. Indoor grows often are located in private residences. According to DEA, Wisconsin ranked fifth among all states for indoor marijuana growing activity in 2000, with 137 indoor grow sites seized. Violence associated with cannabis cultivation is an increasing concern to Wisconsin law enforcement officers. Cannabis cultivators often are heavily armed and use boobytraps and warning devices to protect cultivation sites from law enforcement authorities and the public.

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary transporters of Mexico-produced marijuana into the state. These DTOs and criminal groups use private and rental vehicles, as well as tractor-trailers to transport bulk quantities of marijuana into Wisconsin from Mexico through southwestern states. Couriers on commercial aircraft also have been used to transport bulk quantities of marijuana into Wisconsin.

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary wholesale and midlevel distributors of marijuana in the state. Street gangs and local independent dealers are the primary retail distributors. Marijuana typically is sold in open-air markets, public housing projects, and private residences. Local producers distribute the marijuana they produce at the retail level; they generally do not produce quantities large enough to support wholesale distribution.

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