Marijuana

National Drug Intelligence Center
Rhode Island Drug Threat Assessment
July 2003

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in Rhode Island. However, the drug is generally regarded as a lower threat than heroin and cocaine because it is less often associated with violent crime. Most of the marijuana available in the state is produced in Mexico. Marijuana produced locally as well as marijuana produced in Canada and Jamaica also is available. Mexican criminal groups are the primary transporters of marijuana into Rhode Island. These groups transport the drug into the state primarily using commercial and private vehicles. No specific group controls the distribution of marijuana in Rhode Island. Caucasian criminal groups, as well as Dominican, Jamaican, Mexican and other Hispanic criminal groups and various local independent dealers, among others, distribute marijuana at the wholesale level in the state. African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic criminal groups, local independent dealers, outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs), and street gangs, among others, distribute marijuana at the retail level in Rhode Island.

Abuse

Treatment data indicate that marijuana commonly is abused in Rhode Island. The number of marijuana-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities nearly doubled from 822 in 1997 to 1,624 in 2001, according to TEDS. (See Table 2 in Overview section.) In 2001 there were more admissions for marijuana abuse than any other illicit drug except heroin. The rate of marijuana-related treatment admissions per 100,000 population in Rhode Island (132) was higher than the rate nationwide (104) in 2000, the most recent year for which these data are available.

Marijuana is abused by a large segment of Rhode Island's population, and young adults are the most common abusers of the drug. According to the 1999 and 2000 NHSDA, 7.2 percent of Rhode Island residents aged 12 and over who were surveyed reported abusing marijuana in the month prior to the survey, compared with 4.8 percent of individuals surveyed nationwide. In Rhode Island 21.8 percent of individuals aged 18 to 25 reported past month marijuana abuse, compared with 10.4 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds and 4.7 percent of individuals aged 26 or older. Rhode Island ranked in the top fifth among U.S. states for all of these measures of past month marijuana use.

The percentage of youth reporting marijuana abuse in Rhode Island is higher than the national percentage. According to the 2001 YRBS, 48.3 percent of Rhode Island high school students surveyed reported having abused marijuana at least once in their lifetime, compared with 42.4 percent nationwide. Further, 33.2 percent of Rhode Island high school students surveyed reported that they had abused marijuana in the 30 days prior to the survey, compared with 23.9 percent nationwide.

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Availability

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in Rhode Island. Prices for marijuana vary throughout the state. Various types of marijuana, including commercial-grade and sinsemilla, are available. (Statewide marijuana prices for the first quarter of FY2003 as reported by the DEA Providence Resident Office are listed in Table 5.)

Table 5. Marijuana Prices, Rhode Island, First Quarter FY2003
Commercial-Grade
Pound	$850-$1,000
Ounce	$90-$100
Gram	$25-$50
Joint	$5
Sinsemilla
Pound	$3,000-$5,000
Ounce	$300-$500
Gram	n/a
Joint	$15-$20

Source: DEA.

The amount of marijuana seized by federal law enforcement officials in Rhode Island fluctuated from 1998 through 2002. According to FDSS data, federal law enforcement officials in Rhode Island seized 160.5 kilograms of marijuana in 1998, 2.6 kilograms in 1999, 1.3 kilograms in 2000, 8.5 kilograms in 2001, and 90.4 kilograms in 2002.

Sinsemilla

Sinsemilla, in Spanish, means without seed. Growing the female cannabis plant in the absence of the male cannabis plant prevents pollination, resulting in an increase in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) levels and bud growth in female plants. According to data from the Potency Monitoring Project, the THC content of marijuana available in the United States in 2001 averaged 9.55 percent for sinsemilla, compared with 5.03 percent for commercial-grade marijuana. Sinsemilla includes only the buds and flowering tops of the cannabis plant, where THC is most concentrated, while commercial-grade marijuana usually also includes the leaves, stems, and seeds. Thus, the average marijuana yield for mature sinsemilla is approximately one-half pound per plant, compared with 1 pound per plant for commercial-grade marijuana.

There are more arrests associated with the possession of marijuana than with possession of any other illicit drug in Rhode Island. According to the Rhode Island UCR, in 2001 nearly 53 percent of adult arrests for drug possession and over 81 percent of all juvenile arrests for drug possession were marijuana-related.

The percentage of drug-related federal sentences in Rhode Island that were marijuana-related was significantly lower than the national percentage in FY2001. (See Table 1 in Overview section.) According to USSC data, 17.5 percent of drug-related federal sentences in Rhode Island in FY2001 were marijuana-related, compared with 32.8 percent nationwide.

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Violence

Marijuana distributors in Rhode Island occasionally commit violent crimes. Some distributors who sell marijuana and other drugs commit violent crimes, such as assaults and shootings, to protect or expand their distribution area. However, law enforcement officials report that much of this violence is not directly attributed to marijuana distribution. Marijuana abusers in Rhode Island typically are not associated with violent crime.

Production

Most of the marijuana available in Rhode Island is produced in Mexico. Some of the marijuana available in Rhode Island is produced within the state, and marijuana produced in Canada and Jamaica also is available.

Cannabis is cultivated primarily indoors in Rhode Island, although some outdoor cultivation does occur. According to DEA Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program data, in 2001 law enforcement officials in Rhode Island seized 2 indoor cannabis cultivation operations totaling 124 plants and 2 outdoor cannabis plots containing 32 plants. In November 2001 a Massachusetts man pled guilty to producing nearly 9,300 cannabis plants at a Providence industrial building in 2000.

College Students Arrested for Cultivating Cannabis

In February 2002 Providence law enforcement officials arrested four college students and another individual for producing and distributing hydroponically grown marijuana. (See text box.) Law enforcement officials seized nearly 21 pounds of marijuana and over $57,000 in currency from the students. Two of the students attended college in Rhode Island, and two attended college in Connecticut.

Source: Providence Police Department.

Hydroponic Grow Operations

Some indoor cannabis cultivators use hydroponic methods to produce marijuana with higher levels of THC. In a hydroponic operation, cannabis is not grown in soil; instead, growers use an inert growing medium to support the plant and its root system. Some popular media include rock wool, vermiculite, perlite, and clay pellets. Hydroponic operations rely on more sophisticated equipment, such as cooling systems for temperature regulation, automated irrigation systems, and specialized lighting. Hydroponically grown marijuana usually sells for a much higher price than commercial-grade marijuana. Hydroponic grow operations have been identified in every state and in Puerto Rico.

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Transportation

Marijuana from foreign and domestic sources is transported into Rhode Island by various groups using a variety of methods. Mexican criminal groups are the primary transporters of marijuana into Rhode Island. These groups transport multikilogram shipments of marijuana from sources in Mexico and transportation hubs in California and southwestern states, primarily using commercial and private vehicles. Marijuana transported in commercial vehicles often is intermingled with legitimate cargo, and marijuana transported in private vehicles often is concealed in hidden compartments. Caucasian, Dominican, and Jamaican criminal groups as well as various local independent dealers also transport marijuana into Rhode Island.

Marijuana Transporter Arrested in Rhode Island

In August 2002 DEA agents and officers with the Warwick and Westerly Police Departments apprehended a Portuguese man and seized 4.7 pounds of marijuana, 79 Percocet tablets, and $1.3 million in currency at a motel in Warwick. The agents and officers searched the motel room after questioning the man's female companion about a suspicious vehicle. The man was apprehended as he attempted to flee in a taxi; he was carrying the drugs and currency in three suitcases. Until his arrest in August 2002, the man had been routinely transporting marijuana from Arizona to Rhode Island.

Source: DEA Providence Resident Office.

Marijuana occasionally is transported into Rhode Island via package delivery services and couriers on commercial aircraft. The Rhode Island District Attorney's Office reports that marijuana shipments transported via package delivery services typically range from 1 to 27 kilograms and usually are shipped from California or Texas. Couriers aboard commercial aircraft also transport marijuana into Rhode Island, typically concealed in luggage or strapped to their bodies. Law enforcement officials in Rhode Island reported seizures totaling 56 kilograms of marijuana from package delivery services and commercial airline passengers in Rhode Island as a part of Operation Jetway in 2001.

Dominican Criminal Groups Alter Transportation Methods After September 11

According to the DEA Providence Resident Office, since September 11, 2001, Dominican criminal groups have altered their methods of transportation when smuggling marijuana into Rhode Island. Prior to September 11, members of Dominican criminal groups would fly to southwestern states, purchase marijuana from Mexican suppliers, and then transport the drug back to Rhode Island concealed in luggage. Although some members of such groups continue to transport marijuana as couriers aboard commercial aircraft, they more frequently use package delivery services.

Source: DEA Providence Resident Office.

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Distribution

No specific group controls the distribution of marijuana in Rhode Island. Caucasian criminal groups as well as Dominican, Jamaican, Mexican and other Hispanic criminal groups and various local independent dealers distribute marijuana at the wholesale level in Rhode Island, typically in amounts ranging from 15 to 500 pounds. Law enforcement officials in Providence County indicate that most of the marijuana seized at the wholesale level in their jurisdiction is packaged as 20- to 35-pound bricks wrapped in cellophane and dryer sheets or other products used to mask the odor.

African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic criminal groups, local independent dealers, OMGs such as Hells Angels, and street gangs such as Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings, among others, distribute marijuana at the retail level in Rhode Island. Many of the groups or gangs also distribute other drugs including cocaine and heroin. Marijuana typically is distributed in bars, parking lots, private residences, and on college campuses.

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