Marijuana 

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused drug in Vermont. However, marijuana constitutes a lower threat than heroin and cocaine because distribution and abuse of marijuana are not commonly associated with violent crime. Vermont consistently had more treatment admissions for marijuana abuse than for any other drug every year from FY1997 through FY2000 with admissions increasing 45 percent during this 4-year period. Marijuana use among high school students is decreasing after a period of increasing use beginning in 1991 and peaking in 1997. Most of the marijuana available in the state is produced in Mexico; marijuana produced locally or in Canada also is available. Wholesale distribution of marijuana in Vermont is extremely limited. Loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups and local independent Caucasian dealers are the dominant retail distributors of marijuana. These groups typically purchase marijuana from Caucasian criminal groups in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.

Abuse

Marijuana is the most widely abused drug in Vermont. Vermont treatment providers consistently record more admissions for marijuana abuse than for any other drug. The abuse of marijuana is not considered as serious a problem as abuse of heroin or cocaine because its effects are less debilitating and its use does not commonly lead to violence.

Survey data indicate that marijuana is commonly abused in Vermont. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, approximately 21.4 percent of individuals aged 18 to 25 surveyed in Vermont reported that they had abused marijuana at least once in the past month, the sixth highest rate in the nation. According to the 1998 Vermont Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, 34 percent of Vermont college students surveyed--compared with 19 percent nationwide--reported that they had abused marijuana at least once in the past month.

Many indicators detail the extent of the marijuana abuse problem in the state. Vermont treatment providers recorded 843 treatment admissions for marijuana in FY1997, 1,057 in FY1998, 1,193 in FY1999, and 1,223 in FY2000, a 45 percent increase during this 4-year period. High school students in Vermont commonly report abuse of marijuana by themselves or someone they know, but marijuana use is decreasing among high school students after peaking in 1997. According to the Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the percentage of eighth graders surveyed who reported having abused marijuana within the past 30 days increased from 4 percent in 1991 to 19 percent in 1997 but then decreased to 17 percent in 1999 and to 10 percent in 2001. The percentage of twelfth graders surveyed who reported having abused marijuana within the past 30 days increased from 19 percent in 1991 to 39 percent in 1997 and 1999 but then decreased to 36 percent in 2001. Sixty percent of twelfth graders surveyed in 2001 reported having abused marijuana at least once in their lifetime, a decrease from 63 percent in 1999. According to the survey, 42 percent of high school students surveyed in Vermont reported having abused marijuana at least once in their lifetime, 26 percent reported having smoked the drug within the past 30 days, and 8 percent reported having smoked the drug on school property, decreasing from 47 percent, 30 percent, and 9 percent recorded in the 1999 survey.

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Availability

Marijuana is readily available throughout Vermont. The number of individuals arrested by state and local law enforcement officials for possession or sale/delivery of marijuana increased from 1,544 in 1999 to 1,658 in 2000. Most of the marijuana available in Vermont is produced in Mexico, but locally produced marijuana also is available. Marijuana produced in Canada from hydroponically cultivated cannabis and field-grown cannabis is becoming increasingly available. In 2001 local police in Brattleboro and Newport report marijuana sells for $180 to $200 per ounce, and local police in Burlington report a price of $250 per ounce.

High school students in Vermont seem to believe that marijuana is almost as easy to obtain as tobacco. In the 2001 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 58 percent of the youths surveyed reported that marijuana is "easy" or "very easy" to obtain, while 66 percent stated that tobacco cigarettes are "easy" or "very easy" to obtain.

Violence

Federal and state law enforcement officials report that violent crime is not typically associated with marijuana distribution or abuse in Vermont. Most marijuana abusers experience physical relaxation and typically do not commit violent crimes while under the influence of the drug. Although reports from other New England states indicate that some growers set traps to protect their crops, there are no such reports in Vermont.

Production

Most of the marijuana available in Vermont is produced in Mexico; marijuana produced locally or in Canada also is available. The DEA Burlington Resident Office reports that in the past 3 years marijuana produced in Canada has become increasingly available. Some cannabis is also grown locally both outdoors and indoors. From 1987 through 1997 law enforcement officers in Vermont seized 61,937 cultivated cannabis plants. More cannabis plants (10,529) were seized in 1994 than any other year during that period. Law enforcement officials report that growers are now reducing the size of individual cannabis plots and are increasingly cultivating cannabis indoors in an attempt to reduce aerial detection.

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Transportation

Most of the marijuana available in Vermont is transported from Mexico via the Southwest Border. The majority of this marijuana is first transported in small and medium-size packages to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York by commercial aircraft, land vehicles, and delivery services. There it is repackaged and then transported to Vermont. To a much lesser extent, marijuana is transported directly into Vermont from the Southwest Border in private and rented automobiles, campers, commercial aircraft, and tractor-trailers and by package delivery and mail services.

The transportation of marijuana from Canada to Vermont reportedly is increasing. The DEA Burlington Resident Office reports that some marijuana from Canada is transported into Vermont across the New York-Canada border through Indian reservation land. Some is transported directly across the border, first by van and automobile to border areas in Canada. Then it is backpacked through the woods into Vermont and the empty vehicles are driven across the border. The marijuana is picked up and transportation is resumed by van and automobile to destinations in Vermont and other New England states. Occasionally marijuana is transported through ports of entry along the Vermont-Canada border. In January 2000 an Island Pond resident was sentenced to 30 years in prison for transporting tons of marijuana from Canada into Vermont through ports of entry using automobiles and tractor-trailers.

Distribution

Wholesale distribution of marijuana in Vermont is extremely rare but sometimes occurs. For example, in 1999 the Vermont Drug Task Force and the U.S. Customs Service investigated all eight members of a Vermont-based criminal group that distributed multiton quantities of marijuana in Vermont and other New England locations. The marijuana had been purchased in the southwestern states. Loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups and local independent Caucasian dealers are the dominant retail distributors of marijuana in the state. Members of these groups typically purchase marijuana from Caucasian criminal groups in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York either transporting it themselves or arranging for shipments to be sent to Vermont. Loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups and local independent Caucasian dealers also distribute retail quantities of marijuana, which they purchase from local growers.

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