Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in Minnesota. According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, in 1999, 5.3 percent of Minnesota residents reported having abused marijuana in the month prior to the survey compared with 4.7 percent nationwide. TEDS data report that marijuana-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities increased from 4,077 in 1994 to 8,050 in 2000. (See Table 1 in Cocaine section.) The number of marijuana-related admissions per 100,000 population in Minnesota (193) vastly exceeded the number per 100,000 nationwide (103). According to DAWN, marijuana-related ED mentions in Minneapolis increased from 490 in 1998 to 803 in 2000.

Marijuana is widely available throughout the state. Marijuana produced in Mexico is most prevalent; however, locally produced marijuana also is available. According to DEA, in the first quarter of FY2002, marijuana sold for $5 to $10 per gram, $100 to $300 per ounce, and $600 to $800 per pound.

In Minnesota marijuana is produced by local Caucasian independent producers and OMGs in indoor and outdoor cultivation operations. The distribution and abuse of marijuana are rarely associated with violent crime; however, growers and distributors are known to protect themselves and their crops with firearms, explosives, and booby traps, increasing the threat to law enforcement and the public.

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary transporters of marijuana into the state. According to the Minneapolis Police Department, bulk marijuana shipments are smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico Border to southwestern states such as Arizona and Texas and then divided into smaller loads of up to 500 pounds. The smaller loads are then transported to Minnesota by private vehicle. Marijuana is also transported into the state via package delivery services, as evidenced by recent seizures. Marijuana also is transported into the state from Canada, although there have been no major recent seizures.

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups generally supply wholesale amounts of marijuana to street gangs and local independent dealers for retail distribution. Locally produced marijuana usually is not produced in quantities large enough to support wholesale distribution. Local growers generally control the retail distribution of the marijuana they produce. At the retail level, marijuana typically is sold at open-air markets, public housing projects, and private residences.

To Top      To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page

To Publications Page     To Home Page