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Drug Availability in the United States

Marijuana Availability

Marijuana is widely available, in part as a result of rising production in Mexico. The amount of marijuana produced in Mexico has increased an estimated 59 percent overall since 2003 (see Figure 14). Contributing to the increased production in Mexico is a decrease in cannabis eradication (see text box), which has resulted in significantly more marijuana being smuggled into the United States from Mexico, as evidenced by a sharp rise in border seizures (see Figure 15).

Figure 14. Potential Marijuana Production in Mexico, in Metric Tons, 2003-2008

Chart showing estimated potential marijuana production in Mexico, in metric tons, from 2003 to 2008.
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Source: U.S. Government estimate.

Cannabis Eradication in Mexico is Decreasing

Despite rising marijuana cultivation and production in Mexico, the amount of cannabis eradicated decreased by 48 percent from 2006 (30,162 hectares) to 2008 (15,756 hectares); eradication in 2009 is expected to be low as well. The reduction is the result of the Mexican military's focus on antiviolence measures rather than illicit crop cultivation.

Figure 15. Southwest Border Area Marijuana Seizures, in Kilograms, 2005-2009*

Chart showing annual totals for marijuana seized along the Southwest Border, in kilograms, from 2005 to 2009.
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Source: National Seizure System.
*Data as of December 1, 2009.

Mexican DTOs have expanded their cultivation operations into the United States, an ongoing trend for the past decade. Nonetheless, cultivation operations in some areas of the country have been hindered by intensified eradication efforts. In addition, law enforcement pressure may be limiting the amount produced domestically by some DTOs, resulting in heightened smuggling from Mexico.

The amount of marijuana produced domestically is unknown.16 However, eradication data and law enforcement reporting indicate that the amount of marijuana produced in the United States appears to be very high, based in part on the continual increases in the number of plants eradicated nationally (see Table 4). In fact, eradication of plants from both indoor and outdoor sites has more than doubled since 2004. Well-organized criminal groups and DTOs that produce domestic marijuana do so because of the high profitability of and demand for marijuana in the United States. These groups have realized the benefits of producing large quantities of marijuana in the United States, including having direct access to a large customer base, avoiding the risk of detection and seizure during transportation across the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders, and increasing profits by reducing transportation costs.

Table 4. Number of Plants Eradicated From Indoor and Outdoor Sites in the United States, 2004-2008

  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Indoor 203,896 270,935 400,892 434,728 450,986
Outdoor 2,996,225 3,938,151 4,830,766 6,599,599 7,562,322
Total 3,200,121 4,209,086 5,231,658 7,034,327 8,013,308

Source: Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP).
Note: DEA methodology for collecting DCE/SP data changed in 2007. Since 2007, public lands data have been included in the number of outdoor plants eradicated and therefore should not be compared with previous years' data.

Marijuana is produced in the United States by various DTOs and criminal groups, including Caucasian, Asian, and Mexican groups, but Caucasian independents and criminal groups are well established in every region of the country and very likely produce the most marijuana domestically overall.17 Mexican, Asian, and Cuban criminal groups and DTOs, in particular, pose an increasing threat in regard to domestic cultivation, since their cultivation activities often involve illegal immigrants and large-scale growing operations ranging from 100 to more than 1,000 plants per site. In addition, these groups appear to be expanding and shifting operations within the United States (see text box).

Criminal Groups and DTOs Expanding Domestic Cannabis Cultivation Operations at Both Indoor and Outdoor Sites

Mexican traffickers are expanding and shifting outdoor cultivation operations eastward across the United States into areas that they believe are less subject to law enforcement scrutiny. These Mexican DTOs have established cultivation operations in areas outside their traditional strongholds of California, Washington, and Oregon. Since 1999, law enforcement reporting has noted this eastward shift and expansion from these western states to Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee and, most recently, Wisconsin and Michigan. These groups appear to be moving to these areas in response to improved outdoor grow site detection capabilities and heightened eradication efforts.

Asian traffickers are operating an increasing number of indoor grow sites. Some U.S.-based and Canada-based Asian groups (primarily ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese) engage in large-scale indoor cultivation, operating multithousand plant sites, predominantly in the Pacific Northwest and throughout much of California. Within the past decade, these tight-knit and often family-oriented groups have expanded their network throughout the country to numerous states, including Texas and several New England states, to avoid law enforcement detection and to gain better access to drug markets.

Cuban traffickers are the primary operators of indoor marijuana grow sites in the Southeast Region. Cuban-operated indoor sites are of a smaller scale than Asian-operated grows. Cannabis cultivation sites operated by Cuban traffickers are most prevalent in southern Florida, but such activity has expanded northward into northern Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina to move operations closer to potential drug markets. Cuban immigrants are often exploited by DTOs and criminal groups to cultivate high-potency cannabis at these indoor sites, and the problem appears to be growing. Law enforcement reporting and eradication data indicate an increase in the seizure of indoor cannabis grow operations that cultivate high-potency marijuana, and the number of indoor grow sites seized in Florida rose each year between 2004 (246 sites) and 2008 (1,022 sites). (See Table 6.)

Table 6. Number of Indoor Grow Sites and Plants Eradicated in Florida, 2004-2008

  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Grow Sites 246 384 480 944 1,022
Plants 21,879 45,217 36,172 74,698 78,489

Source: Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program.

Significant quantities of cannabis are cultivated on public lands, particularly by Mexican DTOs and criminal groups, as evidenced by high and increasing eradication figures. Over the past 5 years, more than 11 million marijuana plants (see Table 5) have been eradicated from federal public lands--the majority were eradicated from public lands in western states. In addition, the number of plants eradicated from these lands increased more than 300 percent from 1,013,088 plants in 2004 to 4,043,231 plants in 2008. Public lands are often used for cannabis cultivation because DTOs benefit from the remote locations that seemingly limit the chance of detection and allow them to maintain such activities without ownership of any land that can be seized by law enforcement or traced back to a participating member. The increased prevalence of these grow sites on publicly accessible lands has resulted in numerous armed confrontations with hikers, hunters, and passersby unwittingly entering active cultivation sites.

Table 5. Number of Plants Eradicated From Federal Lands, 2004-2008*

  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Forest Service 718,447 992,264 1,245,324 2,176,952 3,079,923*
U.S. Department of the Interior 294,641 263,005 590,352 715,071 963,308*

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; U.S. Department of the Interior.
*Forest Service data as of February 12, 2009; U.S. Department of the Interior data as of January 21, 2009.

More growers are establishing indoor grow sites to produce better marijuana and avoid outdoor detection and eradication.

Indoor cannabis cultivation that allows for increased security and potentially higher-quality marijuana has become more popular--particularly with Caucasian independents and criminal groups--with the proliferation of coordinated outdoor eradication efforts nationwide (see Table 4 and Table 5). Law enforcement attributes the increased interest in cultivating indoors partially to the heightened levels of outdoor eradication. However, some groups--particularly Asian groups--have established large-scale operations in, or shifted operations to, the United States to avoid seizure of the shipments at the Canadian border and to attain better access to drug markets. In addition to the increased sense of security that indoor sites provide, cultivators benefit from year-round production and controlled environmental conditions such as lighting and nutrients. Controlling these factors allows for increased growth and maturation times, as well as potentially higher-quality marijuana that can command a much higher price.


Footnotes

16. No reliable estimates are available regarding the amount of domestically cultivated or processed marijuana. The amount of marijuana available in the United States--including marijuana produced both domestically and internationally--is unknown. Moreover, estimates as to the extent of domestic cannabis cultivation are not feasible because of significant variability in or nonexistence of data regarding the number of cannabis plants not eradicated during eradication seasons, cannabis eradication effectiveness, and plant-yield estimates.
17. No estimates are available regarding the amount of marijuana produced by Asian, Caucasian, Mexican, and Cuban traffickers in the United States; currently, no national-level eradication statistics are compiled or recorded by the producing group. The lack of such estimates precludes a precise determination of the extent to which each group is involved in marijuana production within the United States.


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