NCJ Number
83554
Journal
Police Magazine Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1982) Pages: 44-47,49-52
Date Published
1982
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Efforts by California law enforcement officials to combat the increasing problem of marijuana cultivation in the State are described.
Abstract
Marijuana may now be California's leading cash crop, worth as much as $4 billion annually. Domestic cultivation of the plant has increased sharply since the introduction into the United States of a type of marijuana called 'sinsemilla,' which has buds containing higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol than does the more common marijuana plant. The domestic crop now represents about 20 percent of the marijuana consumed in the United States. Strategies used by law enforcement agencies include aerial reconnaissance, specialized seminars, and multiagency raids. The State has purchased chain saws and four-wheel-drive vehicles to use on raids. Seizures in 1981 amounted to 109 tons. Law enforcement officials believe that most of the large marijuana plantations have been eradicated, although sinsemilla continues to be grown in huge quantities in California. The 1982 seizure of the Lost Dutchman Garden in Monterey County resulted in the elimination of over 9,000 plants covering a mountainside 12 miles south of Carmel. Growers have responded to these efforts by moving to other areas, using camouflage netting or other forms of camouflage, installing burglary alarm systems, or using armed patrols and guard dogs. A discussion of law enforcement efforts in other States is provided.