ONDCP Excel Eighty-First Row

Action Item Number:

5.3.D

Action Item Name:

Stop Indoor Marijuana Production

Action Item Description:

Marijuana trafficking is prevalent across the Nation, with both domestic and foreign sources of supply. California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia are considered the top seven (M7) states for marijuana cultivation.

In 2007 and 2008, cannabis plant eradication increased 34 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Due to this success, many cultivators have been forced to abandon large, outdoor cannabis plots in favor of smaller, better concealed gardens and indoor cultivation. The use of indoor grow operations and other technological advances have enabled traffickers to increase the potency of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis plants. In 2008, DEA and partner agencies seized in excess of 4,100 indoor grow operations. The leading states for indoor cannabis cultivation in 2008, by number of plants eradicated, were California (182,602 plants), Florida (78,489 plants) and Washington (41,497 plants). DEA, in coordination with State, and local agencies, must aggressively deploy resources as efficiently as possible in close partnership with State agencies to eradicate the marijuana and dismantle organizations that produce it.

Lead Agency:

DOJ

Component(s):

DEA