Marijuana

Marijuana remains the most frequently abused drug in New Hampshire, in part, because the abuse of marijuana carries no stigma in many communities. In fact, abuse is common, even among elementary school age youth. Marijuana is also the most readily available illegal drug in the state. Indoor and outdoor cultivation are prevalent. In addition, Mexican DTOs transport marijuana into New Hampshire from Mexico by using express mail services and private vehicles. These organizations also are expanding their wholesale distribution networks into New Hampshire. Loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups typically distribute Mexican marijuana at the retail level. Marijuana produced within New Hampshire is generally produced and distributed by users who sell the drug to friends and associates.

Abuse

Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug in New Hampshire. Law enforcement reports that an increasing number of elementary school students abuse marijuana. Marijuana is the illegal substance most frequently abused by high school students in the state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Marijuana and hashish ranked first in admissions for publicly funded treatment as the principal substance of abuse in 1997 and in 1998, according to TEDS data.

Availability

Marijuana, produced either in New Hampshire or transported from Mexico, is widely available throughout the state. In fact, the New Hampshire Drug Task Force seized 287 kilograms of marijuana in 1999, making marijuana the most commonly seized drug by the Task Force. In 1999, the Manchester and Nashua Police Departments reported that marijuana sold for $1,000 to $1,500 per pound, representing little or no change from the price the drug commanded in 1998. In these jurisdictions, the average seizure was a half pound.

Table 2. Marijuana Prices, New Hampshire, 1999

Source: DEA, State Threat Assessment-New Hampshire, October 1999.

Marijuana is produced primarily in the northern part of New Hampshire and is available throughout the state. In 1999, the Marijuana Eradication Program, initiated by the New Hampshire State Police earlier in the same year, seized 1,295 cannabis plants in 50 different locations, including 14 indoor seizures involving 382 plants and 1 notable outdoor seizure, which yielded 280 plants. A "grow" seized in Enfield, New Hampshire, in 1998, showed a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) level in excess of 22 percent, a new record for the state. Members of the Narcotic Investigation Unit of the New Hampshire State Police seized a small amount of marijuana, various packing materials, a scale, and $1,490 from a daycare facility in Middleton, New Hampshire.

Marijuana produced in Mexico and, to a much lesser extent, Colombia and Thailand is also available in the state. In 1999, the New Hampshire State Police, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, investigated two Jamaican nationals from Boston who were operating a distribution network which transported marijuana from Arizona to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Authorities seized 35 pounds of marijuana--15 pounds from an apartment in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, and 20 pounds from an apartment in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Violence

Marijuana abuse normally is not associated with violent behavior. Although the psychological effects of marijuana are dependent on the mood of the user, most individuals experience physical relaxation and sedation. Violence associated with cannabis cultivation in New Hampshire is limited; however, growers often arm themselves or set traps in order to prevent the discovery of their plants. There have been no reports of violence associated with marijuana distribution.

Production

Marijuana users and independent dealers, who are typically not affiliated with organized criminal groups, cultivate marijuana indoors and outdoors in New Hampshire. Respondents to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2000 reported both indoor and outdoor grows in Nashua, but only indoor grows in Manchester. Outdoor production of marijuana within New Hampshire occurs in the rural areas in the northern two-thirds of the state. Law enforcement reports that, to avoid detection, outdoor growers have reduced the size of their plots and increased the variety of their concealment efforts.

The marijuana produced outside of the state that is available in New Hampshire is typically produced in and transported from Mexico.

Transportation

While much of the marijuana consumed in New Hampshire is produced within the state, Mexican DTOs based in California and the Southwest Border area are responsible for most of the marijuana that is transported into New Hampshire from other areas. These DTOs predominantly use express mail services to ship marijuana from California and Arizona into the state through the Manchester Municipal Airport. In fact, investigations conducted by the DEA have confirmed that marijuana and currency have been smuggled through the Manchester Municipal Airport. In controlled deliveries, the DEA has intercepted multiple 20- to 50-pound packages of Mexican marijuana--mailed from Tucson, Arizona, and San Diego, California. In addition, the DEA in Arizona and California have intercepted private mail parcels arriving from New Hampshire that contained currency believed to be marijuana proceeds.

In 1999, the New Hampshire State Police, in conjunction with U.S. Postal Service inspectors, the Tempe Arizona Police Department, and the DEA Boston Field Division investigated the shipment of marijuana from Arizona into southern New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley. During this investigation, several packages containing marijuana were intercepted prior to reaching their destinations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Also, although to a lesser extent, marijuana is transported into New Hampshire by loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers who make weekly or monthly trips to the southwestern United States, specifically Arizona, and to California to obtain Mexican marijuana. They transport the marijuana to New Hampshire in 200- to 300-pound quantities using private vehicles, trucks, and recreational vehicles. These criminal groups may also obtain Mexican marijuana from middlemen in Massachusetts and New York and then may transport the drug into New Hampshire.

Finally, marijuana may also be smuggled across New Hampshire's 41-mile border with Canada. Currently, it appears that moderate amounts of marijuana are being smuggled into the United States at the Northern Border. It is likely that this trend will continue and possibly increase because compared to U.S. penalties, the punishment for cultivation of cannabis in Canada is minimal. Moreover, possession and distribution of low THC marijuana seed is legal in Canada. Canadian marijuana seed distribution companies exploit this law to illegally import high quality seeds from Amsterdam and sell it to Canadian and U.S. citizens. Large scale operations sell marijuana seed internationally through the Internet.

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Distribution

The distribution of marijuana that is produced within New Hampshire typically is limited to transactions between the individuals who produce the drug and their friends and associates.

Mexican DTOs generally control the wholesale distribution of the Mexican marijuana that is transported into New Hampshire. While these organizations have traditionally operated from outside the state, recent intelligence reports indicate that Mexican sources of supply in the Southwest have established a rudimentary wholesale distribution network in New Hampshire. Generally, these Mexican DTOs simply travel to New Hampshire to collect money and to supervise the distribution of the marijuana. However, information accumulated from DEA investigations shows that some members of large-scale Mexican DTOs have moved from Southwest Border states to rural New Hampshire to facilitate and control the distribution of marijuana in the area.

Currently, loosely organized Caucasian criminal groups and local independent dealers control the retail distribution of marijuana in New Hampshire. These groups obtain Mexican marijuana by traveling to the southwestern United States or, increasingly, by receiving packages from Mexican DTOs. In 1999, the New Hampshire State Police conducted an investigation into a large-scale, marijuana distribution ring operating in the Nashua area. Drugs, drug paraphernalia, and more than $200,000 in cash were seized. Five arrests were made, and 10 more suspects associated with the distribution ring were indicted by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.

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