Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in New Jersey. There were a significant number of marijuana-related treatment admissions in New Jersey from 1998 through 2000, and that number gradually increased during that period. According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, there were 5,508 primary admissions for marijuana abuse in New Jersey in 1998, 5,530 in 1999, and 5,714 in 2000. According to DAWN data, the number of ED mentions for marijuana abuse in Newark fluctuated annually from 1994 through 2000 and was significantly lower than the number of ED mentions for cocaine or heroin. (See Table 1 in Cocaine section.) Data from the 1999 NHSDA indicate that 17.4 percent of New Jersey residents aged 18 to 25 used marijuana in the month preceding the survey, a higher percentage than for any other age category.

Marijuana is the most frequently seized illicit drug in New Jersey. Of the 10,825 kilograms of illicit drugs seized by federal law enforcement officials in the state from 1999 through 2001, almost 60 percent of the total (6,397) involved marijuana. Nonetheless, the percentage of drug-related federal sentences related to marijuana in New Jersey was significantly lower than the national percentage each year from FY1996 through FY2000. (See Table 2 in Cocaine section.)

Marijuana, usually commercial-grade, typically is sold in small vials, tinfoil, or small plastic baggies in New Jersey, and prices are relatively stable. In northern New Jersey domestic marijuana sold for $600 to $2,000 per pound, $100 to $400 per ounce, and $5 to $10 per gram in the second quarter of FY2002, according to the DEA Newark Division. In southern New Jersey domestic marijuana sold for $800 to $3,000 per pound, $250 to $650 per ounce, and $10 per gram during that period. In the second quarter of FY2002, law enforcement officials in the southern part of the state reportedly seized a new type of marijuana referred to as hydro. Hydro is marijuana that has been saturated in undetermined liquids, possibly PCP, that reportedly increase its effects; hydro is not the same as marijuana that is produced using hydroponic methods. Hydro typically sells for $3,000 per pound and is produced locally and in Canada.

Cannabis is cultivated both indoors and outdoors throughout rural New Jersey, particularly in Atlantic, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Warren Counties. It also is cultivated indoors in metropolitan areas of the state. Cannabis plants often are hidden in farmers' fields by replacing corn plants with cannabis plants or by planting the cannabis between the rows of corn. Indoor grows often are located in private residences. According to the DEA Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, law enforcement officials eradicated 2,873 outdoor-cultivated plants in New Jersey in 1999 and 3,713 in 2000. Further, law enforcement officials eradicated 629 indoor-cultivated plants in 1999 and 1,171 in 2000.

Although Jamaica- and Mexico-based criminal groups are dominant marijuana transporters, no particular criminal group or independent dealer controls the transportation of marijuana into New Jersey. Most marijuana available in New Jersey, particularly in Newark, originates in Mexico and Jamaica. Marijuana produced in Mexico frequently is smuggled in multiton shipments inside tractor-trailers from California and southwestern states into New Jersey. Additional quantities of Mexico-produced marijuana, usually ranging from 7 to 30 pounds, are usually transported into New Jersey in mail parcels, on commercial airlines, and in private vehicles. Marijuana produced in Jamaica usually is smuggled into New Jersey in commercial maritime vessels and aircraft and through express mail services. Some marijuana produced in Jamaica is smuggled in maritime vessels to other U.S. states and then transported in private and commercial vehicles into New Jersey. In response to the 2001 NDIC National Drug Threat Survey, federal, state, and local law enforcement officials reported that criminal groups and local independent dealers in at least two states, New York and Pennsylvania, transport marijuana into New Jersey.

Although Jamaica- and Mexico-based criminal groups are dominant marijuana distributors, no single criminal group or independent dealer controls the wholesale or retail distribution of marijuana in New Jersey. Marijuana typically is sold in the same venues where cocaine is available.

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