ARCHIVED Graphic Version PDF Version To Publications Page To Home Page
Title:
Domestic Cannabis Cultivation Assessment 2007
Publication Date: February 26, 2007
Document ID: 2007-L0848-001
Archived on: July 1, 2009. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.
This assessment provides a strategic overview of cannabis cultivation and marijuana production in the United States. It addresses major trends in domestic cannabis cultivation, both indoor and outdoor, with a focus on cannabis cultivation operations in primary areas of production at the state and county level.
Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time. Addresses are provided at the end of the page.
Contents
Primary Cannabis Cultivation Areas
Cannabis Cultivation Trends
Outdoor Cultivation
Indoor CultivationViolence, Countersurveillance, and Camouflage
Associated Environmental Damage
Appendix A. Primary Cannabis Cultivation Regions
Western Region
California
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation Areas
Hawaii
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation Areas
Oregon
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation Areas
Washington
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation Areas
Appalachian Region
Kentucky
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Indoor Cultivation Areas
Tennessee
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation Areas
West Virginia
Outdoor Planting and Harvesting
Primary Outdoor Cultivation Areas
Primary Indoor Cultivation AreasList of Figures
Figure 1. Crop harvested prior to eradication efforts in Napa County, California, September 2006.
Figure 2. Hazardous electrical diversion in an Elk Grove, California, indoor cannabis grow site.
Figure 3. Punji stick boards seized from cannabis cultivation operations in Kentucky, 2006.
Figure 4. Toxic insecticide bottle found at a cannabis cultivation operation in California, 2006.
Figure 5. Reservoir used in a cannabis cultivation operation in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in 2006.List of Tables
Table 1. Primary Cultivators in Leading Cannabis-Growing Areas
Table 2. Domestic Cannabis Eradication, Outdoor and Indoor Plant Seizures, 2000-2006
Table 3. Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated in Primary Outdoor Production States, 2005-2006
Table 4. Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated in Primary Indoor Production States, 2005-2006
Table 5. Total Cannabis Plants Eradicated in Primary Production States, 2005-2006
Table 6. Top 10 National Forests for Eradication of Cannabis Plants on National Forest System Lands, 2006
Table 7. Number of Cannabis Plants Eradicated in Florida at Indoor and Outdoor Grow Sites, 2001-2006
Table 8. Estimated Number of Cannabis Plants Not Eradicated, 2006List of Tables in Appendix A
Table 9. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in California, 2006
Table 10. Number of Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in California, 2006
Table 11. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Oregon, 2006
Table 12. Number of Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Oregon, 2006
Table 13. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Washington, 2006
Table 14. Number of Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Washington, 2006
Table 15. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Kentucky, 2006
Table 16. Number of Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Kentucky, 2006
Table 17. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in Tennessee, 2006
Table 18. Number of Outdoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 10 Counties in West Virginia, 2006
Table 19. Number of Indoor Cannabis Plants Eradicated, Top 5 Counties in West Virginia, 2006List of Maps in Appendix B
Map 1. Cannabis Eradication by State, Outdoor Plants Seized, 2006
Map 2. Cannabis Eradication by State, Indoor Plants Seized, 2006.
Map 3. Cannabis Eradication by State, 2006.
Map 4. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Arizona, by County, 2006.
Map 5. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Arizona, by County, 2005.
Map 6. Domestic Cannabis Eradication, by State and National Forest, 2006.
Map 7. Indoor Plants Seized in Florida, by County, 2006.
Map 8. Outdoor Plants Seized in California, by County, 2006.
Map 9. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in California, by County, 2006.
Map 10. Outdoor Plants Seized in California, by County, 2005.
Map 11. Indoor Plants Seized in California, by County, 2006.
Map 12. Indoor Plants Seized in California, by County, 2005.
Map 13. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Hawaii, by County, 2006.
Map 14. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Hawaii, by County, 2005.
Map 15. Indoor Plants Seized in Hawaii, by County, 2006.
Map 16. Indoor Plants Seized in Hawaii, by County, 2005.
Map 17. Outdoor Plants Seized in Oregon, by County, 2006.
Map 18. Outdoor Plants Seized in Oregon, by County, 2005.
Map 19. Indoor Plants Seized in Oregon, by County, 2006.
Map 20. Indoor Plants Seized in Oregon, by County, 2005.
Map 21. Outdoor Plants Seized in Washington, by County, 2006.
Map 22. Outdoor Plants Seized in Washington, by County, 2005.
Map 23. Indoor Plants Seized in Washington, by County, 2006.
Map 24. Indoor Plants Seized in Washington, by County, 2005.
Map 25. Outdoor Plants Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2006.
Map 26. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2006.
Map 27. Outdoor Plants Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2005.
Map 28. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2005.
Map 29. Indoor Plants Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2006.
Map 30. Indoor Plants Seized in Kentucky, by County, 2005.
Map 31. Outdoor Plants Seized in Tennessee, by County, 2006.
Map 32. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Tennessee, by County, 2006.
Map 33. Outdoor Plants Seized in Tennessee, by County, 2005.
Map 34. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in Tennessee, by County, 2005.
Map 35. Indoor Plants Seized in Tennessee, by County, 2005.
Map 36. Outdoor Plants Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2006.
Map 37. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2006.
Map 38. Outdoor Plants Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2005.
Map 39. Outdoor Plants and Sites Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2005.
Map 40. Indoor Plants Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2006.
Map 41. Indoor Plants Seized in West Virginia, by County, 2005.
Purpose
The Domestic Cannabis Cultivation Assessment 2007 is a national-level strategic assessment of cannabis cultivation and marijuana production in the United States. This assessment addresses major trends in domestic cannabis cultivation, both indoor and outdoor, with a focus on cannabis cultivation operations in primary areas of production at the state and county levels. This assessment addresses wide-ranging issues regarding cultivation operations, including planting and harvesting seasons; use or presence of weapons, booby traps, and counter-surveillance; resultant environmental damage; and the operational trends of drug trafficking organizations and other criminal groups. This assessment draws upon reporting and data provided by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the National Marijuana Initiative (see text box), and numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
National Marijuana Initiative
The National Marijuana Initiative (NMI), funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), was established in 2001 to coordinate federal, state, and local agencies in areas that produce the largest amounts of marijuana in order to significantly reduce cannabis cultivation. The Initiative is specifically intended to foster partnerships among agencies in states where DTO operations impact federal lands. The NMI is designed to assist in the investigations of DTOs operating in the seven primary cannabis cultivation and marijuana production states (often referred to as the M7 states): California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia. The NMI supports law enforcement efforts in identifying the infrastructure of marijuana DTOs through expanded investigations and collection of intelligence in an attempt to disrupt and eventually dismantle the organizations.
Key Judgments
Domestic cannabis cultivation has increased sharply since 2000 as more drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) relocate cannabis cultivation operations from Mexico and Canada to the United States. These DTOs are relocating to reduce the risk of marijuana seizure or loss during cross-border transport, gain direct access to local drug markets, and achieve higher profit margins for domestically produced marijuana, particularly higher-grade marijuana.
Domestic outdoor cannabis cultivation by Mexican DTOs is most prevalent in remote and isolated areas of U.S. public and private lands, primarily in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Mexican DTOs are expanding cannabis cultivation operations eastward, including into some areas east of the Mississippi River, such as North Carolina and Tennessee, in order to increase their role in domestic marijuana distribution and to be closer to eastern drug markets.
Many Mexican criminal groups that have established grow sites in new areas of the country maintain direct contact and affiliation with larger DTOs in California and Mexico and maintain a level of coordination among operating areas, moving labor and materials to the various sites--even across the country--as needed.
Indoor domestic cannabis cultivation is increasing as criminal groups attempt to avoid intensified outdoor eradication, reduce their risk of detection, and produce higher potency marijuana to increase their profits.
Caucasian criminal groups are the predominant indoor producers of marijuana in the country; they are particularly active in the Appalachian Region.
Domestic cannabis cultivation by Asian DTOs at indoor locations is increasing, a particular concern because many are well-organized, Canada-based groups that produce and distribute high potency marijuana.
Violent incidents by outdoor cannabis growers against law enforcement and the presence of weapons at outdoor grow sites are increasing, most likely because of increased law enforcement pressure and eradication.
Rising law enforcement pressure--although clearly a concern to cultivators as evidenced by increasing violence and weapons--has not yet stemmed the increase in domestic cannabis cultivation, either outdoors or indoors. Rather, DTOs are simply adapting their methods (relocating to new areas, changing their growing cycles, and growing higher potency plants both indoors and outdoors) in order to continue operating in the United States while maintaining their profits.
Addresses
National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901-1622Tel. (814) 532-4601
FAX (814) 532-4690
Email NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.govNational Drug Intelligence Center
United States Department of Justice
Robert F. Kennedy Building (Room 1335)
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530Tel. (202) 432-4040
FAX (202) 514-4252
Web Addresses
ADNET: http://ndicosa
DOJ: http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/ndic/
LEO: home.leo.gov/lesig/archive/ndic/
RISS: ndic.riss.net
To Top To Contents To Next Page
To Publications Page To Home Page
End of page.