Overview

National Drug Intelligence Center
Domestic Cannabis Cultivation Assessment 2007
February 2007
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Following September 11 and the resultant increased border security, law enforcement reporting indicates that DTOs--primarily Mexican but also Canada-based Asian DTOs (see Table 1)--had moved many of their cannabis cultivation operations into the United States in an attempt to reduce the risk of marijuana seizure during cross-border transport. Since then, however, DTOs have recognized additional benefits of domestic cannabis cultivation, such as direct access to local drug markets, which enable them to be more responsive to market demands, and higher profit margins for domestically grown marijuana. These factors have contributed to a continued increase in domestic cannabis cultivation, an assertion seemingly supported by an overall increase in detection and eradication of outdoor cannabis during that time period (see Table 2). Recent increases in domestic cannabis cultivation have been accompanied by improved cultivation techniques that produce higher potency marijuana, a practice that, if more widely used by DTOs, could significantly increase the prevalence of higher potency marijuana in the United States.

Table 1. Primary Cultivators in Leading Cannabis-Growing Areas

Region	State	Outdoor	Indoor
Appalachian Region	Kentucky	Caucasian DTOs, criminal groups, and independent growers	Caucasian independent growers
	Tennessee	Caucasian DTOs, criminal groups, and independent growers	Caucasian independent growers
	West Virginia	Caucasian DTOs, criminal groups, and independent growers	Caucasian independent growers
Western Region	California	Mexican DTOs and criminal groups	Asian and Caucasian DTOs and criminal groups
	Hawaii	Polynesian DTOs, Asian and Caucasian criminal groups	Asian and Caucasian groups
	Oregon	Mexican DTOs and criminal groups	Asian and Caucasian DTOs and criminal groups
	Washington	Mexican DTOs and criminal groups	Asian and Caucasian DTOs and criminal groups
Other Areas of Interest	Alabama	Caucasian criminal groups and independent growers	NA*
	Arizona	Mexican DTOs and criminal groups	NA
	Florida	NA	Caucasian and Cuban DTOs and criminal groups
	Georgia	Caucasian criminal groups and independent growers	NA
	North Carolina	Caucasian DTOs, criminal groups, and independent growers	NA

*NA--not applicable

Table 2. Domestic Cannabis Eradication, Outdoor and Indoor Plant Seizures, 2000-2006

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Outdoor	2,597,798	3,068,632	3,128,800	3,427,923	2,996,225	3,938,151	4,083,433
Indoor	217,105	236,128	213,040	223,183	203,896	270,935	403,322
Total	2,814,903	3,304,760	3,341,840	3,651,106	3,200,121	4,209,086	4,486,755

Source: Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program.

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