Production

Illicit drug production in the Michigan HIDTA region is typically limited to crack cocaine conversion, small-scale methamphetamine production, and cannabis cultivation.

Crack cocaine conversion is a significant concern, particularly in the urban areas of the HIDTA region, where it is associated with high levels of abuse, property crime, and related violence. Retail-level crack cocaine distributors, generally African Americans, convert powder cocaine to crack at various locations, including private residences and hotel rooms. Once powder cocaine has been converted to crack cocaine, distribution occurs, typically in small quantities in the neighborhoods where the drug was converted.

Methamphetamine production occurs primarily in rural areas of the HIDTA region; however, some laboratory operators also use hotel rooms in more populated areas, such as Kalamazoo. Law enforcement initiatives and state-level precursor control legislation enacted in December 2005 contributed to a 44 percent decrease in methamphetamine laboratory incidents in HIDTA counties from 2005 to 2006. (See Figure 3.) Remaining methamphetamine laboratories are operated primarily by Caucasian and, to a lesser extent, Mexican local independent producers for personal use, producing only a few grams of methamphetamine per production cycle. Producers frequently change laboratory locations, a practice that is problematic for law enforcement, especially when methamphetamine cooks cross county lines. Methamphetamine production poses significant danger to individuals, property, and the environment. Laboratory operators and other individuals near methamphetamine laboratory sites, often children, are harmed during the production process or as a result of laboratory fires and explosions. Moreover, law enforcement personnel and first responders can be injured during a laboratory seizure or when responding to an emergency situation involving a laboratory. Child abuse and neglect are also common when guardians produce methamphetamine. Improper storage and disposal of chemicals and chemical waste involved in the production of methamphetamine often result in severe environmental damage and costly soil and structure remediation.

Figure 3. Methamphetamine laboratory incidents in Michigan HIDTA Counties, 2002-2006.

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Source: National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System, data run on 4/4/07.

Law enforcement initiatives and other programs that address the availability of precursor and essential chemicals used in the methamphetamine production process have contributed to decreased laboratory seizures in the HIDTA region. For example, Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids area law enforcement officials have conducted surveillance of tanks containing anhydrous ammonia, a common farm fertilizer used in methamphetamine production. Law enforcement surveillance, the use of GloTell,³ and related media coverage have resulted in fewer anhydrous ammonia thefts. Additionally, a new chemical additive has been developed to further deter anhydrous ammonia thefts: "Chemical Lock" (the addition of calcium nitrate to anhydrous ammonia) reportedly reduces methamphetamine production from a typical yield of 42 percent to approximately 2 percent.

Most of the marijuana available in the HIDTA region is produced in Mexico or Canada, but some is grown locally at both outdoor and indoor grow sites. Outdoor cultivation often occurs on state-owned property, on other property not owned by the grower, and in fields among legitimate crops. Indoor cultivation generally takes place in private residences owned or rented by African American and Caucasian independent growers; high-potency marijuana is typically produced at these sites for local distribution.

End Note

3. GloTell is a chemical additive that stains potential anhydrous ammonia thieves as well as any methamphetamine produced with treated anhydrous ammonia, making theft less appealing.

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