98 Percent Of All Domestically Eradicated Marijuana Is “Ditchweed,” DEA Admits
More than 98 percent of all of the marijuana plants seized by law enforcement in the United States is feral hemp not cultivated cannabis, according to newly released data by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program and the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics.
According to the data, available online at: http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t4382005.pdf, of the estimated 223 million marijuana plants destroyed by law enforcement in 2005, approximately 219 million were classified as “ditchweed,” a term the agency uses to define “wild, scattered marijuana plants [with] no evidence of planting, fertilizing, or tending.” Unlike cultivated marijuana, feral hemp contains virtually no detectable levels of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, and does not contribute to the black market marijuana trade.
Here’s the DEA’s website on marijuana where despite the vast sums of money poured into trying to stop it, “marijuana availability is high and stable or increasing slightly.”
Can’t we all just get a bong?
This was a fun link showing more of your tax dollars at work.
http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics/government.html
How about they change line of business and market themselves as a weed control unit and sell their service to private homes… ehh, wait… that would probably remove all the grass, bushes and other vegetation as well… 🙁
What’s so surprising about this? The DEA is a parasitic agency, not even legitimate law enforcement by any reasonable standard*. That their efforts would be pointless and self-justifying, appearing useful only to a cursory examination is not news. It’s predictable.
— Brian
*No ligitimate organization can hold as its primary mission the accomplishment of an illigitimate goal, i.e. the “War” on drugs…
Prison time doesn’t seem to deter Americans from using illegal drugs. If the government wants to win the war on drugs, they will have to find another solution to make Americans stop using illegal drugs. Basically, this is a war on human behavior.
The war on terror is very similar.
Looking at this map the Americans must be smoking a lot of weed! With that much marijuana why else would we need to import it? 🙂
#3: AND throw you in jail for having to call them.
In my old age, I have mellowed a little. While I once fervently believed all cannabis should be legalized, I don’t now. Decriminalize it for sure. But whether you want to hear it or not, pot should not be as readily available as tobacco or even alcohol.
The DEA? Let them concentrate on chasing the hard drugs like heroin and cocaine. Geeze, merge them into the Food and Drug Administration for investigation and Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco for policing.
Mr H Fusion,
But if you have a steady reliable, legal supply of drugs, all of them in fact, the entire criminal aspect of it goes out the window. How many liquor bootleggers are getting chased across the border into Canada these days?
Drugs, of any sort, affect the user. Paranoia about what the user will do is the real lynchpin.
Isn’t this ditchweed the same plant that expensive hemp clothing is made out of? Isn’t a lot of it the descendants of the crops which resulted when farmers heeded the government’s plea to “Plant Hemp for Victory” during WW II? It’s valuable, maybe not one plant at a time, but as a crop. That’s tax dollars they’re burning.
The DEA is a good example of what the war on terror agencies are turning into. Agencies that bring the administration of justice–and almost everything else–into disrepute.
They really like the West coast DONT they??
Wonder if the growers all went to middle or east coast….Hmmmm??
We have about 2 million citizens under incarceration. The majority convicted for drug related crimes. Don’t forget to tally that cost up with the price of enforcement. They always come out of prison so much nicer than they went in also.
#10, Named,
I hear you and I confess, my thinking has changed over the years. Tell me though, would you like the driver for your kid’s school bus to be stoned out of his gourd on pot while bringing your kid home? Or how about the driver of that 18 wheeler loaded with caustic lye coming up to the train tracks you are stopped at. Or,… go ahead, pick a scenario. It might not happen every day, but who would want this to happen any day. With alcohol we can do breathalysers, but I am unaware of any test to determine if someone is stoned on pot.
But I don’t think someone should end up with a criminal record for life just because they are caught with an ounce or two. Or three. And yes, pot should be made available to anyone that benefits medically.
I have done my share of pot smoking (the H. stands for Herb) and brownie munching in my time. And at anytime I would rather sit around with a bunch of friends smoking then drinking.
It goes to show that if you hire a whole lot of people and give them guns and helicopters and flamethrowers and then tell them that their job security depends on how many acres of plants they eradicate, you can be darn sure they’re going to eradicate the living daylights out of something.
By the way, according to an interesting book, “The Botany of Desire”, most commercial grade cultivation has been driven indoors anyways. Apparently, you can produce several pounds of kick-ass weed on a surface about the size of a pool table. Put that in your bong and smoke it.
Thanks, Uncle Dave. It really cheered me up to know the DEA is only destroying the Nevada Nohi and saving the really good chit for themselves.
#16 – Apparently, you can produce several pounds of kick-ass weed on a surface about the size of a pool table.
Comment by Mark — 9/8/2006 @ 1:23 pm
I really wish I had room for a pool table in my apartment.
You know, driving under the influence is a crime whether the drug is legal or not, and getting a quarter bag of pot isn’t exactly a difficult task if one is sufficiently motivated. The law isn’t stopping people from smoking.
Legal or not, the hypothetical bus driver in post #15 is stoned if he wants to be, and if he is, a very stiff penalty involving real jail time is in order – not for getting high, but for getting high and endangering the lives of the children on the bus and other drivers on the road. Intoxicated driving is, if you ask me, an offense that is not met with harsh enough punishment in this country.
But marijuana itself needs to be legalized. It needs to be legalized, controlled like hard liquor, taxed to hell and back, and sold under strict controls. Big tobacco may be an evil industry, but its a huge employer and tax generator… Give them pot. They can produce a pack of mariuana cigarettes for a buck, sell it for 10 times the profit they make on their staple product, and the government (state and federal) can apply taxes that get it up to 40, 50, maybe even $60… and I doubt the public would object to the pricing and the revenue would go a long way to reducing our national debt and who knows what else good can be done…
“Oh but you’re talking about making drugs legal!” Damn straight. It isn’t a moral call. There is no point in legislating this sort of morality. And I don’t think smoking pot is immoral anyway. It’s a pragmatic call. Will people smoke pot? Yes. Is pot dangerous like herion or crack? No. In fact, aside from the fact that you smoke it like a cigarette, there is no danger at all and anyone who says otherwise is lying. The facts are the facts. Legalize it and profit from it at both the corporate and governmental level.
Who says liberals are anti-capitalism?
just legalize it. pathetic laws.
Just from the Hemp plant.
Alcohol
Diesal fuel
Methane
clothing
Feed for animals.
They WONT legalize it, UNTIL they can control it. So that 1 CORP can say…No you cant have any.
That;s right, legalize it, so then Mel Gibson could just say, ‘ Uhh, yeah, so what’s the big deal ? ‘ and have another hit.
#18, OFTLO, The problem with the stoned bus driver is how do we know he is stoned vs just had an accident. Being under the influence and causing an accident is rightfully a crime. With most drugs the amount of drug in the body may be measured. So far, pot may only be detected, not measured. And I for one am very leery of sending someone to jail for reckless endangerment because they happened to smoke some pot several days or even weeks earlier. At the same time, I would not want anyone in the driver’s situation to think they could smoke pot with no repercussions if they have an accident.
NOTE: I’m assuming the pot to be a contributing influence in the accident.
#22 –
This story has fallen off the bottom of the page so I’m not sure if my typing here is going to be worthwhile, but…
I am sympathetic to your point, but… We don’t ban hunting rifles, meat cleavers or baseball bats because someone could commit murder with one. Since the AMA won’t say pot is dangerous and past surgeon generals won’t say it is dangerous and only right wing crackpots will say its dangerous then it isn’t dangerous. Let it be a commodity product.
As for the driving test, you can determine that someone is inebriated and there are reasonable tests and indications that can help… but you are right, there is not currently a test that could withstand legal muster that will say “you are stoned right now” short of being caught with the roach in your hand.
As long as the paternal powers that be insist on pursuing this failed policy, there won’t be a test. Such a test would remove a roadblock to legalization (assuming we broke through the roadblocks to logical and reasonable policy in the first place).
I’m not a doctor. But I am very sure that test can be developed that will be able to do for pot what a breathalizer does for alcohol, and it needs to be developed. But we must also realize that responsible pot use means not driving and having all your ho-ho’s and pop tarts stocked up before you light up. Pot smokers aren’t the crazy nuts of Reefer Madness – pot alone doesn’t relieve you of all self control – we need to start saying that in this society, adults may be allowed to make adult decisions.
#23- I agree with your post in its entirety. The problem that I have is that there is always going to be those people that are irresponsible, and more or less ruin things for everyone else. How many irresponsible people drink?? Personally, I know more than I can count. Drinking and driving is still common, but it’s little to no different than smoking and driving. However, regardless of whether someone drinks or smokes, the ultimate responsibility is in their hands not to do stupid ****. Don’t drive, chill out, don’t do anything that would impinge on others’ rights.
#8- I’ve always been interested in the impact of decriminalization vs. legalization. But in Maryland, marijuana is still the #5 CASH CROP, even though use ALONE in Maryland is prohibited by law. Either enforcement turns a blind eye to it, or, more likely, it is not easily enforceable.
If legalization would occur (probably not in my lifetime), it would of course be decriminalized first. But stating that marijuana shouldn’t be as readily available as tobacco or alcohol is an odd statement. In my neck of the woods, it is very prevalent (I’ll admit it, I first smoked when I was 13), in fact MORE readily available to teens than cigarettes or alcohol. And personally, I really think out of the three you mentioned, marijuana is the least evil. How many deaths and medical problems are caused by alcohol and cigarettes yearly on a national scale as compared to marijuana? Used responsibly, I think marijuana is the least harmful. I think most of the stigma from marijuana comes from the fact that people who have never tried it don’t know anything about it, and that a large amount of smokers give it a bad rep. Still, you see nothing like the numbers of irresponsible people who die of lung cancer from cigarettes (trust me, I know firsthand cigarettes are addictive) or drink and drive. Marijuana also doesn’t have the same type of physiological addiction nicotine or alcohol has, and the argument that it is a gateway drug is fallacious, because a responsible person should be able to differentiate between smoking marijuana and smoking crack or injecting heroin. Of course, you put anything that alters perception (even alcohol) with someone unstable or not able to control themselves and bad things will happen.
I still think that legalization will be an unfettered reality in the future, because enforcement is nigh, well, unenforceable. My thoughts? Legalize (private use at least, in your household), ratchet up penalties for DUI and providing to minors, tax it, and remove the counterculture and stigma. I’ve always thought the biggest downside of marijuana was and is the persecution and paranoia caused by the illegality of it; the fact that it forces otherwise law-abiding citizens to hide in the shadows. Unlike alcohol, which is never seen as being as harmful, which is really beyond me (c’mon, ever go to $1 night at a bar? Watch how many people drive home).
Oh well, guess that one can’t change history, but I can always make suggestions for the future. Here’s hoping one day logic will win out.
Hi I wanted to add that there have been studies on the effects of pot on driving, and your fears have turned out bunk. NIHS did one in the Netherlands with NIDA pot (notoriously weak) which said the same lateral swaying, increased following distance, but overall minor driving changes/impairment. Here is another such study done in the Netherlands, it looks to be about the same in the test and conclusion. I’m sorry it couldn’t have been posted on a more legit sounding domain name, but be aware there are many studies going on and we need not speculate and run away with our fears.
http://www.hempfood.com/IHA/iha01206.html
Further I’m not going to defend everyone’s usage of the plant, but I must say I’m saddened by the half freedoms we offer in this country (only being able to legally enjoy European vices). It does different things for different people since it is not blindly poison your liver to speed your metabolism. But I will say it is an abomination that a law passed based on lies, bribes and public propagandizing still stands and is enforced. Good day.
D
The only true way to control something is to legalize it. Otherwise it will remain in the underground economy. The one prime example is what happened with alcohal in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Legalization would accomplish several things;
1) Taxation, as much as we would all not like to pay taxes there will be a tax on pot!. This could provide both the state and federal governments BILLIONS of dollars!
2) Prisons, 10s of thousands of men and women could be released saving additional BILLIONS of dollars.
3) Jobs, yes there would be hondreds if not thousands of prison guards out of work but that would be a small price compared to the 10s of thousands of families that would not have their lives destroyed.
4) Medical, because of the repression of research we have no idea what can be done in this area.
5) Fiber, hemp is one of the very strongest and most durable natural fibers we now.
The list can go on and on.
http://www.leap.cc
A “War on Drugs” is not winnable. We’ve already proved prohibition does not work.
Why do we try to fool ourselves into thinking it will this time?
The receptors on the brain who allow customer base of cannabinoids (like THC) are actually area of the most common receptor system by the body processes. Not only is definitely the body logically attuned to these compounds, it even uses the criminals to great consequence — quite a few studies established that cannabinoids help in reducing pain and various other distressing signs.