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2010 could be record year for state marijuana busts

August 30, 2010

Law enforcement officials believe that 2010 could be a record year for marijuana busts, topping the seven million pot plants destroyed last year. [California Watch]

With the major fall pot harvest fast approaching, law enforcement agencies across the state are reporting busts of unprecedented size, especially at large-scale grow sites in remote locations.

Earlier this month a senior federal drug official speculated that 2010 seizures could top eight million plants if agents continue to uncover massive outdoor operations through the end of the growing season.

Recent actions include:

Shasta County, where 300,000 pot plants were destroyed in early July.

Madera, Fresno, and Tulare Counties, where a joint operation resulted in 465,000 marijuana plants being destroyed.

Mendocino County, where pot seizures this year alone could surpass the one-million mark, double what was taken last year.

In 2009, DEA officials seized ten times the amount of marijuana they did in 2000.


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The more pot they destroy the higher the price that the commodity can demand and that just makes the industry more attractive. Heck, Mendocino county was complaining that the market was so saturated with marijuana last year that the growers were having trouble unloading all their finished product and the local economy was suffering in that county as a result of the it! I guess some growers are going to be happy campers this year and will now double their anticipated profits. There will be no shortage, just higher prices.


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Weed actually has an inelastic price curve. It has been the same price for over 20 years.


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I am frequently confused by the thumbs up thumbs down contributors. Do you not like the fact that the price hasn’t changed, or the fact that I know this, or is it just me? lol


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Hahhaahh mkaney, there is no accounting for the thumbs. Anything can happen with thumbs including somebody alerts their club to infest the site for a day! Or somebody just will always hit a red on a particular poster, because yes, it’s that poster! It doesn’t matter but It would be nice if people responded to what they agree and disagree with but they often don’t. I have found myself frustrated at times wondering what it was that somebody didn’t agree with, especially when many disagree.


I didn’t give you a thumb either way, but I questioned when you said pot prices haven’t changed for 20 years? I only used marijuana (medical) for a few months back in early 2002 or 03, back then the high grade green bud went for 3000K a lb and the highest grade of BC bud could go as high a 3500. Currently my understanding is that the average lb goes between 2000 and 2500. If you look at how the LEO value harvested and trimmed buds from last years busts (in areas that grow high grade), that is how it was valued, almost a 1000 per lb lower for the same grade. If I go back to 1990, I have no idea what it cost but to compare apples with apples, lets compare only the high grade. What was it back then?


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Admiteddly I don’t buy marijuana by the pound, but on the street the ounce price of high grade remains unchanged ($300). The prices have always been higher through the dispensaries, even at the pound level. It may be the the growers have been willing to absorb this decrease in profits at that level.


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Humm, An oz was $300.00 in 2000 also and if it’s still $300, then the price hasn’t dropped at the street level despite the price of lbs have dropped by 1K! I wouldn’t have thought but I guess there is no reason to pass on the profits at the street level. No wonder the cartels are taking over!


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Back in the day of the C.A.M.P. program, special ops units from many different agencies throughout the state were literally descending on pot gardens by rapelling from choppers. Did that slow the demand for the product? No. All it did was put the LEOs at high risk of personal injury and sent a sensationalized message to the populace that they were keen on eradification It failed miserably in it’s goal. Let’s face it folks, MJ is here to stay. Let’s stop wasting the time and effort involved in the criminalization and make strides to manage it as a legal substance.


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And yet it”s still available everywhere at the same levels, Prohibition never has, nor will it ever work.


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Tell that to the police justice corrections complex $$$


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Somebody at CCN has a sense of humor. A “joint” operation? Too funny…


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Hhahahaah LOL, deedub were you smoking a dub when you came up with that one?


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I oppose prohibition, but one thing is for certain the way pot is produced right now: you smoke? you are destroying our natural resources. Forests are being decimated by growers who kill and eradicate wildlife. Animals are being poisoned. Creeks are being diverted. Hazardous chemicals and pesticides poured into waterways. Shootouts are becoming more common if not daily in some counties. Huge forest fires have been started statewide and in this county by illegal grows on national forest land.


Why are the environmentalists ignoring this? Do they all smoke?


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You don’t destroy anything if you grow your own.


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Just your brain. http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html


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Once gain these people are liars. The reason for the massive increase in the numbers is because they are counting the ditch weed that they are destroying to ramp up their numbers. When will the lies END?!


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With all the unemployment, ILLEGAL immigrant/cartel flunkies and extremely high cost of quality bud, it is no wonder the number and sizes of busts is up.

I already posted about the number of busts in the LPNF and the numbers of plants are in the tens of thousands. These are not kids growing some backyard plants for personal consumption, this is big money/ big business…


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Nonetheless, 98% of the weed the DEA claims to eradicate is ditchweed, feral hemp which has no appreciable THC. That is according to 2007 numbers, because after that of course they decided to stop reporting this figure. It’s much harder for them to lie when the facts are available.


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