--hit from t
thes st
stokes bud
t. he says
Simply p
of them
cker, a L
grow brown
listening moment ti theses of the music, the exploring burning a
to inter-
power
album
drug of
the end
and com-
There are numerous varieties of pot grown around the world. U.S. markets are exposed primarily to grass grown in Canada, Mexico and even right here in our own backyard. So far, in 2005, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has "processed" more than two tons of marijuana.
With weed so widely available all over the country, it's no surprise that more than 72 million Americans — roughly a third of the U.S. population have been high at least once in their lives. The same is true at the University of Kansas, where plenty of students get high regularly. An informal survey of a Western Civilization class revealed 20 percent of the 150 students queried smoke marijuana on a regular basis. But there are consequences, both legal and physical, which probably keep this country from going up in smoke like Jamaica on April 20.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. Last year, in Douglas County alone, law enforcement agents seized 211 high-grade
plants from indoor growers. Fifty of these plants can produce 2.5 pounds of high-grade bud every six weeks. Just an ounce of this high caliber stuff can be worth $1,200.
Old school herbage
Lawrence once had a reputation for having a lot of ditchweed, a very lowgrade of marijuana that gives smokers little more than a headache. The soils and climate in the Midwest allow ample marijuana growth. It isn't called ditchweed for grins: marijuana is essentially a weed. It grows everywhere, especially in ditches. According to Bill, a Lawrence resident of more than 30 years, the ditchweed harvested here in the '70s was shipped across the country, deceptively being passed off as higher quality Mexican grass.
Despite the ease with which cannabis grows in the area, the number of attempts at outdoor cultivation is steadily decreasing because law enforcement officials are good at catching people.
The Law vs. Mary Jans Kyle Smith, deputy director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, boasts of the KBI's skill at spotting outdoor marijuana cultivation. Surveying the land from helicopters, the KBI is able to effectively spot any significant, concentrated marijuana growth. Agents know where to look — mainly along fences and railings — to find camouflaged cultivation areas. Last year, the KBI seized a 900-plant crop in a single bust. This type of marijuana, commonly referred to as schwag because of its low quality and cheap high, is what comes from the majority of the plants cultivated outdoors.
Pot-savvy green thumbs have moved their operations indoors where there is a more controlled environment. Indoor cultivation allows the grower to prevent nature from interfering with the quality of the plant. An expertly tended plant can produce very potent marijuana known as sensemilla. This high quality form of marijuana is also known as kind bud (KB) or nugget.
The marijuana that is not grown in state is trafficked in. Smith says much of it comes from Mexico.Either way, it all eventually trickles down to individual buyers.A typical end-market transaction is for one person to buy an eighth of an ounce of high-grade kind bud for $50. Usually,an entire ounce will cost $350, meaning the seller who takes the risk of buying the ounce can smoke for free by selling seven friends an eighth ounce bag.
Smith says detecting indoor growers is a difficult task, and police rely on informants and good Samaritans, such as nosy landlords, to tip off home growers. Home growers have become increasingly skilled at their trade, too, with the average THC content in sensemilla leaping from 3.2 percent in 1977 to 13.34 percent in 2004.
Needless to say, there's a lot of money in the marijuna biz. There are also a lot of KU students ready to support the cause.
Continued on page 14
09. 29.05 Jayplay
13