Mexico Drug War: 14 tons of marijuana seized by U.S. Border Patrol

The actual impact of this reported seizure -- and other recent seizures --  on marijuana production and use is put into perspective by data in the "National Drug Threat Assessment 2011, prepared by the Department of Justice. It reports "... approximately 21,500 metric tons of marijuana were potentially produced during 2008, compared with 10,100 metric tons in 2005 . This estimate represents a 113 percent increase in potential marijuana production since 2005. ... Rates of abuse (all use is "abuse" from the government's pejorative point of view) —particularly for marijuana—are increasing, especially among young adults aged 18 to 25. Rates of marijuana abuse (use) among this cohort rose from 16 .5 percent in 2008 to 18.1 percent in 2009."


Based on this DOJ data from 2008, the total seizures recounted in this article, 193 metric tons, amounts to less than 1% of the total grown in Mexico. And the report also states that production has been increasing at more than 33% per year. Marijuana use is also increasing. So much for the U.S. policy of "interdiction."


latimes.com: "U..S. border authorities intercepted a tractor-trailer loaded with 14 tons of marijuana destined for the Los Angeles area in what is believed to be one of the largest drug busts ever by the U.S. Border Patrol. ... Agents pulled out more than 1,100 bundles of marijuana, worth an estimated $22.6 million. The 35-year-old driver was arrested.

The seizure is the latest in a series of enormous marijuana busts along the California-Mexico border. In November, U.S. authorities in San Diego seized 25 tons of marijuana, and two weeks later an additional 20 tons. ... Last October, Mexican authorities seized 134 tons of marijuana in Tijuana -- the largest bust in Mexican history"

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