Drug Enforcement Administration on Kentucky’s Illicit Cannabis Plant Growth

Data released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and analyzed by the American Addiction Centers, determined that Kentucky grows more illicit marijuana per 100,000 people compared to any other state.

According to a report by ProCon, the DEA disposed of 418,076 cannabis plants in the state, which equates to 9,536 plants for every 100,000 people. The state following Kentucky was California. The DEA was required to eradicate 4,572 illegal cannabis plants for ever 100,00 people. Further, the DEA confiscated over 1.8 million marijuana plants in the state in 2018.

Not only is Kentucky number one in illicit marijuana growth, but it also came in first place for illegal growth site destruction. The DEA destroyed 15 growth sites for every 100,000 people, which was more than double than West Virginia, which came in second.

Wyoming and Massachusetts were last on the list and were surprisingly found to have no cultivated plats that were seized by the DEA in 2018.

According to a report by High Times, though, the amount of cannabis plant confiscations have decreased significantly when comparing 2017 to 2018. In 2017, there were 3.38 million total, while in 2018, there were 2.82 million plants in total confiscated. Not only could there be a decrease, but the confiscations are more complicated as well.