Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force Explained

Unit Name:Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force
Dates:1990-present
Country:United States
Agency:
Type:multi-agency law enforcement task force
Role:
Ops Juris:
  • Federal
  • Kentucky
Headquarters:Frankfort, Kentucky
Programmes:-->

The Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force, also known as the Kentucky Governor's Marijuana Strike/Task Force, is a multi-agency law enforcement task force managed by the Office of the Governor of Kentucky and Kentucky State Police Marijuana Suppression Branch, and composed of local, state and federal agencies organized expressly to eradicate illegal cannabis cultivation and trafficking in Kentucky.[1] The task force was established in 1990, to combat marijuana cultivation on public lands in Kentucky that ranks third in the United States, behind California and Tennessee.[2] [3] An estimated $1 billion worth of marijuana is seized in Kentucky annually.[4] [5]

In the wake of the 1989 arrest of the Cornbread Mafia by the Western Kentucky OCDETF,[6] the task force was created in July 1990 by executive order from then Kentucky Governor Wallace Wilkinson.[7] with the backing of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.[8]

Member agencies include the Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Kentucky State Police, Kentucky National Guard, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Office of the Attorney General of Kentucky, National Park Service, Civil Air Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, US Forest Service, US Marshalls Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky and local sheriff and police departments.[9] [10] The strike force often uses helicopters to fly eradication teams into remote marijuana grow sites in Eastern Kentucky.[11] [12]

Much of the enforcement efforts of the Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force, that occur during the eradication season that lasts from April to October,[13] [14] are concentrated in the area of the Daniel Boone National Forest, in the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky historically associated with moonshine production, which often ranks first for most marijuana plants eradicated from a national forest in the United States.[15] The eradication effort in the Daniel Boone National Forest showed the most impacts when just 17,000 plants were eradicated from the forest in 2009, compared to the 250,000 plants seized the year before.[16]

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. Web site: Statewide Inventory of Criminal Justice Organization/Groups . Kentucky Criminal Justice Counsel . March 2002 . 2022-01-09.
  2. Web site: National Drug Threat Assessment 2005 - Executive Summary . National Drug Intelligence Center . February 2005 . 2022-01-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130212081538/http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic//pubs11/13745/marjiuana.htm . 2013-02-12 . dead .
  3. Web site: Marijuana and Methamphetamine Trafficking on Federal Lands Threat Assessment . National Drug Intelligence Center . February 2005 . 2022-01-09.
  4. News: The Bluegrass State's No. 1 Cash Crop: Dope . Eric Horng and Karson Yiu . November 6, 2009. ABC News . 2022-01-09. en.
  5. Web site: Domestic Cannabis Cultivation Assessment 2009 . National Drug Intelligence Center . July 2009 . 2022-01-09.
  6. News: Federal officials say arrest of 68 breaks marijuana syndicate . Associated Press . June 7, 1989. Evansville Press . 2022-01-09. en.
  7. News: Strike Force is Still Battling Marijuana . September 6, 1990. Dawson Springs Progress . 2022-01-09. en.
  8. News: U.S. anti-drug chief praises program . Robert Kaiser . August 29, 1990. Lexington Herald-Leader . 2022-01-09. en.
  9. Web site: 1988 and 1989 Marijuana Annual Report . Kentucky State Police . 2022-01-09.
  10. Web site: Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force 1992 Report . Kentucky Justice Cabinet . 2022-01-09.
  11. Web site: Ideal State Level Marijuana Investigation & Eradication Program Design . Jason . Poore . University of Wisconsin-Platteville . July 7, 2011 . 2022-01-09.
  12. News: Pot Patrol - Rural War on Drugs . Whitehead . Shelly . July 1, 2000. Kentucky Post . 2022-01-09. en.
  13. News: The Marijuana Belt: Part 1 . Hatton . Angela . August 27, 2009. WKMS . 2022-01-09. en.
  14. News: Up in Smoke . Langston . Carter . September 1993. The On Guard . 2022-01-09. en.
  15. News: Residents of Appalachia Make the Transition From Moonshine to Pot . Dubusmann . Bernd . June 30, 1991. Los Angeles Times . 2022-01-09. en.
  16. News: Authorities push pot growers out of Daniel Boone National Forest . Associated Press . November 26, 2009. Kingsport Times News . 2022-01-09. en.
  17. News: CNBC Is Going to Pot...Again . Weisenthal . Joe . November 22, 2010. Business Insider . 2022-01-09. en.

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