NCJ Number
198781
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 369-374
Date Published
December 2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the seizure rate of the cannabis crop eradication program in New Zealand.
Abstract
The cannabis crop eradication program in New Zealand is a series of police operations conducted nationally in areas where there is known to be extensive cannabis cultivation. Aircraft are used to locate and destroy cannabis plantations concealed in the countryside. The physical destruction of cannabis plots has recently been replaced in some places by the aerial spraying of cannabis with a herbicide. Data are used from the Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit’s National Drug Survey to estimate the seizure rate achieved by the cannabis crop eradication program. The seizure rate is the amount of a drug seized by the authorities divided by total drug production. Results show that the seizure rate achieved by cannabis crop eradication operations in 1998 was 26 to 31 percent. Three features may account for the relatively high seizure rate achieved compared to drug enforcement agencies in other countries. First, the seizure rate applies solely to cannabis plantations. Second, all the cannabis consumed in New Zealand is cultivated within the borders and is therefore directly accessible to New Zealand Police operations. Third, New Zealand is widely held to have very low levels of institutional corruption. 1 table, 36 references