Marijuana.com

Buzzby

In This War, Technology Is Key
Who is more tech-savvy—drug traffickers or federal agents? The answer may determine who wins the War on Drugs
Alex Halperin | Business Week | 08/10/2006

The war on terrorism grabs most of the headlines these days, but the war on drugs is still very much underway. With legal and illegal entry into the country falling under heavier scrutiny, the work of preventing terrorism and keeping illegal drugs out of the country often overlap, and often put to use some of the same tools.

As with the war on terror, fighting drug use is a highly segmented endeavor. Its missions include everything from after-school programs to keep kids busy to elaborate sting operations targeting the substances and those who make and move them. Various government agencies still fight the war in traditional ways by patrolling national borders in search of smugglers and searching out drug producing operations. But nowadays those on the front lines of the drug war are getting some pretty cool toys.

In the pitched battle surrounding illegal drugs, each side has its advantages. Law enforcement can take advantage of private sector expertise, expensive machines, and, of course, the law. Those who cultivate, manufacture, and smuggle illegal drugs can leverage vast sums of cash, generated by constant demand.

The Fight Continues

So who's winning? It's a tough call. According to the United Nations, the North American cannabis—that is, marijuana—market is the world's largest, worth anywhere from $10 billion to $60 billion, mostly fed by domestic production.

On the other hand, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found in 2004 that about 20% high school seniors had used marijuana in the preceding month. This was down from nearly 34% in 1980, but up from 14% in 1990. The long-term decline probably owes something to high-schoolers knowing more about the potential harmful effects of the drug. And sophisticated border surveillance techniques employed by the Homeland Security Dept.'s Customs and Border Protection Division may have affected the decline.

Of course, people trying to profit from the sale of drugs can be tech-savvy as well; often they have to be if they're going to get away with it. Law enforcement agencies have found hyper-sophisticated setups of crude labs and hydroponic pot greenhouses, which are used to synthesize crystal meth out of an ingredient found in over-the-counter medicine. The toxic process requires some understanding of chemistry and an ability to improvise uses for chemicals and materials found around the house. When found, these labs must be dismantled by people wearing hazardous material suits.

In the slide show, we take a look at some of the technologies that the two sides of this war are using to outfox each other.

 

Jibber420

It's things like this that upset me about the media. Every time the media relates or puts marijuana and other off-topic drugs hand in hand it gives off the idea that marijuana is just as harmful as all the other harder drugs. Who uses hydroponic pot greenhouses to also make crystal meth? And it's not the hydroponic pot greenhouses that are causing a problem because that would be like saying any greenhouse in general, even those for growing tomatoes is dangerous. It's the crystal meth labs that can blow up an entire house taking people with it. Not to mention the amounts of people that could die from even using meth if it even makes it out of the dangerous lab process. Wait what's that? how many people have died from marijuana?? oh yeah 0! Stop the reefer madness!!!

__________________
God gave us this wonderful plant to enjoy, so dammit...thats what i'm gonna do!


Let the plant grow! Throw seeds where ever you go!