"With its fertile land and remote areas, Michigan is a popular state for marijuana planting," said Colonel Peter C. Munoz, Director of the Michigan State Police (MSP).  "To avoid apprehension and forfeiture of their property, growers often plant marijuana on public land or on the property of others, making it common to find marijuana plants in farm fields, backyards, natural forest openings and the shores of lakes, rivers, streams and swamps."

Indicators of outdoor grow operations include unusual amounts of traffic; use of camping equipment or recreational vehicles on wooded property with no evidence of recreational activities; persons with little or no farming experience who purchase fertilizer, plastic PVC piping, chicken wire, camouflage netting and clothing; large amounts of PVC piping or irrigation hoses located in heavily wooded areas; and patrolled or guarded woods, swamps and other remote areas. 

To report a suspected marijuana grow site, call 1-800-235-HEMP (4367).  Callers can remain anonymous.  Individuals should not attempt to take action themselves, but instead report the site to law enforcement as soon as possible.

Last year, 23,198 plants were found growing outdoors and 12,388 plants were found growing indoors, an increase from the 26,716 plants located in 2006.

"Michigan licenses more than 750,000 hunters each year, and there are countless outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy the natural resources found in the nearly seven million acres that make up our state and national forests.  These individuals are more likely to run into a remote grow operation than the public at large," said Captain Thomas Courchaine, acting assistant chief for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Law Enforcement Division.  "The DNR encourages anyone who discovers a grow operation or evidence of a grow operation to call the HEMP hotline or the DNR's Report All Poaching hotline at (800) 292-7800."

Posters and other materials encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout for marijuana are being posted by the DNR this summer at state forest campgrounds, state parks and recreation areas and at the trailhead of trails and pathways across northern Michigan.

"The presence of outdoor grow operations on state and federal lands can bring the public into contact with the dangers of illegal marijuana grows," said Special Agent Mike Evans, U.S. Forest Service, Law Enforcement and Investigations.  "Marijuana growers can be involved in multi-criminal activities.  Because of the increasing street value of marijuana, the incentive to protect their crop exposes unsuspecting recreational land users to danger."

The Michigan Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program is a joint effort between the MSP and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the DNR, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.