HEMP Hotline 1-800-235-HEMP

Operation HEMP (Help Eliminate Marijuana Planting) is Michigan’s domestic marijuana eradication/suppression program. Started in 1983, this drug enforcement effort is grant funded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Operation HEMP utilizes cooperation between state, county, and local law enforcement agencies. Presently all fifty states have marijuana eradication/suppression programs that receive federal funding. The Michigan Department of State Police is responsible for administering the DEA’s marijuana eradication/suppression program in Michigan.

The program’s objectives are to:

• Arrest and prosecute those who cultivate and traffic in marijuana.
• Seize and forfeit the assets and proceeds from the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana.
• Reduce the availability of marijuana in Michigan.
• Reduce criminal activity incidental to marijuana cultivation.
• Promote the safe use of our public and private lands.

Outdoor Grow Operations in Michigan

Michigan is a popular state for illegal marijuana growing because of its fertile land and remote areas. Private lands used to cultivate marijuana crops are subject to state and federal forfeiture laws. The criminal response to this has been to cultivate marijuana on publicly owned land or trespass onto privately owned land. This practice is quite common - land owners should take careful notice of suspicious activity and report it immediately to police.

Indoor Grow Operations in Michigan

Indoor grow operations have become increasingly popular in recent years because of successful law enforcement efforts to eradicate outdoor cultivation of marijuana. Although harder to detect, indoor marijuana cultivators use sophisticated techniques to grow and conceal their operation. Indoor grow operations can produce larger quantities of marijuana with higher potency levels.

Marijuana

Marijuana is an annual plant sown from green or brown colored seed which can grow to a height of two to twenty feet. Each main leaf has five to nine leaflets; leaves may vary in number on the same plant but are always odd-numbered. The upper surface is normally a dark green, the under surface a dull light green. The leaflet edges are always saw toothed.

HEMP Unit Contact: (517) 336-6671