Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 Source: Midland Daily News (MI) Copyright: 2008 Midland Daily News Contact: http://www.ourmidland.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4293 Author: Kelly Dame Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) WEED? STATE TELLS NATURE LOVERS TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK During World War II, hemp was planted in Michigan for use in making rope. Remnants of those plantings still grow in the state's fertile soil, but it's the cultivated plants that state police are asking outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for. Those cultivated varieties of marijuana are specially selected for their high amounts of the hallucinogenic drug THC, said Michigan State Police Detective First Lt. Dave Peltomaa, who works with the Michigan Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program, formerly known as Operation HEMP. The targets range from people who grow just a couple of plants in their backyards for personal use to organized drug rings that grow hundreds or even thousands of plants, often on land owned by others so they can avoid forfeiture. One plot, found on the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin border last month, contained 9,000 plants, he said. Because of the tendency to plant on state land, or large land tracts owned by utility and oil companies, officials are asking hunters, campers and travelers to report any outdoor plots they come across. "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," said Capt. Thomas Courchaine, acting assistant chief of the DNR. The trick, Peltomaa said, is to report the plots as soon as you come across them without investigating them on your own. It's a safety precaution that could save your life. Think of it this way: Worth about $1,000 per plant, marijuana is an investment growers want to protect. Law enforcement officials in western states have reported various injuries due to booby-trapped plots, and even a 10-year-old boy who was squirrel hunting was shot after coming across marijuana plants, Peltomaa said. National Forest agents have been killed. He said law enforcement officials know there's a tendency for what happens in the western areas of the country to move east, and officials are watching for it. "Just over the Fourth of July holiday we got three or four calls from around the state," Peltomaa said, adding many tips his office receives are from people who go to a neighbor or family member's house and are asked to check out the plants growing in the yard for personal use. "We do get a lot of tips," he said. "Most of the ones we get actually turn out to be marijuana." In the spring, it can be hard to tell the difference between marijuana and other weeds. Midland County Sheriff's deputies were called by residents throughout May and June to check if plants that were found were the drug. None panned out. Earlier in the year, a deputy seized 10 marijuana plants that were being grown inside a Jerome Township home, and more recently, Michigan State Police and Clare County Sheriff's deputies found 366 plants that were being grown on land at a cell phone tower in that county. Chuck Martin, a horticulturist at The Dow Gardens, said cinquefoil, also known as potentilla, is the most common weed that is mistaken for marijuana. Cinquefoil is shrubby and can grow to be about 3 feet tall. The number of its leaflets varies from three to seven. They do look similar, but there are ways to tell the pair apart. As the season wears on, Peltomaa said, it gets pretty easy to tell if a plant is marijuana due to its height. Marijuana is an annual plant that is sown from green or brown seeds. It can grow up to 20 feet tall. Each main leaf has five to nine sawtooth-edged leaflets, the number of which can vary on the same plant, but always an odd number. The upper leaf surface is dark green and the other side is a dull light green. Indicators of outdoor grow operations include heavy traffic; use of camping gear or recreational vehicles on wooded property where recreational activities don't appear to be occurring; people with little or no farming experience who purchase fertilizer, PVC pipe, chicken wire, camouflage netting and clothing; irrigation or PVC piping in wooded areas; and even patrolled or guarded woods, swamps and remote areas. Peltomaa said incidents of indoor grow operations have been increasing in recent years due to the pressure put on outdoor grow operations, and it's not uncommon for drug rings to purchase homes in suburbs and convert the entire structure to growing the drug using hydroponics. Signs to look for in the latter cases include messy, unmowed yards, people frequently coming and going, fertilizer, blacked-out windows, ventilation fans constantly running, or no snow on the roof in the winter due to the home's high heat. To report a marijuana grow site, call 1-800-235-HEMP (4367), or the Department of Natural Resources Report All Poaching hotline at 1-800-292-7800. The Michigan Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program is a partnership of the Michigan State Police, local law enforcement agencies, the DNR, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [sidebar] WEED VS. JUST A WEED * Marijuana characteristics: It can grow up to 20 feet tall. Each main leaf has five to nine sawtooth-edged leaflets, the number of which can vary on the same plant, but always an odd number. The upper leaf surface is dark green and the other side is a dull light green. * Cinquefoil characteristics: Shrubby, can grow up to 3 feet tall. Leaflets, which also have sawtooth edges, number from three to seven. The plant has yellow flowers. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake