Dry Weather Affecting This Season’s Illegal Marijuana Crop

The drought seems to be having an affect on this year’s illegal marijuana crop in DeKalb County and other parts of the state.
The Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Department, conducted a helicopter fly over of DeKalb County Wednesday in search of marijuana, but no marijuana could be found.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says two helicopters flew over the county Wednesday in the areas of Austin Bottom, Cookeville Highway, Dowelltown, Liberty, and Alexandria. He says ” They saw places where marijuana had been grown last year as well as places where the soil had been prepared this year but the marijuana had not been put out (planted).”
Sheriff Ray says the reason there seems to be so little marijuana this year is due to the dry weather conditions. He says it takes a lot of fertilizer and water to grow marijuana, especially in the early stages, and many of these growers are probably finding it difficult to get water to the marijuana patches, since many small streams and creeks have dried up because of the drought.
He says members of the Task Force say DeKalb is among eight counties they have flown over recently and found no marijuana. This year, he says, the yield of marijuana could be under 50% compared to previous years.
The Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication include members of the Tennessee National Guard, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Sheriff Ray says his department will continue the search for marijuana throughout the growing season and if you have any information where some might be, contact the Sheriff’s Department at 597-4935.