1920's Prohibition
Modern prohibition
Marijuana is the most popularly used drug that is illegal in the United States, it is said that for every cocaine user there are over one hundred marijuana users.() So, how is it that all of this marijuana is distributed throughout the United States? Unlike prohibition in the 1920's where organized crime such as the Italian mafia controlled the alcohol production and distribution, the production and distribution of marijuana is done mostly by small organizations. Marijuana is a plant that grows wild in multiple types of environments, some areas include the midwestern United States and the island of Jamaica . This ability for marijuana to grow easily and in many environments gives thousands of individuals the opportunity to start 'grow ops'. These 'grow ops' our short for grow operations, which are places that marijuana is grown, these places could include basements and or the outdoors. These 'grow ops' could only take one person to operate diminishing the idea for a large organization to operate the distribution and production of marijuana. Unlike many drugs where there is a long chain of distributions before the drug reaches the consumer, marijuana could go from a 'grow op' straight to the consumer. Many of these grow operations are headed by people ranging from the ages of 20 to 25, meaning that the youth has had a large impact in the production and distribution of marijuana. These 'grow ops' are also predominately in the United States, over 45 percent of all marijuana consumed in the United States was grown in the United States. The youth has not only taken part in the production and distribution of marijuana, they have also taken a large part in the consumption of marijuana. About 20 percent of marijuana users in the United States are within the ages of 18 to 25. Meaning that today's youth is a key reason for the production, distribution and consumption of marijuana. (The Union: the business behind getting high, Katel Peter, Drug Use Estimates)