LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky’s history with marijuana runs deep.
For decades, the state has ranked high when it comes to illegal grow sites. For the last six years, the United States Forest Service’s list put Kentucky in the top spot.
A couple of decades ago, it was pretty normal to hear choppers flying through the Daniel Boone National Forest. They were identifying illegal marijuana growing operations.
“Things change, you know, in the 90s and 80s it was a major economic source for this area, as well as a hot demand for it,” explained USDA Forest Service Special Agent Bryce King. “Kentucky and the Daniel Boone specifically has always had a problem with marijuana, and a lot of that’s due to the remote nature of the land.”
The 700-thousand acres, about 1.5 million acres if you count the proclamation boundary, are a big reason why Kentucky is one of the top states for illegal grow operations. The U.S. Forest Service compiled a list of all the illegal grow sites on their property for the last few years. Data compiled between the years 2018 and 2023 showed 744 sites in Kentucky. That’s almost triple the amount found in the state with the second-highest total, California. This year, though, Special Agent King says their numbers dropped significantly.
“I think we had documented 62 plants as far as on national forest service land,s whereas years before that, it was in the thousands,” King noted.
King doesn’t know if the rollout of medical cannabis on January 1 will affect their numbers in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
“It’s too early to tell at this point. I know in other states such as California, it actually increased illegal grow sites when medical marijuana became available,” said King. He credits increased efforts with the U.S. Forest Service and Kentucky State Police with keeping this year’s numbers low.
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