BUST PUTS FOCUS ON INDOOR POT GROWTH

The indictments of three people accused of running a large marijuana
production business in several Long Island warehouses highlight what
officials call a national trend toward indoor-grown marijuana that is
more potent, more profitable and more harmful.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of indoor
marijuana rooms discovered nationwide increased 38 percent from 2001
to 2006. The average number of plants found at such operations
increased more than 70 percent during the same period.

[redacted] were arraigned Wednesday in
federal court in Central Islip on charges stemming from what officials
said was a high-tech pot-production business run out of a series of
rented warehouses.

The men, who face the most serious money-laundering and conspiracy
charges and have criminal records, face life in prison if convicted.
They pleaded not guilty and were held without bail. [redacted] was
charged only with money-laundering and was released on $250,000 bond.

For marijuana growers, drug enforcement officials say, one advantage
of growing their illegal crop in basements and warehouses is obvious:
Such operations can be difficult to detect.

But the real motivation behind the move indoors is profit. Federal
authorities say [redacted] grew powerful marijuana
that brought in as much as $5 million since 1999.

Det. Lt. Pete Donohue, the commanding officer of Nassau police's
narcotics squad, said such high-end producers often build elaborate
hydroponic environments in which plants are grown in nutrient-infused
water.

Marijuana produced this way typically has a 14-week growth period and
can fetch $5,000 a pound or more. In comparison, lower-quality pot
grown outdoors takes longer to grow and goes for about $1,000 a pound.

The higher potency of indoor-grown pot enables it to command a higher
price, officials say. According to the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, the amount of THC in seized marijuana has increased more than
50 percent in the last five years. THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol,
is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Drug counselors say the harms of marijuana are multiplied when people,
especially young people, use high-potency pot. Regina Barrows,
assistant executive director of North Shore Child and Family Guidance
Center, says many young people combine marijuana with alcohol,
opiates, PCP and other drugs. Many believe it is relatively benign and
fail to connect its use to decreased concentration, falling grades and
social isolation.

"It's a dangerous attitude," Barrows said. "This marijuana is much
stronger, and it stays in their system for weeks and weeks."