Pubdate: Thu, 20 Aug 2009
Source: Patriot-News, The (PA)
Copyright: 2009 The Patriot-News
Contact: http://www.pennlive.com/mailforms/patriotletters/
Website: http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1630
Author: Amanda Palleschi

HERE'S THE DOPE: IT'S OPEN SEASON ON POT

The Army helicopter Boise 83 hovers 500 feet above  Adams County farm 
country, making circles and loops.

Boise is military code for a helicopter aiding in a  drug-enforcement 
operation; 83 is the number of the  helicopter that would help 
eradicate 300 marijuana  plants -- an estimated $600,000 in street 
value -- on  Wednesday alone.

The crew, Capt. Ernie Carlson of the Pennsylvania Army  National 
Guard and state police Cpl. Kenny Hassinger of  the Troop H vice 
unit, scan the fields below for  bright-green stalks of marijuana, 
sometimes up to 7  feet high.

At first, it seems impossible to tell pot from sumac  weeds, but 
Hassinger promises, "Once you see the first  one, it's gonna stand 
out like a neon sign."

After about an hour in the air, Boise 83 makes a  sudden, sharp right turn.

"There's the dope," Carlson says.

Minutes later, he adds: "Holy crap. There's a lot more."

Targeting two plants

It's high season for eradicating marijuana, and the  Pennsylvania 
National Guard Counterdrug Program, based  at Fort Indiantown Gap, 
predicts it will surpass last  season's haul -- more than 8,000 
marijuana plants  seized between June and October.

While there is a medical marijuana industry in  California and a 
grass-roots push to decriminalize  possession there, similar efforts 
are stalled in  Pennsylvania.

For Carlson, who spends six hours in the air, five days a week, 
scouring for pot, and National Guard Lt. Col. Robert Hepner, the head 
of the counterdrug program, marijuana is not up for debate.

"It's an illegal narcotic. It is a gateway drug," Hepner says. "I 
always get asked why the National Guard does this. ... We bring 
unique military skills to bear in supporting eradication."

The counterdrug operation typically targets two types of plants: 
"corn dope," or plants grown in corn fields, and "scrub dope," or 
plants grown in the woods, typically marked off by barbed wire.

The plants sport bulbs at the bottom, similar to potted tomato 
plants. That's because most of the marijuana grown in Pennsylvania 
starts as potted, indoor plants. Seeds are typically purchased 
online, Hassinger says.

The National Guard's counterdrug operation spends about two weeks 
with each state police post. Local and state police get tips about 
where marijuana is being grown, but the state troopers and Guard 
members often know from years of experience that pot likely is being 
grown in a particular area.

It's eradication time

That's the case Wednesday.

Once the men in the helicopter spot the stalks, neon green dots in a 
cornfield, they signal to six state troopers in cars.

"Boise 83. We have a specific on one of these residences around 
here," Hassinger signals.

The troopers pull up to a large, rural residence, letting the 
homeowners know they'll be going through their cornfields with 
machetes. Property owners often are unaware that marijuana is being 
grown on their land, Hassinger says.

Then it's eradication time. Hovering 500 feet above, Carlson directs 
the action on the ground: "In the middle of the field there ... go 
one row up. Now skip 10."

Sometimes the troopers will spot someone on a nearby ATV, and follow 
them for questioning. Today, there is no such suspect. The troopers 
take their haul to a nearby airport, where Carlson and Hassinger land 
just before an evening thunderstorm begins. At the end of the day, 
the 300-plant haul is logged into evidence at the state police 
barracks in Gettysburg.

Eventually, they'll take a torch and diesel fuel to the plants.

"Not a bad haul for today," Carlson says.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart