Why is cocaine imported to the U.S.?

Question

Everyday we see marijuana busts in the U.S. where police find thousands of marijuana plants. How come nobody grows coke in the U.S.? Is it because the coca plant won't grow indoors? Is it just cheaper to import? Or is there some other reason? I would think that if it makes money then people would do it regardless of the stricter laws. A gram of cocaine is worth a lot more than a gram of pot.

Answer 1

Marijuana is firstly easier to grow- you don't have to process it to turn it into something different like you do coke. And the plant itself will grow almost everywhere.

But also simply put -- many more people want pot than coke. Because you can use pot and still live an ordinary life. Whereas coke eventually "addicts" you and you "must have" it,  marijuana doesnt do that. If you run out, you "wish" you had some but you can go on and do your everyday things without it .

Most important reason:   the penalties for growing some marijuana and the penalties for possession of any cocaine product are as different as night and day. A first time offender even growing a lot of pot will get much less time in prison than someone with even a small amount of coke.

Answer 2

hey lets put it this way! can i edit my answers? ahehehe.. aside from the fact that marijuana and cocaine is illegal. As i see US is mainly focused on industrial aspects than agricultural. are you convinced? well.. ask bUSH for further information.. Thank you

Answer 3

Your question got me curious, so I did a little research. If growing the coca bush from seed it takes 3 years to get a harvest of leaves. I would imagine that it takes a lot of coca plants to get a large enough harvest to be able to be able to produce a marketable amount of cocaine. While this is not the case with marijuana. Also the amount of space and energy it would take to grow indoors would make it very expensive. While one can grow a large amount of marijuana in a very small space.

On a side note: one of the posters mentioned that the penalty for marijuana plants would be far less than possession of cocaine. I was caught with 7 marijuana plants, all for personal use. I received a seven year suspended sentence, 1 year of house arrest, 5 years probation, $1500 fine, and 160 hours of community service. I was required to complete some drug classes where I met a guy there that had been convicted of possession of meth with intent to distribute. This guy had been given 6 months of probation, fines , and community service.