Troopers seize thousands of dollars in pot plants - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

State police hope to keep marijuana out of the hands of your children by nipping it at the bud.

Eyewitness News rode along with ISP's Marijuana Eradication Team on a mission to find pot growing and cut it down. They uprooted one illegal crop in Putnam County, among the thousands of dollars worth of marijuana plants seized Thursday.

"Right at your back door. It's quite a surprise," said Jim Sharp, who lives near the site of the seizure. "It's quite a shock. I have lived here 50 years. I am not sure I would even recognize a marijuana plant."

Troopers uncovered an elaborate marijuana grow operation in a wooded area, hundreds of yards off the beaten path. The setup involved underground irrigation to pull creek water to five different pot plant areas.

The plants cut Thursday measured four feet tall. Troopers say if they weren't cut down now, the plants could grown 10 feet tall.

Sharp, a retired health teacher who taught students to stay away from drugs, fears the marijuana could have ended up in your kids' hands.

"Very likely that's who is purchasing the marijuana is high school-aged kids and sometimes even younger," Sharp said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says from 2006-11, daily marijuana use jumped 6.6 percent among 12th graders. Troopers warn today's marijuana contains more of the chemical THC.

"The THC has grown over the years to five times the amount that we have seen in the 60s and the 70s. It's a more potent drug," said ISP Sgt. Curt Durnil.

Troopers say green treetops still make it difficult to spot marijuana from the helicopter. The crops they do find end up in the incinerator.

Marijuana use among children

According to NIDA's 2011 "Monitoring the Future" study, about 7.2 percent of 8th graders, 17.6 percent of 10th graders, and 22.6 percent of 12th graders had used marijuana in the month before the survey. In fact, marijuana use declined from the late 1990s through 2007, with a decrease in past-year use of more than 20 percent in all three grades combined from 2000 to 2007. Unfortunately, this trend appears to be reversing. Since 2006, annual, monthly, and daily marijuana use increased among 10th and 12th graders. In 2011, 6.6 percent of 12th graders reported using marijuana daily, compared to 5.0 percent in 2006.

Teen marijuana use study