DEA Releases New Data On Marijuana Enforcement, Tracking ‘Chinese Grows’ For The First Time

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Augest 4, 2025

Enforcement efforts against illicit cannabis operations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held mostly steady in 2024 compared to previous years, according to newly released agency data that, for the first time, also tallies actions against what DEA calls “Chinese Grows.”

The new report from DEA’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication / Suppression Program includes numbers of “eradicated” grow sites, arrests, and weapons seized in association with cannabis-related enforcement actions, as well as the DEA-estimated market value of seized cannabis products.

Though data from some states is not included in the latest report, the DEA program nationwide counted 16,330 cultivation sites eradicated in 2024, including:

• 14,904 outdoor sites

• 1,426 indoor sites

A reported 5.3 million cannabis plants were seized.

As a result of these actions:

• 5,764 arrests were made

• 3,125 weapons were seized

In general, the 2024 numbers are considerably lower than a decade ago, before many states had legalized and regulated cannabis for adults or medical patients, providing consumers with legal and regulated means to access cannabis and reducing illicit market demand. However, they’re largely in keeping with actions from recent years.

On that note, DEA has come under fire for its failure to promptly or completely release data from its eradication program. Last December, critics pointed out that the agency hadn’t released new data in more than a year and a half, since May 2023.

Although DEA recently posted the new 2024 data, it also appears to have removed a statistical report from 2022 that had already been published. Additionally, a 2023 report includes entries of “0” for enforcement in several states, indicating either missing data or a lack of enforcement actions.

DEA didn’t immediately respond to Cannabis Moment’s requests for comment.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of the advocacy group NORML, called it “troubling” that the agency hasn’t provided more robust data:

“The DEA’s failure to release this data in a timely manner, coupled with its failure to release complete data for the years 2022 and 2023, once again highlights the federal government’s lack of transparency when it comes to providing accurate statistics on the estimated costs and scope of federal cannabis prohibition in America. At a time when voters and their elected officials nationwide are re-evaluating state and federal cannabis policies, it is troubling that these agencies are providing far less than a complete picture regarding the true costs and impact of maintaining cannabis criminalization in America.”

The recently released report, covering enforcement actions from last year, for the first time includes a separate column labeled “Chinese Grows”—illegal cannabis operations that officials and media reports say have become increasingly common in the U.S. in recent years.

In 2024, 15 Chinese cultivation operations were targeted by enforcement actions, with most in:

• Washington State (5)

• Oregon (4)

  
  

That’s just a sliver of the overall illicit cannabis actions nationwide, Armentano at NORML pointed out:

“Out of the tens of thousands of grow operations seized in 2024, federal agencies only identified Chinese involvement in 15 of them. This total would appear to undermine claims that Chinese drug traffickers are rampantly involved in these domestic operations.”

Armentano added that “it also begs the question why Chinese operators are being singled out as opposed to the involvement of other international [drug trafficking organizations].”

For decades, Mexican cartels were involved in illegal cannabis cultivation in parts of California, but DEA didn’t separate out those groups in past reports.

Notably, the most recent DEA statistical report does not include any information on some states, such as Maine, which news reports last year described as “the newest frontier for the illicit cannabis trade,” especially for Chinese-involved operations. It’s possible the missing data would show significantly more enforcement actions nationally.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently charged seven Chinese nationals with illegal cannabis activity in Maine and Massachusetts, though those actions are too recent to be reflected in the new DEA report.

Separate data from May 2024, released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), indicated that seizures of cannabis at the southern border declined again in 2023, with federal agents intercepting roughly 61,000 pounds—a 29 percent drop from the year before.

These findings align with other indications of declines in illegal cannabis trafficking as more states provide legal access to cannabis, including a U.S. Sentencing Commission report from March 2023 showing federal cannabis cases continuing to fall. While the report didn’t cite specific numbers for 2023, cases dipped again compared to the 2022 low of 806. By comparison, there were roughly 5,000 cannabis cases in 2013.

A 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report showed that at checkpoints across the country, agents are mostly seizing small amounts of cannabis from American citizens rather than making large busts of international cartels. The analysis also confirmed a significant decline in cannabis seizures at checkpoints since 2016.

While DEA hasn’t updated its DCE/SP data, the agency is actively participating in an administrative hearing on the Biden administration’s proposal to reschedule cannabis. However, the DEA judge assigned to the case has been critical of the agency due to procedural missteps.

Separately, just days after the Senate confirmed Terrance Cole as the new DEA administrator appointed by President Trump, the agency promoted another message warning against cannabis use, linking it to depression and suicidal thinking.

While DEA has been promoting anti-cannabis campaigns, this latest feature follows Cole’s confirmation. Advocates are monitoring how DEA navigates cannabis policy and messaging under his leadership. Cole indicated during his confirmation process that he planned to prioritize cannabis rescheduling but did not specify his stance on the reform. His statement upon taking office did not mention cannabis policy among immediate priorities.

The agency continues its anti-cannabis promotions. For example, last week DEA marked “World Emoji Day” by promoting its guide to “decode” symbols it claims are associated with illegal drug use and sales.

During “National Prevention Week” in May, DEA highlighted a campaign encouraging people to share memes with dubious claims about cannabis, including the theory that it is a “gateway drug.”

The “Just Say Know” campaign, coordinated by Johnny’s Ambassadors (founded by parents who say their child died by suicide after consuming high-potency cannabis concentrates), was not directly organized by DEA. However, the agency hosted the memes on two taxpayer-funded websites and sent email blasts to promote them.

In 2023, DEA advised young people to focus on becoming Instagram influencers instead of using drugs, promoting “7 Better Highs” such as becoming famous on Instagram, playing video games, and visiting pet stores.