By JAVIER MANJARRES

It seems as if Marijuana cultivation in Mexico could one day take a back seat to the ever-growing (pun intended) ‘Poppy’ production, as Mexican government officials are saying that they have “eradicated 40 percent more poppy  plants” and they have marijuana plants.

Drugs like opium and heroin, who are both produced from the cultivation of poppy plants, as well cocaine, which is made from coca leaves, are very expensive to make, making marijuana the cash-crop most drug dealers rely on to continue business as usual.

But drug cartels have wised up, and have been making inroads into the Asian Methamphetamine drug trade.

Fox Latino reports that the sudden decrease in marijuana production, and increase poppy plant production, is simple supply and demand. Drug dealers have lost profits in states like California, Colorado, and now Washington, or these respective states position of legalizing marijuana.


Understand that while states can legalize marijuana production and consumption, marijuana is still a federally illicit drug.

While the Mexican cartels provide only 7 percent of the world’s heroin, it is a key supplier of the narcotics flowing into the U.S.

The numbers are a significant change from 2007, when the area with marijuana crops destroyed by Mexican troops was about 50 percent greater than that of poppy – about — 22,965 hectares compared to 11,393 hectares. The gap, however, quickly began to narrow in 2008 and 2009, with a shift occurring last year, when 14,347 hectares of poppy was destroyed compared to just 8,670 hectares of marijuana.

The study also indicates that poppy production throughout the country is widespread, with it being grown both in northern border states like Nuevo León, Chihuahua and Sinaloa as well as in the far south of the country in Chiapas and Yucatán. Authorities also reported poppy field eradication on the Baja California peninsula in 2009, reported Mexican watchdog site Animal Politico. –Fox Latino