Based on the seizures and average yield per plant, the current annual production is estimated to be about 800 tones (Statistics Canada, 2004). Two primary factors contributing to the persistence and growth of this crime include low risk due to relatively lenient sentences and high profitability.
THE EXTENT OF CRIME.
In the present, the marijuana industry is linked to organized crime, money laundering, home invasion, extortion, assault, and murder. This crime has now evolved into a thriving industry employing hundreds of thousands of people and generating billions of untaxed dollars in annual revenues. While the size of that industry has shown a slow but steady increase in some provinces, it has reached epidemic proportions in the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec (Statistic Canada, 2004). Ten years ago, it was estimated that about 10 percent of the marijuana available in Canada was produced within our borders. Today, most law enforcement experts agree that over half of the marijuana is now grown domestically (RCMP). In 2001, the police departments around Canada seized almost 1.4 million plants and 29,000 kilograms of marijuana (RCMP). Furthermore, marijuana offences accounted for three-quarters of all drug-related incidents reported in 2000 (RCMP). .
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CAUSES OF CRIME.
Crime is considered a form of deviance from one perspective ( Sacco and Kennedy, 2002). Deviance could be used to explain the criminal act of possession and consumption of marijuana. For example, the average consumer of marijuana brings to mind the image of a rebellious youth or a famous celebrity. However, there are many conflicting theories and no one theory can fully explain an individual's intentions, motivations, and/or actions. Given how widespread the current marijuana problem is, the criminal acts of supplying, distribution, possession, and consumption of marijuana could be explained through Anomie Theory and the breakdown of cultural norms.