HUTCHINSON — The newest growth industry in Kansas? Large-scale marijuana-growing. Drug enforcement officials say that the number of outdoor marijuana operations has gotten much higher in recent years. Kansas Bureau of Investigation special agent Rod Page told the Hutchinson News that organized crime gangs are moving their pot operations to the Midwest, where they think there aren’t as many cops. They’re looking for backwoods areas where they think they won’t be caught, he said. In most cases, those who oversee the crop also live on the property, creating a danger for hunters and landowners who may accidentally find the pot plots. Page said contrary to conventional wisdom, drug officers have been getting onto the grass. They’ve found four pot plots in the last two weeks, he said.
Thursday, Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m.
