Ever hear about a news story where the police seize hundreds of pounds of pot or find a whole field of it and wonder what in the world they do with it all? Does it get stored in a giant evidence locker somewhere? It’s a common plot in police procedurals after all.
The cops seize some drugs, and either the kingpin or some schmuck who’s about to find himself at the bottom of the ocean if he doesn’t get them back sets out to get them back by any means necessary. It really depends on the situation what happens to these drugs and of course the rules vary state by state and federal.
If the drug bust was part of a major case or a serious crime the evidence will be stored for years because it might be needed during prosecution and won’t be destroyed until all avenues of appeal are exhausted. For a smaller amount of drugs or a smaller crime the drugs might be disposed of or kept. Police will keep drugs for training purposes, like teaching drug dogs how to recognize and find them. Police officers need to be trained on what marijuana looks and smells like too.
They might also be used for drug stings where an undercover officer would pose as a drug dealer and catch the person trying to buy from them.
If the drugs are stored they’re monitored closely whenever some are taken out and returned. They’ll be weighed when they’re signed out and weighed when they’re signed back in to make sure an officer didn’t take any.
If the drugs aren’t needed for training or operational purposes and aren’t needed for a court case they will be destroyed. A judge has to issue a destruction order. The agency that seized the drug most likely does bi-annual evidence destructions and when the time comes all the drug evidence will be destroyed in a giant furnace.
In the case of a whole field of marijuana law enforcement will actually bury the plants in a hole and cover them with dirt. (Some samples may be taken for evidence.) Once they’re not getting light or air they’ll start to die. Once all the marijuana is dead and dry then they’ll burn it.
Here’s an interesting idea from Germany – confiscated marijuana is literally fueling their economy. Customs officials in Munich had a thousand pounds of pot they were looking for a way to get rid of and instead of just burning it they took it to a power plant. The marijuana was used to generate heat and electricity for local residents.
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