Tennessee Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication

The Tennessee Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication (GTFME), a multi-agency law enforcement task force founded in 1983, is managed by the Office of the Governor of Tennessee composed of local, state agencies organized expressly to eradicate illegal cannabis cultivation and trafficking in Tennessee. The Governor's Task Force is operated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force.^[3] The eradication season lasts from May through September in Tennessee, where outdoor marijuana cultivation ranks second in the United States, behind California.^[4] The task force, divided into three regional teams, East, Middle and West, centralized marijuana eradication in the state into a coordinated multi-agency program.^[5]

Tennessee Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication
Active	1983-present
Country	United States
Agency	Tennessee Bureau of Investigation^[1] Office of the Governor of Tennessee^[2]
Type	multi-agency law enforcement task force
Role	Law enforcement marijuana eradication
Operations jurisdiction	Tennessee
Headquarters	Chattanooga, Tennessee
Website
TBI Drug Investigation Division

The task force, created by then Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander's Executive Order #51 in April 1983,^[6] originally included the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee National Guard, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.^[7] A 2018 law removed the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission from the task force.^[8] The task force often uses helicopters, flown by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Tennessee National Guard, for aerial surveillance of outdoor marijuana grow sites in rural eastern Tennessee.^[9][10]

See also

• War on Drugs
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Kentucky Marijuana Strike Force

References

1. "Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Annual Report 2019-2020" (PDF). Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. September 28, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
2. "The Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication". Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
3. Dwayne Page (June 9, 2021). "Governor's Task Force on Marijuana Eradication conducts helicopter flyover in DeKalb County". WJLE. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
4. . National Drug Intelligence Center. February 2005. Archived from the original on 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
5. Poore, Jason (July 7, 2011). "Ideal State Level Marijuana Investigation & Eradication Program Design" (PDF). University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
6. "Complete Wipeout of Drug Not Easy". Rocky Mount Telegram. Associated Press. August 16, 1984. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
7. Dee Goodin (July 27, 1983). "Marijuana seized in Cocke County". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
8. Jim Matheny (December 22, 2017). "New law changes who enforces marijuana crimes". WBIR 10 News. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
9. "Authorities make largest Tennessee marijuana find ever - more than 350,000 plants". Kingsport Times News. September 9, 2009. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
10. Kendra Owenby (August 20, 2013). "Tennessee National Guard teams with drug law enforcement for marijuana eradication". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Retrieved 2022-01-09.

External links

• TBI Drug Investigation Division