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<br /> <br /> computation of rage price in a year froi iM0 quotes; <br /> <br /> interviews with long-time island residents; <br /> <br /> price per gram of THC. <br /> <br /> a. __P.oliceofficer testimony <br /> <br /> The immediate problem with police department estimates of <br /> <br /> street-price is that in the early 1980's the police department <br /> <br /> reports numbers both fantastic and contradictory. For example, <br /> <br /> Chief Paul reports in 1981 that his department seized 160,000 <br /> <br /> plants worth 14 million dollars and weighing 73,000 pounds. 23 <br /> <br /> By these figures each plant weighs approximately 7.2 ounces <br /> <br /> giving an absurdly low figure of 12 dollars per ounce. In 1983, <br /> <br /> his department reports "a 38% increase in the number of plants <br /> <br /> seized and a 111% increase in the weight recovered." 24 But what <br /> <br /> can explain the sudden increase in weight recovered? In 1984, <br /> <br /> Lt. Wakita reports "we flew 14 missions and eradicated 24,000 <br /> <br /> plants estimated at $24 million." 25 At an average bud-weight <br /> <br /> per plant of one ounce, this provides us with a price per ounce <br /> <br /> of $1000. Yet, on the very next page, he testifies that in 1984, <br /> <br /> his department eradicated 325,000 plan ts26giving a figure of 73 <br /> <br /> dollars per ounce. The next year, now Captain Charles Wakita <br /> <br /> reports 563,621 plants and 2,783 pounds of dried marijuana seized <br /> <br /> worth one-half billion dollars.27 This gives a price of $833 <br /> <br /> per ounce. In these early years of the program, the numbers vary <br /> <br /> deceptively. Graph # 7 represents these early efforts at <br /> <br /> reporting. <br /> <br /> Part of this problem is that the police department remains a <br /> <br /> <br /> 6 <br />