Associated Press Release

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida officials are reporting that 37,000 marijuana plants and 771 grow sites were destroyed last year by law enforcement.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Friday also announced that more than 700 arrests were made in connection with a crackdown on marijuana growers.

Florida participates in a domestic eradication program with both federal and local law enforcement. The program has been in place for 31 years.

State officials say that Florida's warm climate and rural woodlands provide a fertile environment for criminals to grow marijuana domestically. But the annual report put out by Putnam's office shows that a large number of marijuana plants were seized from indoor grow operations in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The report also shows that the largest number of plants destroyed in one year occurred in 1992.