Albany --
State law enforcement officials have identified one of the latest illegal cash crops to hit the black market, and with prices soaring 300 percent, they have decided for the first time to crack down.
The plant isn't some new form of marijuana. It's ginseng - the ancient herbal remedy that promises everything from calmer nerves to increased sex drive.
Ginseng is, of course, legal. But it is also regulated by the state with strict limits on when it can be harvested and sold. Amid a surge in popularity, and a promise of big money, poachers have been digging up the potent root and trying to sell it out of season.
And that's a crime.
"As part of an investigation, we got search warrants and confiscated about 11 pounds of ginseng ," said Jennifer Post, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "The investigation is ongoing."
Ginseng , a gnarled root, is commonly associated with Asia, particularly Korea, but it is a burgeoning crop and business in the state. New York dealers handle $50 million worth of the product annually, according to state officials.
The plant grows well in the moist rolling foothills of the Adirondacks, and in its wild form fetches up to $500 a pound. It also is being grown by upstate farmers, officials said, although cultivated roots bring no more than $250 a pound.
There are about 250 roots in a pound.
"It's a more than a billion dollar worldwide business," said Michael Birmingham, a scientist with the DEC who oversees ginseng regulation. "In New York there are dozens and dozens of people who supplement their income with ginseng . We have some dealers that report trafficking more than 100,000 pounds."
Until 1987, the federal government blocked New York ginseng from being exported. That year, state officials overcame the ban by crafting regulations requiring dealers to be licensed. The rules also prohibited harvesting before Sept. 1. The rules were designed to allow the plants, whichh groow very slowly, to develop seeds before being picked and to ensure that the seeds are planted so the species would not be endangered.
But ignoring the rules is common. "From what we are hearing, it is a significant problem, probably more signficant than you think," said DEC Lt. Robert Henke.
Armed with search warrants, Henke and other police raided two upstate homes last week. In all, 2,160 wild roots worth $4,500 were confiscated. Charges are expected to be filed soon. The maximum fine is $250 and 15 days in jail.
But officials acknowledge the police response may be thwarted by the lure of a quick buck. Once offered only in specialty shops, ginseng has hit the mainstream. "We sell it in liquid extract, capsules, tablets, little vials that you drink. We carry the root; we have the tea, too," said Jen Fox, a salesperson at Sherry's Health Food Store on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon. "People come in here looking for it every day."
- By: Michael Slackman. ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
- SOURCE: Newsday1996.09.10
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