Pot grow houses making the news

[URY914]

The local paper has had stories almost every other day about pot grow houses being busted around here (Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater). Today they came out with an article with the reasons why. $5000/lb and $30k/month for an average home grower! They interviewed a former home grower to get the inside scoop. What a crazy life....

The story is here.... http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/may/13/weeding-out-growing-drug-problem/news-breaking/

"He loved marijuana and found a way to stay high without ever running dry by turning a rented house in Pinellas County into an indoor pot farm.

He didn't have a job, but he got paid. Every 90 days he made more than most people earned in a year when he harvested the buds and sold the marijuana for up to $5,000 a pound.

Craig had plenty of money; he often averaged $30,000 a month in pot proceeds.

He also had a chronic paranoia of getting caught and the loneliness that comes with keeping a dark secret. He lived like a hermit.

"I had no friends. No girlfriend. I couldn't have family over. I couldn't order pizza," Craig said. The Tampa Tribune is not printing his full name because he is an informant for the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Craig was one of the many otherwise law-abiding citizens who read books and scour the Internet learning how to make a living, pay off debts or rake in quick cash by running a grow house, detectives said."

[tabs]

SHYTE MAN....That CNBC special about POT growing in CA had people with their 30 plants growingright out in the open...They estimated 60% of Medinicino Countys economy is tied to growing Marijuna...

[TheMentat]

$5,000 / lb? I call bull$hit...

[Jims5543]

Same deal here, except the home builder was in on it, crazy stuff.

Desperate times forcing desperate measures for homeowners, and, to be honest, it's hard to believe.

A local builder is now the center of a massive marijuana grow house investigation. So far, 20 homes have been raided. All these homes were built by Global Home builders of the Treasure Coast.

And police believe the builder was making deals with people who couldn't make their mortgage payments. So, were they offering to save people's homes if they grew pot? Fox 29 finds out.

Neighbors found it hard to believe a school teacher could afford such a mortgage payment, but, inside, police found all the trappings of a full-blown marijuana lab, and, of course, this was house number 20 of what has become the Super Tuesday 2007 of sorts for extinguishing pot houses.

"I wasn't sure what was happening until I saw them taking out electrical equipment and lights - grow lights," says Pam Doss, a neighbor.

Chief Dep. Garry Wilson, St. Lucie Co. Sheriff's Office, says, "I don't know that they were all built by Global Homes, but Global Homes had an interest in them currently."

Now, Global Homes customers are also getting caught, and neighbors noticed the builder would come by often. "I wouldn't doubt it; that doesn't surprise me."

Police won't say how, but the owners have ties or some arrangement with Global Homes.

"He said he got over his head with the mortgage, and they were trying to take the house from him, so he had to move out," says neighbor Juliet Chambers.

The chief of police says grow houses are in every community and not just here. But, last year, they busted 75 grow houses, part of an intricate mob ring from New Jersey and back. Now, they have 20 with more raids coming late into the Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

Many of those homes belong to Global Homes customers facing foreclosure.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I could care less if someone wants a pot grow house next door - beats the hell out of having a meth lab. At least pot grow houses don't explode at random and release all kinds of toxic chemicals into the air. Plus stoners are usually kinda' funny. Meth addicts are violent and nasty individuals.

Once again I say the only "fix" to this problem is to legalize it already and tax it. Start focusing on the real problems here like poverty, unemployment, lethargy and boredom that lead people to use in the first place (same as with alcohol, which is legal incidentally...)

Waste of taxpayer $$$ IMHO - this whole "war on drugs" thing is insane in the context of a nation facing financial depression and collapse.

[Jeff Higgins]

Wow - prices have gone up. Authorities would never, ever grossly over-inflate the value of a bust, would they? Would they...?

[Rick Lee]

Even if pot were legalized, this kind of stuff will always remain illegal.

[m21sniper]

$5000 a pound?

Please...that's ridiculous.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I could care less if someone wants a pot grow house next door -

Someone just about did. It was a loft, I think, downtown LB. The smell will get to ya after awhile. The dopers that used to live behind me, before I shut the place down with a visit by the code enforcement people, used to hit it all the time. It would just waft into my yard and house. If you're not toking, the smell can be noxious. BTW, they were doing crack as well, hence my actions.

The plants are almost as bad and give off 24/7. Apparently the LB guy had a system for the odor, some filters.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Wait.....who's that at my door?

[911Rob]

Our Gubmint was processing press releases that Canadian Growers were trading pound for pound across the US border for Coke; it's a bunch of crap so they can get public support for hammering the stoners enterprises.

Now our Gubmint is introducing all kinds of NEW Federal laws to clamp down on Grow Ops; again. Good time to be getting out of that bizzyness imo.......

[creaturecat]

Resident Rastafarian at work
says it costs 2400-2800 cdn in B.C.

[ben parrish]

I know a few profssionals that smoke reguarly...lawers, physicians, corporate types...they say $100 a quarter is the going rate for high quality smoke these days. $5000 a pound is right on the money. Apparantely, this is some potent stuff...not what some of us "experimented" with in school.

[GG Allin]

It ridiculous that growing weed is illegal. I'm not into weed myself but I do know that $1200 for a 1/4 pound is not too far fetched. So $5K for a pound, if it's real good could be possible.

[tabs]

Why surprises me is the number of Boomers who still light up....

Light up or leave me alone...

[Superman]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

$5000 a pound?

Please...that's ridiculous.

Not really. $300 per ounce is a "good" price. At this price, a pound is $4800. Ounces are sometimes $350.

And quite frankly, worth it. At least in terms of the amount of THC you get. Some of the bud out there these days should come with a warning label. Stuff will make you stoopid.

That's what I hear, anyway. From friends and stuff. Who know people to smoke marijuana.

[tabs]

Liberal = Doper

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

I know a few profssionals that smoke reguarly...lawers, physicians, corporate types...they say $100 a quarter is the going rate for high quality smoke these days. $5000 a pound is right on the money. Apparantely, this is some potent stuff...not what some of us "experimented" with in school.

You can get decent pot for $40 a quarter. $100 will get you hydro and have you zooming like an aeroplane.

I would love to have a grow house next door, i love the smell of pot, much as i love the smell of a burning wood fireplace. I wish i could buy pot scented airfresheners. LOL...

PS: For the record i no longer smoke it.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Superman

Not really. $300 per ounce is a "good" price. At this price, a pound is $4800. Ounces are sometimes $350.

And quite frankly, worth it. At least in terms of the amount of THC you get. Some of the bud out there these days should come with a warning label. Stuff will make you stoopid.

That's what I hear, anyway. From friends and stuff. Who know people to smoke marijuana.

This is "street value" after it's divvied up.

The actual pound is worth nowhere near that much as a whole unit.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

I wish i could buy pot scented airfresheners. LOL...

I had a pothead roommate for a while. That's pretty much what it was like. He's not doing much, I'm sure you could live with him.