Evil Mackerel: They only found 5000 plants, how are they worth 15 million?

Cop math. They figure out some obscenely high price per ounce (a price so high that any dealer selling for even half that price risks getting arrested for fraud) and then weigh the entire cannabis plants, including roots, stems and other parts of the plant that are generally not used to make smoke-able or edible marijuana, and including the pottery and soil if it's potted pot.

I'd like to ask all the old people that support the criminalization of marijuana in this country. When the state sends a citizen to jail for five years at a cost of $35k a year per person for having 5 cents worth of resin, who do you think pays for that? Answer:Everybody, even people on social security. The war on drugs, a socialist organization.

But, but, police officer and corrections won't have jobs anymore, they will have to fight real crimes like rape, murder, and financial crimes.

Ask any organized gang why they continue to do what they do. The logic is the same as the police officers. Because if they stopped they wouldn't be able to feed their families anymore.

Circular logic is circular.

1) How do you "manufacture" a plant? 2) These are American Jobs. 3) These American jobs could involve the payment of American taxes. 4)I'm convinced that keeping pot illegal increases access of pot to minors and discourages people who might feel they have addictive disorder from seeking treatment. 5) What if our schools were as well funded as our police departments?

kittyhas1000legs: King Something: Evil Mackerel: They only found 5000 plants, how are they worth 15 million?

Cop math. They figure out some obscenely high price per ounce (a price so high that any dealer selling for even half that price risks getting arrested for fraud) and then weigh the entire cannabis plants, including roots, stems and other parts of the plant that are generally not used to make smoke-able or edible marijuana, and including the pottery and soil if it's potted pot.

FTA: A total of 12,887 plants were removed from the area.

Cloudchaser Sakonige the Red Wolf: $1,164 a plant

Okay, maybe not as obscenely high as I originally thought but my point still (mostly) stands. I don't know how much usable product you can get from one plant nor the typical price per ounce of the stuff (full disclosure: I am not now, have never been and will probably never be a pot smoker; however I am in full support of legalization, regulation and taxation of the stuff), but I'm pretty sure that the owner of those plants probably would not have made over $1100 per plant.

I still say the cops' number crunching was simply (price per ounce, as set by the cops themselves)*(total weight of the plants, including roots, stems and soil)

King Something: Okay, maybe not as obscenely high as I originally thought but my point still (mostly) stands. I don't know how much usable product you can get from one plant nor the typical price per ounce of the stuff (full disclosure: I am not now, have never been and will probably never be a pot smoker; however I am in full support of legalization, regulation and taxation of the stuff), but I'm pretty sure that the owner of those plants probably would not have made over $1100 per plant.

Well, to be fair they do the same if anybody manages to steal goods before they reach the retail store - the stolen goods are rated at retail price, not the 50% or so lower wholesale price.

But I'm also for legalization. I think it'd drop crime a lot in this country. Treat drug addiction as a medical problem, not a criminal one.

This is goddamn stupid. They give these inflated figures to make it look important when it reality they just busted a couple guys tending plants. What a waste of time.
Also, I've been up in those mountains, beautiful area.

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road

Of all the ways to spend our tax dollars, the war on pot ranks among the very dumbest.

EngineerAU: Lunaville: These American jobs could involve the payment of American taxes.

Somehow I doubt that if it ever becomes legal that the current growers will still have jobs. The big industrial farming corporations will hire some of them for a season or two to get their expertise and then fire them. Then they'll grow it in massive quantities at low costs to drive all the little guys out of the market. On the other hand, at least there will be less boobytraps for hikers to accidently stumble across.

Your statement is depressing and absolutely true. Last year, I wrote a letter to my Senators advocating the legalization of pot and tried to address this highly likely scenario by suggesting the maximum size of a marijuana farm be limited to 10 acres with no individual, family, partnership, or corporation allowed to own more than one farm. I'm sure they got right on that.

There are lot of folks down here that would have absolutely nothing at all if they weren't clinging with both hands to a couple of acres of land. A system of small scale marijuana farming could seriously knock up their income levels - even with proper taxes paid.

I just came across this gem:

Evil Mackerel: They only found 5000 plants, how are they worth 15 million?

The article says 12,887 plants, though $1,164 a plant does seem awfully...high.

/agrees with Pat Robertson

They only found 5000 plants, how are they worth 15 million?