Pubdate: Sun, 23 Feb 2014
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Author: Robert Jordan

DO THE MATH ON MARIJUANA GROWS

In response to Rebecca Fine's Feb. 16 letter regarding the marijuana
referendum, the problem is not the supervisors wasting our money -
it's the growers who are robbing us all.

I support the legalization of marijuana in California. Once this
happens, marijuana will become just another agricultural commodity
where the state can license growers, issue permits, regulate water and
pesticide use, and raise revenue from taxes for local
governments.

However, at this moment, most large grows in Butte County are illegal.
Over half of these illegal grows are run by drug cartels. This means
no regulation on water and pesticide use, geographical restrictions
nor tax revenue.

If a person were to smoke marijuana all day long except for eight
hours of sleeping, they would only smoke a little over three pounds a
year. Most recommendations allow for six mature plants. The average
poundage per plant is about four. The math is simple: six plants times
four pounds equals 24 pounds. That's almost eight times what a person
could smoke in a year.

Most people I know who have recommendations receive 3-4 pounds from
their growers per recommendation. What happens to the excess? Most of
it is sold by growers.

When I hear growers claim that the supervisors are "preventing sick
people from getting medicine", I laugh. What they really mean is the
new restrictions won't allow them to make hundreds of thousands of
dollars a year tax free at the expense of their neighbors under the
guise of "compassion."

- - Robert Jordan, Chico
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MAP posted-by: Matt