Pubdate: Thu, 03 Dec 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2015 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Herbert Fuego

DEAR STONER: CAN I GROW POT IN MY BACK YARD?

Jack the Stack

Dear Jack: Yes, you can - with a catch. Colorado law allows residents 
over the age of 21 to grow up to six plants (up to twelve per 
household; only half can be in the flowering stage) in a private, 
enclosed space at their homes - indoor or outdoor. Most choose the 
indoor option because it's easier to construct a private, enclosed 
space inside a house than it is outside; putting a lock on the door 
of an empty room or setting up a small operation in the basement is a 
lot less hassle than building a greenhouse or hoop house in the back 
yard. In fact, those structures are banned in residential areas in 
some towns and neighborhoods.

If your town or homeowners' association allows such backyard 
projects, though, by all means, get your thumb green. 
Light-deprivation techniques in greenhouses can produce multiple 
crops every year instead of the single that's standard in outdoor 
growing - and you won't be using as much electricity, which is good 
for your wallet and the environment. But remember: If you don't own 
the home where you're planning to go green, run it by your landlord first.

Dear Stoner: My friend recently quit her job in the weed industry and 
said the turnover rate is very high at dispensaries and growing 
operations. What's up with that? Lynn

Dear Lynn: As with any business that depends on entry-level labor, 
the retail marijuana industry has a hard time keeping its lowest-paid 
employees around. We've asked a few dispensary chains about turnover 
rates in trimming, budtending and other entry-level jobs, and while 
they've all said it's an issue, they couldn't or wouldn't give any 
solid data. In the industry's defense, there's turnover in almost 
every line of work that relies on hard labor, and that's what 
cleaning water reservoirs, trimming pounds of sticky weed and rolling 
hundreds of joints entails. And who wants to do those jobs for the 
rest of their lives at $10 to $15 per hour? Young people, who make up 
most of this workforce, are only satisfied with the luster of working 
with pot for so long before they start looking for other options.

Another reason for the turnover is increasing competition. Look at 
the technology industry, which compensates employees much better than 
entry-level pot gigs do: The average tenure at Google and Amazon is 
less than fourteen months, according to compensation research firm 
PayScale. Both hire young workers, many of whom use the companies as 
stepping stones to better-paying jobs.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom