RangerDanger
New Member
(For those of you who don't know, The Emerald Triangle is Medocino, Trinity and Humboldt Counties, in coastal Northern California).
According to the latest dea stats, in '04 we grew $1.5 BILLION worth of weed (retail). That's probably like half a billion to the growers.
None of the leo's & other politico's in this area will come right out and say it, but they owe their jobs, for the most part, to marijuana. Ever since timber restrictions went into effect over 20 years ago, this area has been hurting for a legitimate source of income. We have the highest unemployment in CA. (over 10%). Tourism is the main legit source of commerce out here. Of course, that doesn't factor in MJ.
Currently in Humboldt Co, with a Dr's recommendation you can have up to 99 plants at a time, or whatever will fit in a 100 sq/ft garden.
In other parts of The Triangle, they don't go by sq./ft. but solely on the # of plants per person. In Trinity Co. that's 12, which may not sound like much, but there is a technique that can yield 5 lbs (some claim more) of bud per plant. I know this for a fact; I've seen the plants.
5 lbs. per plant x 12 plants = 60 POUNDS OF WEED!!! Hot damn!
Understand that there are limits as to how much "prepared" (manicured, dried) weed you can possess. In Trinity Co. is a measly 1.5 lbs per person, but if you get "caught" with more, and there's no evidence of sales, they let it slide (within reason of course, if you have 60 lbs. you WILL have most of it seized and maybe be prosecuted).
SALES
While sales for the most part is still illegal in these parts (some people do sell to cannibus clubs and that's a grey area legally), everyone knows that the vast majority of weed people grow, legally or otherwise, leaves The Triangle. And while the local authorities can't come right out and say so, they don't want it to stop.
If the weed trade suddenly dried up, I'd say roughly 1/2 the people here would be forced to leave. Some towns would cease to exist.
That means 1/2 fewer cops, judges, d.a.'s, merchants, etc. Because of a greatly reduced tax base, that also means less councilmen and other beauracrats, and the remaining ones would take a bit hit salary-wise.
The aim of the politicians/leo's is NOT to stop sales, but to control it. They don't want for example want people selling it openly. If they came out publicly and stated that they supported sales,the feds would squash them and the area would be crawling with dea and Ahnolds boys (state heat), who get their paychecks from people outside the area.
In The Triangle, even if you don't smoke or grow, you know people who do.
In fact, if you picked 10 residents at random, it's a lock some of them grow.
I heard of someone the dea was secretly monitoring and they KNEW he grew way more that would have put him way past the legally allowed amt of "prepared" MJ. The feds raided him and only found the legally allowed amt. He said he burned the excess in his wood stove and there was no way for the feds to prove otherwise.
Most people who grow an excess have contacts in other area's (mainly SoCal). And for those who don't there are co-ops, groups that will help the grower move his product. There are lots of ways to move weed out of The Triangle (which I won't detail here) without too much risk.
If you're not shit stupid, you won't get busted.
The biggest danger commercial growers have is with the i.r.s. You drive a new $25k suv and have lots of other goodies and you're only source of income is your disability checks or pay from your part-time job, the tax boys are gonna know you're doing something else. But so far they haven't "cracked down", but who knows if/when they might. That's why smart sellers have a legit source of income and don't flaunt their $$.
I used to sell but since I moved up here a decade ago and got my recommendation, I no longer do. Any excess I have I donate to disabled people who are unable to grow.
In conclusion, if you like to grow massive (or modest) quantities of the sacred herb legally, The Triangle is the place to be.
P.S. I know a guy who grows LOTS of weed. He just likes to grow stuff--vegatables, flowers, and pot. His wife is totally anti-MJ. She made a deal with him. She won't squawk if none of the weed he grows leaves their prop. She won't even let him donate the excess.
Ever year at harvest, he invites friends over and they have a marijuana bonfire, burning last harvests' left-overs.
It's a shame seeing all that top quality bud destroyed, but he's happy (he doesn't need the extra $$, he's well-set financially), his wife's happy and imagine just how mega-stoned all of us bonfire attendee's get from standing around that bonfire. Most invitee's either sleep in their cars that night or have a designated driver.
P.P.S.
In other post I mention how in July of last year the dea helicopter circled my prop. 6 times. They only bust large grows but undoubtably took pic and turned them over to the local leo's.
I was panicked when I fouind out my script had expired and sweated bullets until I got it renewed. I fully expected the local heat to show up at any minute to scheck my documentation.
They never showed up. I'm sure they counted the # of plants, saw it was the legal limit and assumed I was legit. Even so, I didn't relax until everything was harvested, processed and the excess disbersed. It's hard to relax when you expect the cops show up at anytime. I don't do anythig illegal but I was sure they'd show up when I was beating off or screwing, which is a big wood stopper.
According to the latest dea stats, in '04 we grew $1.5 BILLION worth of weed (retail). That's probably like half a billion to the growers.
None of the leo's & other politico's in this area will come right out and say it, but they owe their jobs, for the most part, to marijuana. Ever since timber restrictions went into effect over 20 years ago, this area has been hurting for a legitimate source of income. We have the highest unemployment in CA. (over 10%). Tourism is the main legit source of commerce out here. Of course, that doesn't factor in MJ.
Currently in Humboldt Co, with a Dr's recommendation you can have up to 99 plants at a time, or whatever will fit in a 100 sq/ft garden.
In other parts of The Triangle, they don't go by sq./ft. but solely on the # of plants per person. In Trinity Co. that's 12, which may not sound like much, but there is a technique that can yield 5 lbs (some claim more) of bud per plant. I know this for a fact; I've seen the plants.
5 lbs. per plant x 12 plants = 60 POUNDS OF WEED!!! Hot damn!
Understand that there are limits as to how much "prepared" (manicured, dried) weed you can possess. In Trinity Co. is a measly 1.5 lbs per person, but if you get "caught" with more, and there's no evidence of sales, they let it slide (within reason of course, if you have 60 lbs. you WILL have most of it seized and maybe be prosecuted).
SALES
While sales for the most part is still illegal in these parts (some people do sell to cannibus clubs and that's a grey area legally), everyone knows that the vast majority of weed people grow, legally or otherwise, leaves The Triangle. And while the local authorities can't come right out and say so, they don't want it to stop.
If the weed trade suddenly dried up, I'd say roughly 1/2 the people here would be forced to leave. Some towns would cease to exist.
That means 1/2 fewer cops, judges, d.a.'s, merchants, etc. Because of a greatly reduced tax base, that also means less councilmen and other beauracrats, and the remaining ones would take a bit hit salary-wise.
The aim of the politicians/leo's is NOT to stop sales, but to control it. They don't want for example want people selling it openly. If they came out publicly and stated that they supported sales,the feds would squash them and the area would be crawling with dea and Ahnolds boys (state heat), who get their paychecks from people outside the area.
In The Triangle, even if you don't smoke or grow, you know people who do.
In fact, if you picked 10 residents at random, it's a lock some of them grow.
I heard of someone the dea was secretly monitoring and they KNEW he grew way more that would have put him way past the legally allowed amt of "prepared" MJ. The feds raided him and only found the legally allowed amt. He said he burned the excess in his wood stove and there was no way for the feds to prove otherwise.
Most people who grow an excess have contacts in other area's (mainly SoCal). And for those who don't there are co-ops, groups that will help the grower move his product. There are lots of ways to move weed out of The Triangle (which I won't detail here) without too much risk.
If you're not shit stupid, you won't get busted.
The biggest danger commercial growers have is with the i.r.s. You drive a new $25k suv and have lots of other goodies and you're only source of income is your disability checks or pay from your part-time job, the tax boys are gonna know you're doing something else. But so far they haven't "cracked down", but who knows if/when they might. That's why smart sellers have a legit source of income and don't flaunt their $$.
I used to sell but since I moved up here a decade ago and got my recommendation, I no longer do. Any excess I have I donate to disabled people who are unable to grow.
In conclusion, if you like to grow massive (or modest) quantities of the sacred herb legally, The Triangle is the place to be.
P.S. I know a guy who grows LOTS of weed. He just likes to grow stuff--vegatables, flowers, and pot. His wife is totally anti-MJ. She made a deal with him. She won't squawk if none of the weed he grows leaves their prop. She won't even let him donate the excess.
Ever year at harvest, he invites friends over and they have a marijuana bonfire, burning last harvests' left-overs.
It's a shame seeing all that top quality bud destroyed, but he's happy (he doesn't need the extra $$, he's well-set financially), his wife's happy and imagine just how mega-stoned all of us bonfire attendee's get from standing around that bonfire. Most invitee's either sleep in their cars that night or have a designated driver.
P.P.S.
In other post I mention how in July of last year the dea helicopter circled my prop. 6 times. They only bust large grows but undoubtably took pic and turned them over to the local leo's.
I was panicked when I fouind out my script had expired and sweated bullets until I got it renewed. I fully expected the local heat to show up at any minute to scheck my documentation.
They never showed up. I'm sure they counted the # of plants, saw it was the legal limit and assumed I was legit. Even so, I didn't relax until everything was harvested, processed and the excess disbersed. It's hard to relax when you expect the cops show up at anytime. I don't do anythig illegal but I was sure they'd show up when I was beating off or screwing, which is a big wood stopper.
