Help Not getting caught

[WhiteWidow9]

My wife and I are both medical patients, and we have no intentions of growing outside the legal limits, but I'd like to get as much information on what to avoid doing before we get too deep into it. I'm still not sure if we'd like to try indoor or outdoor, we have enough space for either, but I don't know what would be better.

How much more electricity do you need to be using before the energy company starts taking an extra look at you? Do police use FLUR cameras on helicopters to scope out grows? If police use FLUR cameras, are they supposed to have a reason or warrant? Can they legally take plants or equipment even if you are growing within your prescriptions limits?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[WhiteWidow9]

Found out everything I need to know except my first and last question. How much electricity do you need to be using before the utility company notices? Can I run a 1000 watt light without them taking note of it? How about 2? And if the police come check it out and have a warrant, can they take my plants or equipment even if I have my paperwork? (local police not the feds, I already know the feds don't care about state rights)

 

[Bill C]

Hi WW9

It will take a boatload of electricity before anyone is tipped off. A common 110V portable space heater uses 1500W of electricity. No one would notice if you added one, or several, of those around your house. Sure, your bill will go up, but not enough to send up any red flags. If you convert your whole house to a grow, and have 50 or so of those 1000W lamps burning, then someone might notice.

If the cops have a warrant, you can bet they're going to take everything they can, regardless of whatever paperwork you may have. "Tell it to the judge", will be their likely response. Sometimes, they don't even need [or bother to get] a warrant.

Good luck!

 

[TBayChronic]

If I had a medicinal card it would only be for if I got caught... I'd still grow like it was illegal even if I was within state law cause it still is illegal technically... I definitely wouldn't be growin outside where anyone could see it... That's jus askin for a neighbor or someone to call the cops not knowin u got the card n then you got a unwanted police visit that could turn into a big deal with an asshole of a cop

 

[WhiteWidow9]

We live on several acres in a pretty rural area. I'm not too worried about neighbors. I just don't want to attract attention. Like TBayChronic said, it's still illegal, at least on a federal level. We just want to grow our own shit so we don't have to go through shysty dealers or clubs that'll get shut down eventually, just handle that shit ourselves in peace.

 

[Greenhouse250]

I know a grower that has a 1200$ monthly hydro bill and no one is asking questions. Go figure! If your not ripping them off its money in the bank.

 

[Goshawk]

I live in Washington State and eight police officers came to my house with a search warrant to see if I was growing cannabis because they said a neighbor could smell it which I doubt. So I showed them my recommendation from my doctor. The lead officer showed me the warrant and said as long as I am in compliance with the rules they were not going to take anything. I showed them my plants and then we went to check out the drying buds. So after passing around some different buds around and checking out the smells they left. He told me to make sure I had locks on all the doors and to tape the recommendation from my doctor and a copy of my drivers license in the grow room in plain sight so if for some reason other police officers have a warrant and I'm not home they can see that I am growing medical marijuana. Since then Washington's marijuana law has been changing and posting that information is now required. At the time of the raid having a doctor's recommendation was a valid defense in court if you ever got arrested. Now the law instructs police officers to not arrest a medical marijuana patient that is in compliance with the law. The police, the judges and the prosecutors do not want to arrest someone and try a case in court that they know they cannot win because of the expense, overcrowded jails and backed up courts unless someone acts like an asshole and the police arrest them just because they can. I always treat police officers with respect and they do the same to me. Several times I have gotten just a warning driving my truck when I was clearly guilty just because I respect their authority and I know it's their job to throw me in the jail. So the main thing is to keep everything legal. The number of plants and the weight of the usable marijuana is what they are checking for. Every state's law is different so get to know your state's law and keep up with the changes. There are some good videos on YouTube that teach how to deal with the police on the street, in your car, and at home when they don't have a search warrant. Even when you are legal I think it's best to still grow with attention paid to the smells by using a carbon filter, venting into a chimney or a sewer pipe and keeping everything else out of sight. You can find information about just about anything using Google search or a program like it. I hope some of this helped..................................

 

[BarryMcokiner]

WW9- A bunch of great answers here. You are in the right place. I know when I was still 'copping' and in fact working dope, the only time we did anything cannabis related was when folks' were stealing power ($240k) and when the 'braindonor' had plants growing over the top of his fence and his growing license was forged. Both of these things I don't think you'd do. Thinking of the aforementioned guy stealing electricity, I'm certain if he paid his bill the police would have never been called.
Just check the law first and if the cops do come out, just lay it out HONESTLY. If I can help any further let me know.

 

[WhiteWidow9]

Great advice guys. Even though we're rural, I'd want to keep things indoors. I wouldn't want someone to try to steal our plants. I hear it's becoming pretty common in CA. I had considered redirecting the ventilation to the chimney, a false swamp cooler or sump fan, or to the dryer output with a Y-connector and a carbon filter on the grow room end. I just need to figure out how to protect my ventilation at those exit points from back-flow. Shouldn't be too hard.

 

[BarryMcokiner]

It reads as if you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do and if you do go indoors you won't need to hurry up to get it into the dirt. It is a SHAME that a certain amount of the public will ruin it for others, by bringing in a criminal element by perpetrating some times violent crimes, in what a whole bunch of us use as medicine, thus preying on the weak. I was just out there in Feb. and saw commerce in the different shops BUT also read about some TURD from Vallejo sticking up some guy in Santa Rosa for his "head" (oops sorry for the sermon)

I'd just add a couple things... don't forget the flooring. If it is on carpet, you may run into mold and mildew. I read where the experts opine growing on tile in case of spills.

Don't scrimp on a good door/lock! Best of Luck. I hope you and the wife can find some relief. Best of Nugs