Marijuana.com

PotShot

Marijuana: A Growing Problem
Lisa Ferrari | WHSV.com | July 23, 2006

Louisa County Sheriffs made a huge marijuana bust yesterday confiscating 352 marijuana plants but how much of a problem is growing and selling pot in our area?

Investigators tell us yesterday's bust was significant and that they believe they made a dent in the marijuana trade, but that the fight is ongoing.

“If you have a remote location or you have the know how it can be fairly easy to grow this stuff,” said Major Don Lowe of the Louisa County Sheriff’s dept.

Outlying counties make perfect farming ground for pot growers. And while investigators have had success spotting marijuana fields from the air, they say criminals are growing smarter.

“They've gotten it down to a science at this point,” said Lowe.

Take the man sheriffs arrested yesterday. He had an elaborate system for growing pot. Starting with seeds, he potted plants inside his home.

“If you are growing inside the home you have to have temperature control, you have to have humidity and the right nourishment for the plants,” said Lowe.

In just six or seven weeks sun lamps and miracle grow helped sprout these plants to 15 feet in height. To tall to keep indoors the grower replanted the trees on his 30 acre property and set up an irrigation system. But once criminals move their operation outdoors, spotters can easily locate the plants from the sky.

“You'll notice the color is a whole lot different and it’s real easy to spot from the air,” said Lowe.

That's why many criminals have found a way to grow the plants strictly indoors.

“They do what we call topping. Where they trim the tops of the plants to keep them from growing no more than two or three feet tall but they may be six or seven foot wide,” said Lowe

When the plants are that big there is not only the danger of arrest but the smell is overbearing and the growing equipment could spark a fire, a risk criminals take apparently for the pay off. One plant can yield $2500 on the streets.

Marijuana is the most widely abused drug in the state of Virginia but how many people are illegally growing it, is hard to say. Investigators say they just know there are more people out there and it's a constant battle to find and arrest all of them.

And as for the man Louisa sheriffs arrested yesterday. He could face a federal trial if all that pot confiscated yesterday meets the federal weight requirements.

 

lilguyboi03

LOL. widely abused drug. I laugh.

Nugget Lover

yeah a lot of people grow in VA

king cola

"Outlying counties make perfect farming ground for pot growers. And while investigators have had success spotting marijuana fields from the air, they say criminals are growing smarter."

Prohibition of marijuana itself is what makes the people criminals, not the marijuana but the law against it.

They call marijuana the most widely abused drug. They don't defy abused. I don't call it drug abuse until someone becomes a addict, otherwise they are just a user. Someone doesn't become a alcoholic until they have a drinking problem, otherwise they are just a user when drinking a beer. If pot was legalized they probably wouldn't even call it drug abuse lol. Someone smokes a joint and they are called a addict/drug abuser.

"When the plants are that big there is not only the danger of arrest but the smell is overbearing and the growing equipment could spark a fire, a risk criminals take apparently for the pay off. One plant can yield $2500 on the streets."

They say growing equipment could spark a fire, maybe they are right but that growing equipment is also used for legal plants. Just because someone uses it for marijuana doesn't mean the equipment is going to do this or that because of what the person is growing. I'm no electrician, but i think it really depends on how safely everything is setup, not overloading circuits or getting water on chords and other things.

$2,500 for one plant, nothin like broadcasting that to the public during a bad economy lol. Some people probably read that in the paper and started thinkin they have nothin to lose and growing pot might be a good idea seein that they probably work their asses off week after week just to come up with that money. The way things are going some people are having a hard time making payments on their houses and other things.

replica

I grew up in Virginia (pun?), and I have to admit, we always had a great "selection" to choose from. Though the weed was a bit on the expensive side, it was usually good, and we had a new strain passing through the area every couple weeks.

Good, good times.

__________________
sleep please

Moderation is a smoker's best friend

More Rights, Please.