cannabisnews.com: Pot Industry A Covert Player In Local Economy










  Pot Industry A Covert Player In Local Economy

Posted by CN Staff on June 11, 2002 at 18:19:06 PT
By Chris Evans, Athens News Campus Reporter 
Source: Athens News 

Every year, southeast Ohio produces millions of dollars worth of marijuana that could boost the Athens economy, according to some Ohio University professors. "To serve and protect" the public is the police mission, but when it comes to marijuana it's seek and destroy. In the past six years, state and local law enforcement agencies reported confiscating more than $80 million worth of marijuana from 10 southeast Ohio counties in an effort to eradicate the intoxicating drug. 
In such economically depressed areas as southeast Ohio, marijuana eradication destroys wealth that would otherwise support the legitimate economy, said Rick Matthews, assistant professor of criminology and sociology at OU. "If you stopped all the illicit drug dealing in the country, it would have a detrimental effect on the economy," Matthews said. "The dealer at the used car lot doesn't care where you got your money, as long as you're buying a car." Appalachia's rural pot growers rarely fit common conceptions of drug dealers, according to Matthews. "It's not all these evil characters," he said. To make ends meet, farmers sometimes grow marijuana mixed with crops such as soybeans or corn, Matthews said, and their motives are purely economic. Secluded areas and good growing conditions make southeast Ohio an ideal place to grow marijuana, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The high quality of the area's marijuana and the danger involved in its production and sale give it a hefty price tag, confirmed Bret Crow, spokesperson for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI). "It's highly plausible that marijuana is Meigs County's biggest cash crop," said Richard Vedder, a retired economics professor at Ohio University and a widely published economist. "By the very fact that the marijuana trade is illegal, nobody knows its exact size." An average pot plant is worth $1,000, according to BCI statistics. A quarter-ounce of locally grown marijuana, enough for a dozen joints, sells for around $100, local sources said. Continuing an older trend recorded since 1996, southeast Ohio was a major source of marijuana seizures in 2001, accounting for almost half of all seizures statewide, according to BCI, which tracks and assists marijuana eradication in Ohio. A total of 81,249 plants, about a third of all Ohio pot captured over the past six years, came from Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Noble, Vinton, Washington, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence and Monroe counties. To meet local demand, most regional growers sell their pot to people living in Athens and other population centers, who then re-sell smaller quantities. Some also sell to people who smuggle the drug out of the region, local police said. As dealers replenish their inventories, money flows back to the growers, who reinvest in fertilizer and other growing expenses. But people shouldn't assume that all drug sales are economically beneficial, Vedder said. Users don't help the area economy unless they buy locally produced marijuana. "You could actually hurt the Athens economy," Vedder said. "If what's happening is that money is being taken out to buy ( drugs ) produced outside the community. It could be a drain." According to BCI's spokesperson, more and more cheap, low-quality Mexican pot has been imported to the region as police have clamped down on local production. It's fairly common knowledge that marijuana production was once a huge part of the local economy. Athens is said to have been the regional distribution center for marijuana produced mainly in Meigs County during the '60s and '70s, according to Vedder. Though pot production was higher before the eradication efforts of the '80s and '90s, Vedder said, stories about the region's pot industry are probably overblown. Vedder pointed out that personal income in Meigs and Athens counties has increased steadily over the years, even when the marijuana eradication program was at its most active in the '80s. Though not evident in county statistics, money generated by marijuana sales probably had some impact on local economies, Vedder said. The pot industry just wasn't the financial empire some stories make it out to be, he maintained. A former marijuana farmer from the Athens area said that growers produced hundreds or thousands of plants at a time in the '70s. Athens County Sheriff Vern Castle backed this assertion, explaining that today's growers work on a smaller scale in better-hidden areas. Though police efforts were only one factor, the local marijuana industry and the large growing operations it relied upon began to collapse in subsequent years, the former grower said. Over the years, dealers lost their market position, partly because they failed to pass on their knowledge and experience. "My generation were all risk-takers, and we knew how the business worked," said the former grower, who asked not to be identified for obvious reasons. "But after us there was no one to take over." At the same time, cocaine dealt another blow to the local scene, he said. Cocaine dealers captured pot industry profits, and many marijuana dealers became addicted to the new drug. "Yep," he said. "Cocaine destroyed most of them." Though the high price of the region's marijuana would fall if it were legalized, consumption would probably increase, according to Vedder. The result would be higher income for pot-producing regions such as southeast Ohio, he said But to some, marijuana's economic potential is outweighed by the negative aspects of drug use. U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 6th District, including eight of the 10 counties surveyed, said that illegal drugs can never be a truly viable economic asset. "The economic problems of southeast Ohio are not going to be solved by growing marijuana," Strickland said. "If we're ever going to have strong economic growth, we've got to have a strong education system. That's absolutely the foundation." Economic assistance for Ohio's most stressed areas is the way to go, said Strickland, adding that illegal activities should never be encouraged. With increased use, marijuana's side effects would damage public health, said Mindy Jones of Health Recovery Services in Athens. Marijuana weakens users' immune systems and is especially harmful to young people, whose bodies and minds are still developing, Jones said. The drug can make it difficult for people to accomplish tasks, she said, by creating an excited mental state where users feel they want to do several things at once. Often, they will end up doing none of them, she said. On the other hand, abusers might feel more comfortable seeking treatment if the drug were legalized, she said. "People might not come now," said Jones, "because it's illegal and they might be afraid they'll be reported." Athens Police officer Ron Brooks, a specialist in narcotics while assigned to the department's investigative unit, said that it's inappropriate to look at marijuana exclusively in terms of economics. "If ( growers and dealers ) spend money, they're probably putting it back into the economy," Brooks said. "But I don't look at it as a positive." People without much money often spend what they have on drugs, Brooks said. "Most jobs around here don't pay that well," he said. "If people are trying to make a living off minimum wage, they don't generally have enough money to go out and buy a bag of weed." He said drug users often steal to finance their habits, canceling any positive economic activity with the cost of their crimes. But there would be less drug-related crime if marijuana was legalized, said Vedder. "If you could buy marijuana out of a vending machine, people would be less likely to commit crimes than if they have to put out 20 or 100 bucks," Vedder said. Vedder agreed that there's obviously more than economics to consider when it comes to marijuana and illegal drugs. "I suspect that the legalization of marijuana would have a positive effect on this region's economy," said Vedder. "Does that mean we should legalize? Well, that's another issue." Source: Athens News, The (OH)Author: Chris Evans, Athens News Campus ReporterPublished: June 10, 2002Copyright: 2002 Athens NewsContact: news athensnews.comWebsite: http://www.athensnews.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help





Comment #33 posted by Lehder on June 15, 2002 at 04:56:46 PT
Russell Means
wow, Nuevo, pass the Suzies, please! (all the chilis here are El Gringo brand "mild" and in a jar.) thank you Russell Means home page:
http://www.russellmeans.com/The military-industrial complex and their dupes in Washington D.C. have now found the perfect never
    ending war, a war against the unknown. This will be worse than the drug war. In order for this war
    against the unknown to continue forever, sporadic terrorist acts of violence will have to take place
    within America. The landscape of America will become littered with armed forces.... -- Russell Means not if we can help it 
http://www.russellmeans.com/read_04.htmltipping my hat to all those NM hippies in the mountains taking their water from cisterns, their electricity from the sun, and making a beautiful place their home. PAZ
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #31 posted by Number 7 on June 14, 2002 at 13:15:49 PT

push push
who is pressing buttons now???
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #30 posted by pppp on June 14, 2002 at 11:33:16 PT

Number 7
very few people know,,,but for even higher yeilds,,certain bible quotes have been known to stimulate growth.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #29 posted by Number 7 on June 14, 2002 at 10:55:48 PT

I'm stunned
Thanks for the info. Great site. Much to be learned from this. I did not think it was possible to have that much yield from a single plant. At least not without a factory sized location. Thanks again. 
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #28 posted by StickyResins on June 14, 2002 at 09:08:24 PT

check overgrow number 7
I was searching arounf overgrow.com and i cam across a grow op in BC where they were getting over 2 pounds per plant. It is very possible and if you look around at overgrow there are many people that get at least 4 ounces off of one plant. 
Maybe this person you saw growing wasn't as experienced as someone from BC or someone who has been growing for awhile.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #27 posted by Nuevo Mexican on June 13, 2002 at 08:53:41 PT

You know the place Lehder!
And it really is Mexico here already, the U.S. just hasn't realized it yet! In fact, due to the Treaty of Guadalupe, Russell Means is running on a platform that uses this treaty as proof that all Federal laws in New Mexico are illegal! This will be huge when his campaign takes off! I met him at a Peace Roundtable gathering that our good friend from Tennessee, the Farms' Stephen Gaskin moderated, (great chat over a bowl of 'green' chili, so to speak). Stephen says hi to C-News readers and has a great new book called 'Cannabis Spirituality' Excellent for spiritually minded tokers with a definative 'sixties' outlook! Yes Lehder, our freezer is full of frozen 'Hatch' Green Chilis', so stop by and we'll fix you up with a 'Suzie' (green chili and cheese wrapped in a tortilla)! The best things in New Mexico life are 'green'!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #26 posted by Industrial Strength on June 13, 2002 at 00:48:01 PT

300-400
Thats also street price. Any grower who sells ounces to actual smokers not to people who redistribute is just asking for trouble. Especially such a big time grower such as yourself. Vindictive-ness is a strange human foilble. Why do I want to pull the verbal trigger?
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #25 posted by Lehder on June 12, 2002 at 20:14:42 PT

Nuevo
Except for mention of the Rio Grande, I'd swear you were describing that little mountain town with the mine, a delightful place with so many good things going for it, especially now that the barking dogs have shutup.Anyway, there are various places like what you've described in beautiful NM. I'm hoping it becomes a part of Mexico itself again. I have many good memories of NM, and I miss it. Too bad that Albuquerque has lost a lot of its charm and become so violent, in large part due to the drug war and various other government influences. Send me some Hatch chilis - mas picoso.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #24 posted by Number 7 on June 12, 2002 at 18:29:12 PT

Sticky Resins...
Although $300 to $400 is in my area a realisic price to pay for good BC bud I still have issue with 4 ounces off of a plant. At best I have seen 3/4 of prime bud on a single plant. No 'shwag' here. Nothing but HID used. A small op using only 2 400w to be sure. I don't doubt your figure, SR, but I am curious as how this can be done without using enough juice to bring attention from some curious clerk at the electrical company looking for that $5000 reward. (for turning in a grower)
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #23 posted by Nuevo Mexican on June 12, 2002 at 15:18:04 PT

I am the original 'lawnboy'!
as my fathers punishment for my long hair was to compensate with the perfect Indiana lawn! You like nature so much son, you better get out there and mow that lawn! You like peace, flowers, love, etc. so weed those flowers, weed the garden and don't forget, love your chores, (I did). Funny, it was his father, a chiropractor, who prescibed cannabis to 'childrun' as well as adults, (I told mom recently, all I wanted most likely was a 'brownie' as a child, and my crying would've stopped, she agreed!) Granddad passed away when I was 2, so I've picked up where he left off it seems!
The observation that cutting lawns is a subliminal, 'keep of the grass' message, seems fitting! Where I live now, there are now mowers, no mowing, just cows and horses grazing and the bank is the only place with a lawn! Idiots!
We're in a major drought and they STILL water! Of course, with no mowers and no engine noise, this place attracts: hippies! Called Mesa Rats due to the fact that most live 'off the grid' and use recycled rain water from rooftop collection systems, and filter it to drink, bath, water gardens and so forth. Composting toilets that use no water, require only the sun to compost the waste, and eliminate the need for septic tanks and prevent pollution of ground water etc. Solar panels to free themselves from the slave routine of paying utility bills to corporate criminals like Ken Lay and bush buddy cohorts, and wind generators that are quiet and only cost $500 bucks now. 'Off the Grid folks! Thats where your headed, as every time we pay a monthly bill to your corporate owned utilities, you support the system that keeps you enslaved. Currently, my rent goes to support my landlords efforts to live bill free, as he is building an adobe boat in the desert, for his wife, next to the Rio Grande! He's paid off his land, only owes for his solar panels, and thanks to a cistern, has plenty of water storage capabilities! When the fit hits the shan, he'll be ready, as nothing will change for him, other than feeling really smart for not waiting to do what we should all be doing. Our money supports the system that enslaves us, let's take a portion of that every month and put it towards energy self sufficence and starve the corporate rapists! Due to the fact that so many are getting off the grid, our local electic provider is now offering 'Green power' options to those who want their money to support solar, wind and other non-nuclear, coal-fired sources! we are building a new world, but the old world will be coming down from self-implosion, as is symbolically happening, and will continue to manifest
as fear and hopelessness, but the good news is, the faster the old world collapses, the sooner the new world will emerge! Its all good! War is over, ding dong the pretzels' gone!
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #22 posted by FoM on June 12, 2002 at 14:12:18 PT

Lehder
You're so very right. We stand guilty about the mowing. We mow many acres. When we had the horses here we baled much of it but now it's mow mow and mow somemore. Assembly of God Churches on every corner. Right again. When I went to Church that's where I went. Not any more. Not for many years. Knowing very well about the AOG it really scares me to think that's what Ashcroft is. Heavy Duty Stuff there.
[ Post Comment ]


 


Comment #21 posted by Lehder on June 12, 2002 at 13:56:25 PT

A Giant Green Haircut
Ohio is very pretty with its greenery and rolling hills. It also has a vicious drug war where cops still bust into people's homes on an anonymous tip. It's full of fundamentalists with signs in their yards like "Repent and God will Bless America" and "Accept Jesus, Avoid Hell." And you can't drive five miles without encountering a church of the "Assembly of God" variety - John Ashcroft's branch of the Pentecostals Okay, fine, fine, live and let live - these people are welcome to their damn churches, but the bigotry and drug war and patriotic buffoonery that are linked to them speak of a violent, oppressive intolerance. All these can be avoided with a low profile and by maintaining a stupid expression on your face at all times: you'll have little trouble then and the countryside is peaceful...except....It's the mowers, the armies of riding mowers. For such a lovely place with abundant rain and where everything grows beautifully and rapidly, the people are obsessed with cutting everything down: lot clearing, stump removal, bushhogging, rototilling, sickle-blading and, above all - MOWING. 71% of the population is hard of hearing from the constant roar of mowing. One person saddles up on the Brady or the Wheelhorse, a neighbor - just as decent as the next guy, just as responsible - perks up his ears and soon he's mounted his mower, and pretty soon the whole damn hillside is aroar. Wildflowers, dandelions, devil's paintbrushes, animal carcases, children's toys, litter - all is fodder to the whirling blades.At least there's no super-loud music vibrating my walls and floor or I'd go nuts here. I close the windows, insert my ear stoppers and I am at peace.But these people are as crazy as their drug war. It's not much to aspire to, but I think it gives them a sense of accomplishment to look over a freshly mowed, treeless expanse of monoculture. I think too that it might make some of the state's most obsessive mowers, judging by appearance only, feel that they're cutting off hippies' hair with their giant, impetuous machines. Who know what's in their minds? Maybe nothing at all.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #20 posted by FoM on June 12, 2002 at 12:31:06 PT

StickyResins
The Guardian Unlimited and the BBC did an article on the decrease in crime. If you mean why didn't we read or hear about this in the states I don't think they would report positive news. They mostly only report negative news. That's sad but it's true.
Lambeth Street Crime Falls 50% 
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13008.shtml

Crime Falls in Cannabis Trial Area
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12990.shtml

Drugs Uncovered: Observer Special 
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #19 posted by StickyResins on June 12, 2002 at 12:22:18 PT

i agree
That 300-400 is alot to pay for an ounce of herb. Of course you can always find mexi-shwag around here for about 100 an ounce. BTW interesting article about the decrease in crime since UK has decriminalized....anyone know why they refuse to report such things in the major media, or am i just missing it?
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #18 posted by FoM on June 12, 2002 at 11:52:38 PT

$300 to $400 
Gosh that sure is a lot of money. I can't imagine anyone paying that much money in this state. No one could afford it. 
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #17 posted by StickyResins on June 12, 2002 at 11:39:47 PT

$1000 a plant is easy
I don't know how you guys figure that one pot plant isn't orth 1000 bux....in my area an ounce of high-grade pot goes for 300-400 bux. If you are growing pot it is easy to get 4 or more ounces off of one plant. Four ounces at 300 a piece is 1200....i know that one pot plant isn't "worth" that much at all in reality...but with todays market it would be easy to make more than 1000 a plant....you guys need to stop flowering your plants when they are seedlings...and throw out those flourescent lights, adn get some real cultivation lights
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #16 posted by FoM on June 12, 2002 at 07:50:38 PT

CongressmanSuet
We really like living in Ohio. We've been here since 73. We paid $1,000 an acre when we bought our land in 79. Our neigbors place is for sale. It has 5 acres, above ground pool, full deck around the house and small horse barn for $65,000.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #15 posted by dimebag on June 12, 2002 at 07:50:05 PT

In Response to P4me
 You have got it right on the fukin bud. NO PUNN Intended.
Congress has got to go. There should be a term served by congress, just like every other Political Office held. What makes these Brueaucratic Over Religious Zealouts think they have the POWER To choose what is right in this country and what is wrong. I mean there is the Obvious that Murder, Rape and Theft is all wrong and should not be part of any society. But when it comes down to it. Who are they to tell us its wrong to Grow a Plant. Its just a Weed.
Its not like its a Fukin Biological Weapon used for mass distruction. We will never get things changed unless we show the Government that we arent afraid any more. We have put up with the Tyrrany and bullshit long enough. Of course we cant overthrow the gov. that would be stupid, we have to look at how people got things changed in the 50's, 60's, 70's ... People got together, they Protested. Fuck even the Black people had More Balls than us. They had A million Man March in Washington D.C... not just in local cities but in the capitol of the U.S.A. They had a leader that was prepared to Die for his cause. Is any one here Prepared to Die to get Marijuana Legalized?I Aske that question again....... IS ANY ONE HERE PREPARED TO DIE FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN? ARE WE PREPARD TO RISK WHAT IS MOST PRECIOUS TO US (LIFE) TO SET STAGE FOR OUR FUTURE.I AM!!!DIMEBAGOh and one more thing... Do on to others as THEY have done on to you!!

[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #14 posted by Letsgetfree on June 12, 2002 at 06:54:05 PT

XTRA! XTRA! SOCIALISTS INVADE AMERICA
US Goberment admits that it's a socialist state!Laissez Faire is only good for da IMF and World Bank, for America it's DEAd. Agentina must privitise but America hands out subsedees to farmers, puts tariffs on Canadian products and put it's hands into economic matters that supposidly should be guided by the market. Who is government to deceide what crops farmers can grow to support themseleves? Adam Smith would be rolling in his grave, along with the other founders. XTRA! XTRA! USA GOES SOCIALIST PASS IT ON
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #13 posted by goneposthole on June 12, 2002 at 04:47:29 PT

Easy now, Congressmansuet
The 'Dukes of Hazard' type may one day come to your aid. You might one day be laden with a heavy load, and need a little help.Penny is the correct spelling. As a side note, in fact, J.C. Penney was in a mental institution and decided to commit suicide while he was there. After he thought he had committed suicide, he awoke on a Sunday morning and could hear a choir singing. He thought he was dead, but the obvious fact that he was not changed his entire outlook on life. He went on to make his fortune. Others were there to help with his 'heavy load'. Never underestimate your fellow man, even in the most dire straits.
 
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #12 posted by CongressmanSuet on June 11, 2002 at 23:31:26 PT

Ohio Cannabis...

   I did almost 5 years "hard time"[not jail, just coexisting] in West Virginia, and almost everything I ever had that was worthwile came from my buddies in Ohio. I love the $1000 a plant figure, its typical official bs. The $400 an ounce number is off, some of the sweetest, pine smelling bud came in at around $220 an oz, and worth every penney. I have still not ruled out an eventual move to Ohio. Land is still cheap, people seem pretty laid back, but not that stupid "Dukes of Hazard" type of retardation that is still running rampant in the great states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc. Ohio is a good place to live. Thank you, Ohio, for helping me keep my sanity and health in times of need!
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #11 posted by Industrial Strength on June 11, 2002 at 23:02:03 PT

extremists
No, they are out to make a buck. Don't get so self rightous.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #10 posted by p4me on June 11, 2002 at 22:45:25 PT

My fellow Extremist
This is sad that our views are not represented in article about growing marijuana. We understand that these patriots are fighting the oppression of a corrupt government and there is no gratefulness for their risk and efforts. When the American people are presented with the question of why only 73% of Americans think marijuana is medicine and 97% of the UK citizens think the like thought, light bulbs will go off. Even some big mouth like O'Riley might ask the question that wakes up Americans. It is so insidious (1.Working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner- I checked the spelling at dictionary.com and copied the definition with it) because it will eventually lead to the question of how can the will of three/fourths of the people go unrecognized by Congress and where is the press in all this. The right person has not asked the question yet and it is coming.Tomorrow the air will be unhealthy to breathe tomorrow after about 6PM and code orange days will follow until the air happens to move. I mean I know Congress likes to keep the topic on National defense and terrorism because they have their lines down, but who is going to protect us from the air. Cut the defense budget and clean up these smokestacks and anything else. Protect us from the air. The government is flat out lying about anything to do with protecting us from anything. Who is protecting us from Congress and their idiotic priorities? Don't they make laws for a living? Something is wrong my fellow extremist. Out of nearly 300 million Americans why are these 535 so much better than any one else? They are not and they all must go.Don't you think they should have mandatory retirement in Congress by at least age 90? How can you not think they all have to go? I ask the question because I do not have the answer.1
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on June 11, 2002 at 20:56:33 PT

Pay attention politicians and LEO's
Cannabis is here to stay, and will never go away; legal or not.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #8 posted by SirReal on June 11, 2002 at 20:46:11 PT

........tsk tsk Asa......

******UNRELATD*****Just saw Asa on O'rielly Factor...Hey,...Asa said they're winning the drug war!He said drug use is down %50 over the last 20 years and more needs to be done!!I'm just now wiping all the soda off the tv screen from me spewing it all over it when I heard him carelessly lie like the scumbag he is with that dreamland figure.I think he senses his troops soon being overworked since the FBI has decided to try their hand at fighting real criminals by reassigning 400 agents off of drugs cases. Morale at the DEA has got to be low for him to start lying like this to try and capture as much additional funding as possible.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #7 posted by Industrial Strength on June 11, 2002 at 20:35:06 PT

Strong Education
"If we're ever going to have strong economic growth, we've got to have a strong education system. That's absolutely the foundation." 
Well, Strickland, take all the money from the DEA, DARE, plan Columbia ect ect and give it to schools. Such a simplistic view point, I know, but simple often works.
As for the average yield of a pot plant being 10 ounces... Not even close. And no strains, except for perhaps pure ruderalis would ever flower in three months outside.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #6 posted by bongathon on June 11, 2002 at 20:09:39 PT:

legal
Political image is all that matters to politicians so it will only be legal when it is the most opportunistic for public officials, we are not there yet, but slowly the economics are going to make the difference, most conservatives interested in legalization are only concerned about it because of its economic cost and the cash it would generate in tax revenue if legal. 
For a plant to be worth $1000, it would have to produce 10 ounces, that seems about average, some bud can produce more in 3 months than other strains do in 6 months.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #5 posted by bruce42 on June 11, 2002 at 19:41:54 PT

of course not
"U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 6th District, including eight of the 10 counties surveyed, said that illegal drugs can never be a truly viable economic asset."Duh. That's because they're illegal. They were viable at the turn of the century when they WERE legal; just ask Bayer or Coca-Cola. Of course, they'll never admit to their past "wrongdoings". Here's a thought: with all of our founding fathers and so many clebrities and leaders of industry rolling in their graves, perhaps we could find a way to tap all that unused energy. Course we might have to desecrate a few graves, but hell, that hasn't stopped the government yet. Just ask the "Native Americans" or "Indians".What a sick worl... no, scratch that... country we live in.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #4 posted by bruce42 on June 11, 2002 at 19:32:41 PT

$1000 a plant?
probably because we're obsessed with speed and efficiency in these days of x-treme prohibition. Indoor grows using compact and fast growing strains seem to be the norm for most small scale stuff. With the DEA spending billions on eradication (99% of which is ditchweed), billions more on breaking down doors, and billions more craming ideology down our throats, I doubt many people have the opportunity to offer so much time and energy to a huge outdoor grow.

[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #3 posted by Lehder on June 11, 2002 at 19:30:09 PT

no more government weed
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 6th District, including eight
   of the 10 counties surveyed, said that illegal drugs can never be a truly viable economic
   asset.   "The economic problems of southeast Ohio are not going to be solved by growing
   marijuana," Strickland said. Maybe Ohio itself should be illegal, considering its economic problems. Why does marijuana have to solve economic problems in order to be legal, Strickland? In your mind it's either criminal or else it's another rude capitalist industry with big taxes, wrappers strewn over the ground and a tacky TV jingle filtered from an old Fugs song. Isn't it enough to stop destroying lives and putting people in prison? Wouldn't these steps by themselves improve the economy and the lives of Ohioans? If you really must have a clumsy government hand in marijuana, then pay the big farmers not to grow it, the same as for soy beans. Let smokers grow what they want themselves. All a they require is an OSHA-approved window box, not a wasteful bureaucratic architecture and not your wisdom. We've heard enough about those ratty federal reefers.
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #2 posted by Number 7 on June 11, 2002 at 18:39:51 PT

some truth is better than none???
Interesting article in that it actually admits how total eradication of illegal drugs could have a harmful effect on the economy but I get so tired of the usual $1000 per plant figure. It is not even close to what is realistic. These people are seeing too many pictures from 70's grow books in their heads. Pictures showing plants that have been left to grow for six or more months into huge 10 foot tall hedges. Yes, a plant like that would probably get a $1000 dollar yield. Probably even more. No one grows like that anymore, at least according to what I have read....
[ Post Comment ]



 


Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on June 11, 2002 at 18:30:19 PT

Free your mind
and your economy will follow.
[ Post Comment ]






  Post Comment