cannabisnews.com: Sheriff's Office Discusses Cannabis Culture





Sheriff's Office Discusses Cannabis Culture
Posted by CN Staff on March 05, 2004 at 23:46:49 PT
By Will Greenlee, Staff Writer
Source: TCPalm.com 
Port St. Lucie -- They're white men, aged 28 to 35 with a horticulture or construction background. And they're "extremely proud" of their accomplishments. That's the typical profile of folks whose trade is converting houses into sophisticated, indoor marijuana growing operations. Following last week's arrests of two 34-year-old Broward County men and the busts of three pot grow houses, St. Lucie County sheriff's officials discussed the culture of those who engage in cannabis cultivation.
"It's not like Joe Blow gardener can come up and start doing it," sheriff's Lt. Charlie Scavuzzo said, noting it might take several crops to achieve the proper quality. "It is an extremely hard process to do." The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration characterizes indoor marijuana farming as a "significant industry" in Florida. Sheriff Ken Mascara said such growers choose the local area to set up operations, which can include elaborate lighting, timing and watering systems, because of the growing population. "They come up here, they rent a house, they know that Port St. Lucie was kind of known for being a bedroom community," he said. "Because of the influx of people, I feel, people from down south feel they can sneak into Port St. Lucie, grow a couple of harvests and leave." Clinton B. Strand, of Tamarac, and Jimmy Lee Stone, of Sunrise, found out last week that not everyone can do so. They face a variety of drug charges after investigators executed a search warrant in the 1200 block of Milan Lane and found "evidence of what had been a marijuana-growing operation," arrest records state. Scavuzzo said indoor pot farmers look for any kind of suburban atmosphere, middle-class neighborhoods where residents work during the day. "Not too many people really get to know their neighbors," he said. "They can kind of blend in." Information on cultivating marijuana is available on the Internet and in books. In some cases, seeds find their way to Florida from Canada, Scavuzzo said. "High Times magazine will always have advertisements for hydroponic stuff, lights, packages and the nutrients," Scavuzzo said. "That in itself is not illegal because they're going to say it's to grow tomatoes or something like that." According to the High Times Web site, the magazine first was published in 1974 and was at least partially funded by "international drug smuggling." Grow America is a new, bi-monthly publication from High Times that "contains informative articles and mouthwatering pictorials that help readers with closets in their basements and patches in their back yards, as well as those who dream of growing their own." Scavuzzo said the majority of those his agency has arrested like to smoke marijuana and want the best quality available. "For the most part they're kind of mellow guys, but it is an extremely lucrative business because a pound of the hydroponic marijuana can go for as much as $4,000," he said. Complete Title: St. Lucie Sheriff's Office Discusses Cannabis CultureSource: TCPalm.com (FL)Author: Will Greenlee, Staff WriterPublished: March 06, 2004Copyright: 2004 The E.W. Scripps Co. Contact: feedback tcpalm.com Website: http://www.tcpalm.com/High Timeshttp://www.hightimes.com/Grow Americahttp://www.growamerica.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #8 posted by goneposthole on March 06, 2004 at 08:38:51 PT
They're getting everybody
Even the mellow Martha Stewart. Such a hardened criminal like Martha cannot escape the long arm of the law. They found a speck in her eye and she's guilty. How can she be held prisoner with such a incorrigible law breaking record? Better keep an eye on her, too; she's a flight risk if there ever was one. I can't think of anyone elso who has done the things she has.Ivan Boesky? Innocent. We all know that. That Michael guy, forgot his last name. Innocent. Some guy named Keating. Innocent. Ken Lay? Wouldn't hurt a flea. Innocent.Martha? You know the score. A death sentence wouldn't be a severe enough penalty for her. Skin her alive and boil her in oil is the only option. It'll get that speck out of her eye.You just can't be too careful with these mellow criminals.As for somebody who grows some cannabis to mellow out at the end of the day? Well, the walls are not high enough. The guard dogs are not vicious enough. A ball and chain might not do the job, either. I just don't know what can be done to keep them captive and imprisoned.It is a sad state of affairs when these mellow criminals walk the street. Wait until John Ashcroft is released from the horsepistol, he'll know what to do. They'll get the log out of his eye. God help us all. We have strayed so far. Back to my Saturday bowls. Happy trails
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by E_Johnson on March 06, 2004 at 07:15:18 PT
Read the magazine instead
WHy do they ave to explain what people can learn about themselves from the Internet?Oh I guess this is for people who think of the police as experts in all areas of society not just experts in what they are actually hired to do -- employ violent means of social control when society deems it necessary.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by rchandar on March 06, 2004 at 07:09:18 PT:
grow-ops and "mellow" guys
Quit Singel Convention. End the Drug War, release the prisoners. End of story.--rchandar 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by mayan on March 06, 2004 at 05:29:55 PT
unrelated...
Here are a couple of great articles from Australia...Man, that's good sewage - but hemp trial has dope dealers in a spin: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/05/1078464641092.htmlFarming the high country: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/05/1078464641157.htmlAnd here's more on our pal, Rush... State senator returns fire to Limbaugh: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/news_048480c54388701400b1.htmlAlso, Washington, D.C. just recently joined the three states and 258 cities, towns and counties that have already passed resolutions, ordinances, or ballot initiatives to protect the civil liberties of their residents...http://www.bordc.org/index.html 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on March 06, 2004 at 04:57:39 PT:
Motes and beams
Dammit, you guys, quit stealing my thunder! Hehehehehehehe!I'm nobody's idea of a Bible-thumper, but the Good Book has much to say about the attitudes and thought processes of our opponents:LUK 6:41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or perhaps I should add 'retinal blind spot', as that's the thrust of most of the rejoinders by the commentators here. The antis continue to fail to see (or perhaps some do, and are afraid to intimate that they know) of the great big hole in their reasoning. Namely, that the laws created the situation, not the other way around. Had the general public possessed the maturity of thought (as the opponents of the first laws so evidently had with their dissension to them) which would have shown them from past experiences in other nations that prohibition is is a fool's errand, we would never have come to this. But this is the crux of the matter: we Americans believe ourselves to be something outside of history. That what has happened to other nations won't happen to us. Such hubris is always rewarded eventually with pain and suffering, not only for the intended victims of the laws, but everyone else, too. As it is today.A century from now, if there's still a Republic, it's scholars will look back on this whole episode of the DrugWar and write of how they couldn't understand why we couldn't see how we were hurting ourselves with this. My answer is but an echo of times past, in different langauges and from nations now long dead up to our times: "Because the Powers That Be of the day CHOSE not to see it." As this Sheriff and his DrugWar comrades refuse to see it.The beam they jammed into their own eyes is blocking them from getting a good look.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by mayan on March 06, 2004 at 04:24:47 PT
P-R-O-H-I-B-I-T-I-O-N
"For the most part they're kind of mellow guys, but it is an extremely lucrative business because a pound of the hydroponic marijuana can go for as much as $4,000," he said.And just why is cannabis worth so damned much? Can you spell "prohibition", Mr. LEO & Mr. Politician? Joyce??? P-R-O-H-I-B-I-T-I-O-NThese prohibitionists have unintentionally turned pot growing into a science and are at least partly responsible for the breeding of the best pot on earth and ensuring it's survival for millenia. Thanks y'all! Without you bozos we would probably still be stuck with seedy,stemmy, commercial Mexican dirtweed.The mere fact that these dolts think they can eradicate such a beneficial plant from the face of the earth is very indicative of their level of intellect. There is so much killer green around that it makes my head spin...and after how many millions or billions spent to destroy the "dreaded devil weed"??? Good luck, fellas! The way out...9/11 International Inquiry - San Francisco, March 26-28th: 
http://www.911inquiry.org/9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Invlovement Archive:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by BGreen on March 06, 2004 at 03:57:11 PT
The Lies Are Falling Apart All Around Us!
OK, here we go again.Scavuzzo said the majority of those his agency has arrested like to smoke marijuana and want the best quality available.The prohibitionists say they must arrest cannabis smokers because they are lazy, can't think straight, lose dexterity and can't function in society or even drive a car, PLUS, we're all in a big heap o' trouble because cannabis now is 30 times more potent than "your parents marijuana," but ...They're white men, aged 28 to 35 with a horticulture or construction background. And they're "extremely proud" of their accomplishments.and:It's not like Joe Blow gardener can come up and start doing it," sheriff's Lt. Charlie Scavuzzo said, noting it might take several crops to achieve the proper quality. "It is an extremely hard process to do."Why do you think you can have both sides of the argument? How can people be so much of a threat due to anti-motivational syndrome and unverifiable health problems that they must be incarcerated for longer periods than murderers, BUT, be so motivated and intelligent that they're able to set up sophisticated grow rooms and grow and breed super-potent cannabis?Are you prohibitionists just stupid or are you used to dealing with such a stupid public that you know they'll never catch these blatant lies?And finally, maybe this pea-brained cop can carefully analyse the last two paragraphs of this article in which he's quoted:Scavuzzo said the majority of those his agency has arrested like to smoke marijuana and want the best quality available."For the most part they're kind of mellow guys, but it is an extremely lucrative business because a pound of the hydroponic marijuana can go for as much as $4,000," he said.Is it just possible that these skilled, hard working cannabis smokers are growing this high-grade cannabis for themselves and their friends who CAN'T AFFORD $4,000 A POUND FOR A PLANT WITHOUT STEALING?The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on March 06, 2004 at 03:22:02 PT
LTE
Sirs,  "For the most part they're kind of mellow guys, but it is an extremely lucrative business because a pound of the hydroponic marijuana can go for as much as $4,000", says Sheriff's Lt. Charlie Scavuzzo at the end of your article.  Why doesn't he ask the simplest of questions - how does a plant which flourishes when left in the wild become worth $4,000 per pound? It's simple economics, the law of supply and demand. He's not alone; every good drug warrior ignores it. They have to.  With the arrest of these two gentlemen, what happens to the price of the marijuana which does make it to market? It goes up. The more arrests, the higher the price. The higher price will attract more people to try their hand at the business. If the law scares off the mom 'n' pop operations, they attract organized crime. It's an absurd vicious cycle, but it's also a political hot potato, since nobody in power will admit the mistake for fear they get the blame.  Meanwhile, there's plenty of business to be had growing marijuana. And as long as these laws stay on the books, there will be big business in law enforcement. The federal government spends $20 billion a year to fight the drug war, with the states combined spending an additional $20B. All this, to fight an army of "mellow guys"? You'd think, after 9/11, we'd know who the real enemy is.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment