inconvenienttruth,
That one was a little corny :-p.

I agree, we need to get to the root of the problem before more sprout up.
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Speaking of rats, pot growers who also have indoor vegetable gardens should be careful to never plant potatoes or corn.

Am I here???

Lettuce stop with these witty remarks ;)

right. then next thing you know you have tomatoes missing from the evidence room...

Right, that's why I'm saying either these growers are sloppy, there's a rat in the house, or both.
I agree totally, and I know a few people who grow indoors when it gets cold without issue, it'd be a blessing for growers everywhere if police busted an indoor vegetable grow op =)

freeradical: I know of someone who has an elaborate grow operation...they start thousands of flower and vegetable plants from seeds. There's never been any issue, becuase there is more to getting a search warrant than just electrical usage and thermal imprints.

Indoor growing is more popular, along with organics. People like to know where their food is coming from, and they SHOULD! Indoor hobby gardens for growing all sorts of things are increasingly popular, speaking as someone who loves to garden and has farmed many years. I guess I'm just wondering how they are sure what they are growing? Either these people are throwing things away they shouldn't in the trash, or there has to be a narc. You can't get a search warrant just because someone has grow lights in their basement, who's to say WHAT they are growing, especially in the winter?!? Definately a rat.

ha. freeradical. thats a pretty good idea:) one time in high school we threw a party on a dead end road...with pop only...and we had someones parents dcall the cops on us:)

Nobody, nowhere, ever is going to be able to tell me what I can do and use if confined exclusively to my own home. Take your taxes, fees, fines, court costs, forfeitures and unwanted closed-minded opinions and shove them where the sun is not likely to shine. I have absolutely nothing to lose but my FREEDOM, and if ANYBODY would like to try to take THAT from me be forewarned, come prepared.

So what happens when they get a search warrant and bust someone for growing indoors....squash,cabbage,tomatoes,etc. All in a basement, in an "elaborate" growing system, not breaking a single law.... I can't wait for that to happen. =)

Wouldn't be such a bad idea to look into how the "Golden Triangle" does business.

All growers would have to be registered. For personal use growers, perhaps a $150 annual fee. They should be open to inspection by police just as taverns are. They would be allowed to grow a maximum number of plants, and would be required to provide measures to keep underage persons away from the grow operation and stored material. Perhaps a background check with no drug related convictions. The one caveat there would be that persons who were convicted for "personal amounts" or paraphernalia PRIOR to the law's enactment would not be disqualified.

We would need hefty penalties for violating the terms of the permit, including substantial imprisonment for providing it to minors and for selling without a sales permit.

As to the specific tax for sales, I have no idea. They would obviously be subject to the 5% - 5.5% sales tax just like any other sale. There should also be some form of excise tax.

its gonna matter on what quality of pot you want too. i think those who are ok w just average can grow a couple plants in a closet. theres still start up costs, but a light, a closet, and some dirt can do it. to have high quality marijuana takes some effort to grow, as far as light/water systems. people will buy more high quality stuff from a retail shop and do it regardless of whether the tax is 10% or 50%. my opinion...not that ive ever put much thought into the subject...;)

couchsit,
Most people who use marijuana for recreational purposes or any other reason state that they would have no problem paying taxes on their marijuana. In a way, people are already paying the black market tax anyways. As far as a good tax rate... well, I'm not sure how to answer that. I can tell you that as far as myself goes, if the tax rate is too high, I will grow my own instead (if I can do so legally). Marijuana is easy to grow. It stands to reason that if you try to charge too much, no one will buy.

These are some serious questions that maybe someone can answer. A lot of people make the argument that pot should be legalized, regulated, and taxed. If it was legalized, wouldn't the supporters of legalization frown upon the type of operations currently being busted because they are not regulated and collecting taxes? What would a good tax rate be? Bigger operations may loose their "economy of scale" advantage from overly-high taxes and over-regulation, so we would still have these same problems. I would not be against personal use growing, just like it is not illegal to homebrew.

ever try kryptonite?? blow yo self up mixin that junk togethor. yikes.

She's one heroine that's very hard to shoot up; those bracelets are bulletproof!

I think I'm in big trouble.... my favorite heroine has always been Wonder Woman.

ha. punny stuff indeed. maybe its more of a gateway joke;) ya know, start jokin about pot an the next thing ya know yer jokin about crack and posting facebook status' and tweets about crackin yo self up:)

LOL "...cut and dried."
That's punny stuff.
Wait...if I say that I crack myself up, does that prove pot is a gateway drug?

yeah, i understand age by no means equals responsibility, im only using that number because of alcohol. agreed tho that no adult should get arrested for it. the fact that we can arrest grown men/woman for possessing small amounts of a plant they use to get high...should scare more people than it does. unfortunately to many people, as these threads prove time and time again, that the law is cut and dried. its illegal so its wrong. legality of something does not necessarily determine the morality of something....

Because age isn't a common factor in marijuana laws?
I get that you're basing it on another precedent, but I think you'd have trouble arguing that age alone translates to responsibility. It really should be that ANY legal adult who possesses a certain limit (say under an ounce) of pot on their person, and who is only being cited for it/paraphernalia, shouldn’t be arrested. Other infractions in addition to possession/paraphernalia could still lead to arrest.

yer probably correct IT, but the key word there is ARREST. they still get arrested, released, and fined. why arrest?? if its that 21 an older responsible adult we're talking about, why not just give em a ticket??

freeradical had it right.
Ignoring a law about marijuana still makes one a criminal by definition, it just doesn't reflect the negative connotation that goes with the word.

frogger: for what its worth you make me chuckle:) im aware what sarahb pointed out. she called me a criminal. i am not a criminal. i ignore a law and harm no one. read SuperDaves post at 8:28

It's just funny to look at those pictures of plants, and try to equate that into potentially years behind bars with hardened criminals, and thousands in fines. For something that to me mine as well be alfalfa or corn. Look at it. It's a plant. Does not compute.

Generally speaking, don't most places in this state currently punish an arrest for possession/paraphernalia with only a (varying) fine? I don't think most pot users have to worry about carrying anything close to 28 grams...an O is an awful lot to have at once. Pot growers, on the other hand...

We are all criminals.

kid"frogger. do i really have to explain this to you?? I'm not talking about the people arrested in this story"

Fine, BUT these are the people-criminals IN THE NEWS. That is who I am talking about.
Sarahb pointed out you are a criminal just not found out.
I am not discussing this anymore!

kid: It's really important that you also get the cooperation of the District Attorney and the County Board. Even if Janesville (for example) has such an ordinance, a person in Janesville could still be arrested under the criminal statute (961.41(3g)(e)), and prosecuted under it. Any case sent to the DA would HAVE TO be prosecuted under the state law if the County Board doesn't enact an ordinance. The DA can only plea bargain to a state law or County ordinance...not to a municipal ordinance (as I understand it).

By having a County ordinance, the DA could ALWAYS plea bargain a case to the ordinance. So, even if I arrested a guy in my village on a state charge (criminal), the DA could plea down to the county ordinance even though my village doesn't have such ordinance.

I hope that all makes sense.

I think this is what Brian Blanchard does in Dane County. Keep in mind, also, that convictions under local ordinances do NOT count under the repeater enhancement for the state charge. One other peripheral note: police officers do not issue criminal charges in Wisconsin. We can hold someone on suspicion, but only the DA can actually issue a criminal charge. The news media often gets this wrong, saying, "person x was charged with crime a, crime b, etc." In truth, the person was arrested for those offenses but, until the DA says so, is not CHARGED with them. I've noticed The Gazette getting much better at that clarification.

frogger. do i really have to explain this to you?? im not talking about the people arrested in this story. im referencing those of us who talk about it on these threads. the people arrested here are acceptions to the rule. responsible pot we are NOT criminals.

copperguy: the city of madison has an ordinance that fines any adult 21 and over for possession of 28 grams or less. the county of dane, while im not aware of any actual ordinance, was notified by the d.a. that he would not prosecute adult possession. i am meeting with a member of the city council next week to discuss exactly what you are talking about.

emac: In Wisconsin, cities, villages, towns, and counties can enact local ordinances for "personal amounts" of THC and for paraphernalia. Violation of a local ordinance is referred to as a "forfeiture offense," and results only in a cash forfeiture...no jail time and no criminal record.

I cannot speak to the existence of those ordinances in any specific locality or county. I would suggest, though, that a good first step by those in favor of legalization would be to circulate a petition as follows:

1) Find out if your county/city/town/village has such ordinances. If not, include a demand that the electeds enact same.

2) Demand that the forfeiture amount be set at the lowest amount allowed by state law, or $10. ($10 would mean $150.10 with court costs).

3) Demand that the District Attorney's office treat all cases for possession of personal amounts and/or paraphernalia as forfeitures under the county ordinance.

The electeds (including DA) would not have to comply with the petition, but it would be a good start.

Kid sorry he is not a regular law abiding citizen and neither were the other caught lately!
"Police said Chambers has an extensive criminal record in Illinois and that Illinois authorities said he should be considered armed and dangerous."

This is how Ohio deals with weed, and has for many years.
http://northohio.norml.net/law.shtml
Until it is "legalized" maybe all states should give this a try.

There is a lot of misplace anger on this forum. The individuals arrested in all three of these cases are criminals. Those who grow and/or sell marijuana are just as criminal as those who sell methamphetamine, E, special k, or any other controlled substance illegally.

Those of you who bash the cops for doing their sworn duty are most definitely NOT helping the cause of legalizing marijuana.

As I said in a prior post, if anyone can show me that these people were requiring proof of age, were collecting and paying sales tax, and were claiming the income on their state and federal tax returns, I will personally lobby the District Attorney to "go easy" on them. They were not engaging in civil disobedience. They were conducting a criminal enterprise. Don't equate their conduct with that of the average user.

Legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana. Don't expect anyone to feel bad for those who conduct a criminal business.

agreed spark. ever see 'pineapple express'?? drug dealers dont have friends. i mean they do, but the people that buy from them are usually more acquaintances that know someone who knows someone. that doesnt make narcing someone out any less of a rat tho. yer also right spark some of these people probably dont care who they sell to. i will say though, that growers usually deal in larger quantities and dont sell many 'bags' that kids are gonna be buying. but i have no doubt it gets filtered down thru the chains and ends up in anyones hands. want to minimize that?? alcohol is a pretty good example of how it can be done. ask teenagers if its easier to get an illegal drug or alcohol. regulate it and punish those who violate the law. not those who want to smoke it.

lunar-rock - you read what we wrote....

dalegribble - The real criminals are the narcs? These are the low lifes?
Isn't it possible, because these people are doing something illegal, that if they get caught and they provide information, they may get a lesser sentence. Are they really friends, or are they simply pot friends because that's their connection? You really think people care who they sell to? It's about money. Let's get real here for a minute. A couple of these folks got busted from their own stupidity. Not because they got narced on.
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As far as the illegal alien comment. I agree with you on that, but that starts from the top with our great Government that provides what appears to be more rights to others that aren't citizens. And it's only getting worse.

From a legal, governmental standpoint, criminals. From a moral and quality of life standpoint, not criminal.

YOu should all be happy its Local!!!
That means its not "supporting terrorists"
All the money for the supplies they buy locally, all the profits they make? They spend locally, for the most part. They spend it and pay taxes on whatever they buy. They sell to local people. What's the harm of someone growing something and selling ti to people they know in town? You'd rather "the terrorists" got paid? THat's the logic i seem to hear pretty often. Well now that it's local and the money is circulating at home, paying to keep peoples jobs by buying supplies, daily expenses, going out to eat...All the things someone with a job does, but they only pay taxes on what they spend, not what they make. That would piss anyone with a normal job off. No wonder everyone's up in arms =) Idk,the idea that this city is totally supplying for itself is kind of nice. I always thought self-sufficiency and local economy was a good thing...

good post SD.

sarahB: i really mean no offense by this...but you always gave me the impression as someone who would look at things as more than just black/white. most pot smokers, like most alcohol drinkers, are responsible law biding citizens. we are not criminals in the typical sense of the word. we ignore a law. we are NOT criminals.

The bottom line is, people are going to grow it and people are going to smoke it. Legal or not. Do we want criminals growing it or professional farmers growing it? Yes I consider myself democrat. It should be taxed, it is not a staple of life, it is a drug. We tax tobacco and alcohol, so why not. Maybe we could stop taxing other things.

"will there be a sherrif's sale" Now thats funny. That little hobbie garden does not look "major" what a joke. Wonder what the bad drug dealers are doing. Need to change there focus and resources.

PBRMan: You said "Speeding is a terrible analogy." Really? I happen to think it's a pretty good one. I picked an everyday behavior that virtually all of us have engaged in, and compared it to another common behavior. Both are behaviors, both are choices. And both are illegal, making all of us criminals (and "scum" in the eyes of some of the less forgiving among us). But the real comparison lies in the idea that a given behavior ultimately leads to another behavior which is somehow worse.
If you smoke pot, you'll end up ODing on meth, or crack, or whatever the worst drug is. So if you're willing to drive 5 over the speed limit, that must be a gateway behavior to driving 50 over. Sure, YOU say it's unintentional PBRMan (tell it the cop!). And Clinton doesn't inhale either :O) Riigghhhtt.

trust me pbrman. we are NOT criminals...

Speeding is a terrible analogy. Unintentional, lapse of speed control (1-5mph) is not the same as going out and purchasing pot, finding a spot to smoke it, rolling it, stuffing it, (what ever your method), and then smoking it. But then again, that is what criminals do, is find ways to justify their actions...

Life can really suck sometimes, for reasons that vary as much as the people who are living it. Alcohol is an escape from that misery and it is legal. Pot does the same thing, only much safer from a health and road safety point of view. But it is illegal for no apparent logical reason and the hypocrisy is maddening.
Beware those who will argue just for the sake of argument with no agenda other than trying to irritate someone, such as PBRman's own stated intentions.

Dub - I think people are too stupid too make their own decisions? No, I think many people make stupid decisions. But, we're all guilty of that at some point. Big difference. Besides has nothing to do with my original response.
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Posting a comment like "pot is cool" is going to draw a response. If you're going to post, at least sound somewhat intelligent rather than like a line from Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
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You don't have to be proud of drug force. I'm guessing they don't really care what you think. You're right, they're doing their job. The poor me stop picking on me for breaking the law really isn't going to get you sympathy.

Pot was supposed to be legalized back in the 1970s, but the drug dealers and politicians decided that it's much more profitable to keep it illegal.
Pot is not a "gateway" drug - that whole argument is absurd. And it underscores the truth that pot is one of the safest drugs out there, but you state that fact and people say "well yeah, but it leads to harder drugs". Rubbish.
If I get a speeding ticket for 5mph over the limit, do I then start driving 10mph over the limit do get the same thrill? If you don't stop people from driving 26 in a 25 zone, eventually everyone is driving 200mph....riiighhtttt???

I wonder if POT farmers get all the hugh tax benefits that a grain or beef farmer gets.

@duecerider, 25% tax on weed? Are you high? Either that or a democrat. People keep talking about legalizing weed and taxing it. We pay too much tax already. If weed were legal the savings in law enforcement alone would take a big chunk out of this states bloated budget. Immediate tax savings. Plus the saving of not having to incarcerate these poor shmucks for doing nothing more than growing a plant.

The government is doing it all wrong! Insted of wasting billions on the "drug war" they could legalize and make billions in revenue. In the case of these three, Total street value of $150,500. If it was grown legaly and properly taxed at say 25 percent, it could have generated $37,625 in revenue. Thats just three grow operations people! Now you figure all the police and detectives wages, district attourneys wages, and any other court costs to convict these people. Then you look at cost of holding them in a prison. Take that cost and subtract the $1000 fine they will end up with and what do you get? Doesn't sound like a solution to me! Don't we also have issues with smuggling accross the mexican border and mexican drug cartell? If legalized they WOULD NOT EXIST! Don't get me wrong, there are drugs that should forever be illegal but marijuana is safer than most perscribed pain medication. About time we took and educated look at this rater than basing our laws passed with 1940's propoganda. I didn't even mention all the uses for hemp.

yeah emac...why would you even try to make a valid reference in a discussion. you must be high...

JAG: how do you explain this....

http://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/Politi...

to answer the question...tip of the iceberg. its a war that cant be won. its a war that has cost BILLIONS of dollars. its a war that arrests normally law biding AMERICAN citizens. nixon started the war after the was advised by HIS OWN COMMISSIONED REPORT to do the opposite. its a political war. prohibition is futile. regulate it and tax it. collect instead of spend...

emac: So what, whatever you are ranting about it has NOTHING do to with this blog and ILLEGAL POT, again WAKE UP.

Justaguy- Just stating a fact.
http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu...

emac: WAKE UP, this is story is about POT, why is it you pot heads try to justify pot by using some LEGAL drinking rant?

Whoever is growing that stuff would have to get a real job if we legalized it. Or, better yet, let them keep growing so they can sell it legally and pay taxes.

I agree dub190, god forbid they catch any of the guys that committed any of the unsolved robberies in this city, or anyof the crack/heroin/cocaine/etc... dealers. If it doesnt fall in their laps it doesnt get solved.

I wonder if switching to an electric car would result in a search warrant?

BY the way That was In my opinion.

No matter what at this time weed is illegal and thats that. Another thing that really irritates me is the pot smokers that have kids and allow them to believe this is OK when in fact it is not. Also I know some that smoke with their kids in the house and HELLO contact buzz for the babies!!!!! Get real and those that want it legal and have kids WAIT until it is legal before teaching your kids it is ok and should be legal. The circle of drug usage cannot be broken when nothing gets through those that stay baked. AKA "stoners"

Justaguy- Isn't this the state that allows you to take your under legal age child into a bar and let them drink? Isn't alcohol a "gateway" drug.

Will there be a Sheriff's sale????

localguy1: Well said and I agree. Dare I say lock the SCUM up? but please do. They are worthless people who could be working a real job rather than putting people around them in danger by running a drug house, they add nothing good to Janesville. Most will sell to anyone and could care less if they get our 10 year old kids hooked on the gateway drug "POT".

Kid, Newbie--gentleman, start your engines! Should be a great debate for the next few days. Sure seems to be a popular discussion recently. I'll even start. 'Extensive criminal history...possibly armed and dangerous' (I don't care if a gun was not found). GREAT job JPD!! No way anyone will convince me this was personal use or that he was growing for medicinal purposes. Do the crime, do the time.

Hey is that a "Chia Obama" in there?

Intelligent statement. That will get you a lot of credibility.

Pot is cool, should be legal.