Americans grow cannabis to beat the recession

guardian. ^ | 11 September 2009 | Ed Pilkington

[JoeProBono]

Some people cancel holidays abroad, others stage yard sales or start shopping at low-cost supermarkets. To that list must now be added a new way to get through economic hard times: grow cannabis. Law enforcers on the west coast of the US and in the middle states straddled by the foothills of the Appalachian mountains are reporting a common trend. It is boom time for marijuana cultivation, and much of the incentive they say is to beat the recession.

So far this year, police in parts of the country where cannabis is traditionally grown have chopped down plants with a street value of $12bn. The core growing area is in California, Washington and Oregon to the west, but the Appalachian states of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia are also witnessing an explosion. More than 600,000 cannabis plants have been cut and burned in those states this summer, reversing a previous decline in production brought about by stringent law enforcement.

It is not only the quantity of crop that is on the rise, the nature of the growers is also changing.

Ed Shemelya, who leads the marijuana eradication programme in the Appalachia region, says a new type of grower is emerging wholly different to the family cartels that have cultivated the drug for generations. "We are seeing a lot more individuals who wouldn't normally be growing marijuana. They are not your professionals."

[JoeProBono]

[Lorianne]

Capitalism will win out.

[John123]

Well sure... cannabis is the largest cash crop in United States you know... corn is second I think...

[Fester Chugabrew]

I’m growing some “Made in USA” methane gas.

[GSWarrior]

When one buys cannabis for recreational purposes one is—in effect—also purchasing a $40 food bill as well.

[camp_steveo]

End the war on drugs, and let people decide for themselves. That would end the growing in national forests and smuggling problem.

[airborne]

Just curious. Are Americans growing their own tobacco too?

With prices rising, and the government treating smokers like criminals, it stands to reason that people would grow their own.

And moonshine stills can’t be far behind.

[PLMerite]

Just like the Freak Brothers said:

“Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope.”

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Supply and demand. Aside from enriching some Mexican drug lords, our laws against marijuana accomplish nothing. Any kid who wants to buy weed can do so - easier than he can buy a beer, since pot dealers don’t card.

[Lady Jag]

And rolling joints is excellent therapy for digital osteo arthritis.

[dalereed]

Hire more DEA agents!!!!

[Mikey]

I wonder how it’ll be before FR pulls this thread?

This Buds for you.

Prohibition doesn’t work.

Go to NORML

[JoeProBono]

[Flying right]

“More than 600,000 cannabis plants have been cut and burned in those states this summer”

Ah-hahhh-hahh-hahh - they’re burning the plants! A giant bonfire of marijuana!! I bet the ATF agents are lining up to go to these events. LMAO

[Clemenza]

Kentucky Bud!

[Lady Jag]

A tiny wee list of pot supporters.

The following is a listing of people in history and in culture up to the present day, who have come out, spoken out, been outed, busted, influenced by, or in one way or another can be said (whether they like it or not) to have used cannabis or supported a change in the law regarding cannabis. Information from various sources and checked as far as possible.

• Abbie Hoffman
• Abraham Lincoln. On a Hohner box cover but disputed.
• Al Gore.
• Aldous Huxley
• Aleister Crowley
• Alexander Dumas
• Alice B. Toklas
• Allen Ginsberg. Poet.
• Alexis Korner. Musician.
• Andy Warhol. Artist.
• Annita Roddock. Founder 'The Body Shop'.
• Anjelica Huston. Hollywood actress. Jack Nicholson's girlfriend for 17 years. Pro-drug statements by her in Peter McWilliams book, 'Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country'.
• Arthur Conan Doyle. Author, creator 'Sherlock Holmes'.
• Aswad. Musicians.
• Barack Hussein Obama Story Teller
• Beatles.
• Bill Clinton.
• Bill Gates. Not confirmed, just very strongly hinted at in the Playboy interview
• Bill Murray Arrested for possession
• Bob Denver.
• Bob Dylan. Poet, singer, song writer.
• Bob Marley. Poet, singer, song writer.
• The Bishop of Monmouth.
• Brian Eno. Singer, song writer. Signed 'Independent' list.
• Boy George.
• British Lords & MP's - too many to list .
• Buddy Rich.
• Cab Calloway. Jazz musician.
• Carl Sagan. Author.
• Caroline Coon. Artist, founder 'Release', manager of the Clash.
• Carl Segan . Author.
• Carlos Santana. Musician, guitarist.
• Carrie Fischer.
• Cary Grant.
• Cary Mullis. Nobel Laurate, Biology
• Charles Beaudelaire
• Charles Dickens. Claims but no evdience.
• Cheech Marin.
• Chris Armstrong. Footballer, tested positive.
• Chris Conrad.
• Chris Farley. 60's singer.
• Chris Rock.
• Conan O'Brian.
• Count Basie. Jazz legend.
• Dame Ruth Runsiman. Author; Police Federation Report (March 2000) advising liberlization.
• Dave Gilmour . Musician ; Pink Floyd.
• Dave 'Tinki Winky' Thompson - TV personality (UK); the Tellie Tubbie that was sacked.
• Diego Rivera.
• Dion Fortune.
• Dioscorides.
• Dizzy Gillespie.
• Douglas Adams. Author.
• Dr Francis Crick. Nobel Prize winner.
• Dr Lester Grinspoon.
• Dr Mark Porter. TV doctor who says cannabis is not more harmful than alcohol.
• Dr Anne Biezanek (authoress)
• Dr R.D.Laing.
• Dr John Marks
• Dr W.B. O'Shaugnessy.
• Drew Barrymore.
• Duke Ellington.
• Eddie Ellison. Ex head of Scotland Yard Drug Squad.
• Edgar Allen Poe. Author, multi-drug user.
• Elvis Presley. Singer, FBI informer.
• Emperor Liu Chi-nu.
• Emperor Shen-Nung.
• Ernest Hemmingway. Author.
• Errol Flynn.
• Fela Kuti. Musician. Afro/jazz king.
• Felix Dennis. Publisher.
• Fitz Hugh Ludlow.
• Fran Healey. Musician; Travis.
• Francis Ford Coppella.
• Francis Rabelais.
• Francis Wilkinson. Ex Chief Constable of Gwent Police.
• Fredreich Nietzshe.
• Ganesh - Hindu God.
• Gary Johnson.
• Gene Krupa.
• George Clinton. Ex President's brother.
• George W Bush. Possibly the greatest living hypocrite.
• George Gurdjieff.
• George Melly. Jazz musician (early sponsor of Legalise Cannabis Campaign, Uk).
• George Michael. Singer.
• George Washington.
• George Soros.
• Gerard de Nerval.
• Gilberto Gil. Brazilian musical icon.
• The Greatful Dead.
• Hasan I-Sabah.
• Heinrich Khunrath.
• Helen Petrova Blavatsky.
• Henri Michaux.
• Herman Hesse.
• Hiero the Second.
• Howard Marks. Author, cannabis smuggller.
• Howard Stern, Admitted it on the radio.
• Hua T'o.
• Hunter S. Thompson. Smoked weed and snorted coke with George Bush.
• Ian Botham. Convicted Cricket legend.
• Irvine Welsh.
• Kurt Cobain.
• Jabir Ibn el-Hayyan.
• Jack Herer. Author 'The Emporor Wears No Cloths'
• Jack Kerouac. Author ' On the Road'.
• Jack Nicholson. Film actor.
• Jackie Gleason.
• Jackson Pollock.
• Jane Fonda. Actress.
• James Brown. Singer, song writer.
• Janis Joplin. Singer, song writer.
• Jesse 0Ventura.
• Jerry Lee Lewis. Musician, song writer.
• Jimmy Dorsey.
• Jimmy Hendrix. Rock guitarist, singe, song writer
• Jim Morrison. Musician, songwriter; The Doors.
• Joan of Arc. Accused of using 'witch herbs' (another name for cannabis).
• Joan Rivers.
• Joe Strummer. Musician, singer, songer writer; The Clash.
• John Belushi.
• John Denver.
• John F Kennedy. Popular US president (assassinated).
• John Keats. Poet.
• John Lennon. Musician, song writer; The Beatles.
• John Le Mesurier. Tried it but said it's not for him.
• Johnny Cash.
• John Peel. DJ, BBC broadcaster.
• John Sinclair.
• Judge John L. Kane. Chief Judge from the US District Court
• Julie Christie. Actress.
• Jules Verne.
• John Wayne. 'I tried it once but it didn't do anything to me.'
• Kelsey Grammar.
• Ken Livingston. Mayor of London - supports decriminalisation but does not smoke or support the use of recreational drugs.
• Kirk Douglas. Actor.
• Kurt Cobain.
• Larry Adler. Harmonica player and
  friend of George Gershwin. May have written a song about it.
• Lenny Bruce. Comedian.
• Lewis Carroll. Author 'Alice in Wonderland'.
• Linda St Clair
• Little Richard. Musician.
• Lord Avebury.
• Lord Byron. Poet.
• Lord Deedes.
• Lord Tony Gifford. QC, civil rights lawyer.
• Louis Armstrong. 'Oh what a wonderful world'.
• Louis Hebert.
• Mark Thomas . Comedian.
• Marlon Brando. Actor.
• Martin Sheen.
• Mary Shelly. Author 'Frankinstein'.
• Mary Tyler Moore.
• Mick Jagger. Singer, song writer, The Rolling Stones.
• Michael Mansfield QC. Lawyer.
• Jade Jagger.
• JC 100. Fastest rapper in the west.
• JT Moore. Legendary white rasta guitarist.
• Mike Tyson.
• Miles Davis. Jazz/rock drummer.
• Mo Mowlan. Genuine honest politician.
• Modigliani. Sculptor.
• Montgomery Clift. Mentioned in his biography.
• Neil Diamond.
• Nick Hornby. Author.
• Niel Young. Musician.
• Norman Mailer. Author.
• Oasis. Rock band.
• Oliver Stone.
• Oscar Wilde. Poet.
• Pablo Picasso. Artist.
• Pancho Villa. Mexican bandit revolutionary.
• Paul Flynn. Uk Member of Parliament.
• Paul McCartney. Musician, song writer; The Beatles.
• Paul Simon. Musician, song writer.
• Pharoahs of Egypt. Traces in body samples.
• Phil Donohue.
• Phil Tufnell. Former test cricketer, now media celeb.
• Peter Fonda. Actor; 'Easy Rider'.
• Peter Sellers. Actor, comedian.
• Peter Tosh. Musician.
• Philip K. Dick. Science fiction author.
• Pierre Burton.
• Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
• Pink Floyd; Syd Barret and Roger Waters.
• Prince Charles. Heir to the Throne. Quoted while visiting a hospital; 'I understand cannabis is good for medical use' .
• Prince William.
• Prince Harry.
• Pythagoras.
• Queen Arnegunde.
• Queen Victoria. Used it for medical purposes.
• Ram Dass.
• Ray Charles. Musician.
• Rev Kenneth Leech.
• Richard Branson. 'Virgin'. Entreprenur.
• Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize Laureate physicist, founder of quantum electrodynamics.
• Richard Prior.
• Richard Wilson. Actor; 'One Foot in the Grave'.
• Rimbaud. Author.
• Robert Burns. Mentioned it in a poem.
• Robert 'King' Carter. Grower.
• Robert Anton Wilson. Author.
• Robert Mitchum. Jailed 90 days for possession of marijuana, 1949.
• Roger McGough. 60's liverpool poet.
• Rolling Stones. Rock band.
• Ronnie Scot. Jazz club owner, musician, busted on stage 1958, at his club in Soho, London.
• S Club 7. 'Super clean' pop band, busted in Soho, very embarrassing.
• Salvador Dali. Artist.
• Samuel Beckett.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Poet.
• Shen Nung. One of the fathers of Chinese medicine. 2700 B.C .
• Sinead O'Connor. Singer.
• Sidi-Hidi.
• Sigmun Freud. Shrink.
• Sonny Bono.
• Super Furry Animals. Welsh band who wrote a song about Howard Marks.
• Stephen King.
• Sting/Gordon Sumners.
• Tariq Ali. Activist Writer.
• Tenessee Williams. Author.
• Terence McKenna. Author.
• Terry Gilliam. Actor, comedian;Monty Python.
• The Who. Rock band.
• Thelonius Monk.
• Thomas Jefferson.
• Timothy Leary.
• Tom Lehrer.
• Top Tories. Senior members of the shadow cabinet.
• Tony Elliot. Publisher, 'Time Out.
• Tracy Blevins. Artist.
• Tuppy Gore.
• UB40. Band.
• Victor Hugo.
• Vincent Van Gogh. Artist.
• Walt Disney. Cartoonist.
• Walter Benjamin.
• Whitney Houstonn. Busted at Hawaii airport but ran away.
• William Burroughs. Author, poet, artist.
• Will Self. Author. Did smack on Blairs plane.
• William Shakespeare. Playwright.
• William Straw. UK Home Sec Jack Straw's son. Cautioned for supplying undercover journalists in pub 'shocker'.
• Willie Nelson.
• Winston Churchill. British Prime Minister, poet, artist & multi drug user.
• Woody Harrelson. Actor. Features in a book on growing medical marijuana .
• Zoroaster. Persian prophet.

 

[JoeProBono]

[Lady Jag]

[Mikey]

"And moonshine stills can't be far behind."

Are you kidding, the stills are being found by the helicopters searching for the crops.

The price of good quality shine has doubled.

Hell my grandparents (both sides of the family) were Bathtub Gin makers. They were in essence the "drug dealers" of their time.

The Kennedy's, were bootleggers also. As were alot of other well known and high on the food chain family's.

The 21 Club was famous as a speakeasy for hosting the upper crust of NYC.

During Prohibition they had "drive bys", "gang / turf wars", etc.

Their were more drunks during Prohibition then prior to or after. Sure there was a slight rise after Prohibition was repealed but, as soon as the novelty was over the amount of drunks dropped.

Most, if not all that disappeared when prohibition was repealed.

[jeffc]

I think it’s funny that the government tries to outlaw a common weed! Cocaine and others, I can see, as they need to be processed, but pot can grow on the side of the road next to the dandelions and poison ivy!

[jeffc]

BTW, that plant needs to be pruned. It’ll grow more tops that way without getting too tall . . . That’s what I hear anyway . . . .

[massgopguy]

$40?! I put FIVE cheeses plus Prosciutto in my Lasagna.

[Just another Joe]

Just curious. Are Americans growing their own tobacco too?

Some of them are.
There are some FReepers that grow, cure, and smoke their own tobacco.

[Durus]

It looks like it nitrogen deficient too.

[I Buried My Guns]

No, no, FRiend, do not prune if you can avoid it. A far better tactic is to bend the tops over using twist ties or string (slowly over time tightening them so the tip bends over, but not so much you break it) so the the secondary budding sites can get direct sunlight. This stimulates the secondary buds to grow larger than they normally would, while leaving the primary bud intact and harvestable.

This bending strategy, called LST for Low Stress Training also has another boon: In the plant are chemicals that stimulate new growth. These chemicals generally travel up the plant from the roots to the (topmost)growing tip, and that's partially why the growing tip/primary budding site gets so much bigger than the other budding sites. By bending the top tip over you trick the plant into sending the chemicals to the secondary budding sites, which stimulates their growth. If done correctly, your yields will increase without ever having to trim or cut the plant.

Not that I would know anything about that, though. It's illegal.

[Ken H]

Hire more DEA agents!!!!

BWAHAHA! No marijuana thread would be complete without a fedgov-slurping idiot!

[dalereed]

Any user belongs in prison including one of my cousins!

[Ken H]

So are you a Wickardista when it comes to interpreting the Commerce Clause, or do you even care about such inconveniences as the Tenth Amendment and the clause's original understanding?

[dalereed]

Got nothing to do with commerce, it’s an illegal drug and a bad one!

I’ve fired over 20 people for using it and facillitated the arrest of more than a few!

[cyborg]

Nice bud. I’m too much of a coward to grow marijuana. I treasure my nursing license!

[cyborg]

heh

[Just another Joe]

Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin’ sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin’, knew something wasn’t right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin’ down Copperhead Road

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,’round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol’ Charlie don’t you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road

Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road

[windcliff]

That’s cute.

[Lady Jag]

pot can grow on the side of the road next to the dandelions and poison ivy!

Put that way and considering LEO continuing efforts to kill weed, it must have cost billions! They've been doing it since, what, 1937, day in and day out.

They should either spend less or spend more... imagine what they'd do for the job market if they hired more people to pick dope.

[Lady Jag]

That’s wild. Wonder would it work on tomatoes.

[Lady Jag]

Cats often make things look cute, don't they.

Except maybe Garfield.

[I Buried My Guns]

I think tomatoes are more of a vine-y plant but the part about direct sunlight is valid for all direct-sunlight annual plants: The more light you give it, the more fuel it has to create food (on a cellular level).

Pot plants grow straight up and often create a canopy of leaves that block sunlight from the lower areas of the plant. This retards the development of those parts. For a person looking to increse yield, it's a cheap way to do so: all you need is kabob sticks and the little twist ties from loaves of bread.

[I Buried My Guns]

Again: Not that I would know anything about that.

[Ken H]

Got nothing to do with commerce, it's an illegal drug and a bad one!

The fedgov war on marijuana depends on the New Deal view of the Commerce Clause. So yes, it has everything to do with the Commerce Clause and the Tenth Amendment, Mr. Fedgov Slurper.

[Lady Jag]

Looking at the plant above, it appears to be cone-shaped like many evergreens, and bending the top shouldn’t provide a whole lot more light.

[Lady Jag]

Not that I know anything about it.

[dalereed]

I hope you wind up in prison, doper!

[Mikey]

Do you drink any adult beverages? Now don’t give me any crap about it being legal, I’m just asking a simple question? Please answer yes or no?

[dalereed]

Absolutely not!

[Ken H]

I hope the Tea Partiers tar and feather your fedgov-loving ass and run you out of town, LOL!

[Mikey]

Have you ever seen the movie "grass" by Woody Harrelson?

[Lady Jag]

Someone else said I should watch it but I haven’t yet.

[Mikey]

Use any type of tobacco products?

[Mikey]

Quite an eye opener.

Maybe dalereed might actually learn something positive, although I believe his mind is quite closed. Sad actually.

I believe if the all knowing, all seeing BIG BROTHER told dalereed breathing was bad for him, even in the country, he'd believe it hook, line and sinker.

He'd probably fire 20 more for breathing un-approved Federal government sanctioned air. truly sad.

[dalereed]

No!