Lakeview man gets 10 years for almost 7,500 pot plants

The Oregonian ^ | Tuesday December 16, 2008, 4:43 PM | by Lynne Terry

[MovementConservative]

A jury sentenced a Lakeview man to 10 years in prison for growing nearly 7,500 marijuana plants.

Andrew Stever, 40, was sentenced on Monday after a three-day trial in the Federal District Court in Medford.Ten years is the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of growing 1,000 or more pot plants.

In July 2007, officers from several local, state and federal agencies found 7,459 plants growing on Stever's Lakeview property, which bordered Forest Service land. Two men fled the scene, leaving behind personal property and three firearms, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Portland. Physical evidence and testimony linked Stever to the operation, officials said.

"This was clearly the largest marijuana grow ever discovered in Lake County," said Mark Suba, a Forest Service official.

[SmallGovRepub]

It’s horrible and some people do seem to get addicted to it. They can’t seem to quit. I’ve dealt with a lot of these people in court. Some we’ll see again and again on huffing charges and clearly their brains are fried. They’re out of it. When they are on the stuff they are insane. When they aren’t on it they’re still not altogether there. Some of them end up doing too much in one sitting and it kills them. I don’t know that any drug has such a negative effect on people.