Posted on 10/02/2014 8:05:32 PM PDT by steve86
FINLEY, WA - Some medical marijuana growers in our area are not getting much sleep lately.
Especially after another marijuana burglary early Thursday morning.
The latest marijuana burglary happened just before 6 a.m. Thursday morning in the area of highway 397 and East Finley Road.
Benton County Sheriff's Deputies said a medical marijuana grower shot at a suspect as he ran from the property.
NBC Right Now found out this may happen more often this time of year because it is prime marijuana harvest season and medical growers are worried.
"If you don't have sophisticated cameras, alarm systems, (are)friends with your neighbors, you have no defense because all you can do is sit out and sleep or go without any sleep and babysit," medical marijuana grower, Gary said.
Gary only wants us to use his first name. He said he has not been getting much sleep, after thieves last week stole several of his medical marijuana plants, he wants to protect what is left of what he has been growing over the last 5 months.
"I've had couple friends say that they pitch a tent and sit out for two and a half to three weeks all night next to their plants," Gary said.
But the most recent marijuana burglary Thursday morning, ended in gunshots and K9 units searching the area, after a neighbor saw several people run through his backyard escaping gun fire from the marijuana grower..
Deputies said he is a medical supplier and had 41 plants in his outdoor operation, which is within the legal limit.
Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force commander Trevor White said marijuana harvest season can be dangerous for all parties involved, the criminals and the growers, and both could get in trouble.
"We see it as a safety issue and people need to remember that it's a property crime, protecting your plants does not necessarily allow you to use force against another directly, you got to be pretty cautious on both end," Cmdr. White said, adding They have seen an increase in reports of stolen marijuana plants from medical growers recently.
They do advise people to call police and not take matters into their own hands because they could end up with problems of their own.
Retail is pretty lucrative, around $30/g so far. Way above my pay grade.
PING!!!
This is not in your area of interest AFAIK but should give you some insight into life on my side of the state.
I thought guns were banned around legal WA dope facilities, like they are around schools.
To clarify: I believe that Registered Medical Marijuana patients in WA State can ‘grow their own’ with a limit on the number of plants. That is what this story seems to be about although I haven’t watched the video.
Washington State law, however, does not allow the recreational user to grow his own. All the legal recreational/retail pot comes through permitted growers.
How can something so legal and harmless cause so much crime?
Also one solution would be for all the pot growers to adopt all the pit bulls in shelters.
Pitts and pot. Perfect together.
If it were legal to grow your own there wouldn't be nearly so much incentive to steal someone else's. Problem is hardly anyone can afford the pot in stores.
How about they hire guards, put up fences, and install alarm systems like a normal business does when they experience high theft problems?
Well, I finally got the video to work and I see this was a small-scale medical marijuana grower/supplier. He does have fencing, but with only 41 plants and a short season probably isn’t going to hire many guards or put in an expensive alarm system.
So they "legalize" it, but don't let anyone have the stupid plant? Pretty asinine if you ask me.
I guess that's why so many are warning against legalization and advocating decriminalization.
“with only 41 plants and a short season probably isn’t going to hire many guards or put in an expensive alarm system.”
It is his decision and his problem. He knew the risks before he started.
I don’t like thieves either, but if he shoots someone over a property crime in that jurisdiction, he will loose in both civil court and criminal court.
Agreed. He was told so much.
Not only that, but because growing is a federal felony, he could be charged by the feds with using a firearm in commission of a felony.
Actually, between 1970-1990, marijuana was very much in my area of interest.
But, as I got near age 40, I started to worry about the health consequences, and, at the same time, almost every employer started to drug test, so I decided to quit, and I’ve never looked back.
By the way, I think your “neighbor” was really lucky he’s a bad shot.
When you gun down someone who’s running away from you, the only thing you’re going to “harvest” is a truck load of legal problems.
Like all goods that are easily portable and have substantial market value - some harmless, some not - it sometimes gets stolen. Where's the puzzle?
Or it's being stolen for the purpose of reselling it, as happens with many portable goods with substantial market value. I'm intrigued that some FReepers are acting as if theft never happened before pot was legalized.
Oregon legalized growing for personal possession and use. I don’t see how this would stop the theft of plants, however.
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