Pubdate: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Copyright: 2000 Los Angeles Times Contact: Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 Fax: (213) 237-7679 Website: http://www.latimes.com/ Forum: http://www.latimes.com/discuss/ Author: Alex Auerbach BARGAIN POT PRICES * Thank you for pointing out the dramatically lower cost of living in California, at least for some items. On Oct. 4 there is a story about two elderly pot growers in Wisconsin who got busted with 500 plants and 100 pounds of processed marijuana worth "more than half a million dollars." Figure a pound of weed per plant plus the 100 already processed, that's 600 pounds for half a million, or about $800 per pound. Meanwhile, there is another small story about a pot farm discovered by firefighters in Red Bluff, Calif., with "15,000 pounds of processed marijuana with a street value of about $75,000." That's an economical $5 a pound. With savings like that, no wonder we Californians can afford to lease sporty cars and get liposuction. ALEX AUERBACH Sherman Oaks - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck