Pubdate: Thu, 07 Jul 2005
Source: Las Vegas Weekly (NV)
Copyright: 2005 Radiant City Publications, LLC
Contact:  http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1036
Author: Richard Abowitz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

TOUGH TIMES FOR POT GROWERS

Internet, Changes in the Law Make the Marijuana Business More
Competitive

There is no doubt recent years have been hard times for America's
farmers. And that's especially true of the one group who receives no
agricultural subsidies from the government and no proceeds from Farm
Aid (unless you count loyal patronage of Willie Nelson).

J. has operated marijuana grow rooms indoors in various locations
around Las Vegas since 1999. On a recent weekend hanging out with one
of the wholesale buyers of his product, K., the conversation between
the two men floated around fond reminiscences of crops past and
present with names like Johnny Law, Strawberry Cough, Purple Kush and
Afghooey.

But these days, costs are up sharply for those like J. trying to
operate a grow room in the Las Vegas area. According to J.,
"Electricity is up, and nutrient and equipment have always been
expensive." And, of course, most of all, the real-estate boom in Las
Vegas has driven up the costs of finding a place to dedicate to
growing pot plants--growers tend for security reasons to not want to
live in the same unit their plants are kept: "Nowadays, mortgage
payments are rising through the roof!" J. complains.

According to J., the economics work as follows: "A typical room with
four lights averages maybe six pounds every two months." But not every
crop comes through even if the police don't bust you. "You got to
watch out for spider mites, a predator of the plants that can destroy
your whole crop. If you're doing hydroponics you can get a rock stuck
in a pump and then you get no water and then the lamps are still on
the plants for a certain number of days or even hours, and you fry
them." Problems are especially acute during this time of year, when
the hot summer months pose a serious threat to plants even for those
grown indoors. "It's hard to keep the rooms cool when you have
1,000-watt lightbulbs."

But consumers of marijuana will be happy to know that none of these
rising costs have resulted in a price rise for pot locally, at least
on the wholesale level. J. laments: "Six years ago you could get
$6,400 a pound. Today you are lucky you get $5,000 for a pound."

K., the buyer, laughs: "If you know where to look you can find cheaper
than $5,000."

To which J. groans.

Of course, just like other farmers, J. must also deal with cheaper
foreign imports coming across the border from Canada and Mexico. This
is true even of the high-end marijuana in which J. specializes (in the
ultimate in career status, photographs of J.'s buds have repeatedly
been featured in the pages of High Times magazine). J., however, sees
the primary problem as the proliferation of other local growers.

Ironically, J. blames this rise in competition on the trend to
decriminalize pot and the change to a misdemeanor for possessing under
an ounce. "People seem more at ease doing it. A lot of people don't go
to jail for a first offense. They will most likely go to a drug court,
then a program and probation." Not that this is guaranteed for someone
caught growing any quantity: "The Federal law is the main thing you
have to worry about."

As for Nevada's medical marijuana laws, J. has not noticed that
they've resulted in any increase of his business: "I don't think it
has an impact. The way it's done here, you have to go apply to the
state and not many people want to give up their medical records to the
state. It works in California, because it ends at the doctor's office."

Also, thanks to the Internet, it has become a lot easier for a person
with no green thumb or knowledge to get into growing pot: "You can go
to websites where everybody puts in questions and people answer them
for you. It's a pretty big forum and the whole world now has access to
expert growing advice, whereas you once needed to know somebody to
teach you."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake