# New cash crop/poachers



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I wasn't sure were to post this article about people poaching land off of others because it's about people planting marijuana in corn fields. So I decide to put it under the "Weed" forum.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/secret-pot-growing-operations-americas-100100392.html

The last paragraph is the kicker!

Ralph


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

Another reason for legalization.^^^ The amount of money spent on law enforcement in these situations is nuts!


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

The article makes it seem that farmers were walking every row of corn just 10 years ago......


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Used to be a big deal here every year. Local popo's, stater's and DEA's running thru corn fields harvesting Mary Jane. Now, the growers grow it and the law doesn't care because of a bigger problem, METH.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

discbinedr said:


> Another reason for legalization.^^^ The amount of money spent on law enforcement in these situations is nuts!


This could open up a whole can of worms. My staunch Libertarian friend thinks all drugs should be legal and taxed just like alcohol or cigarettes with the caveat that if you want to do drugs, you surrender your drivers license for life and sign a waiver absolving the american taxpayer from monetary responsibility if you end up frying your brains and need a nursing home or other long term care related to drug use.

I've seen studies that claim marijuana is perfectly safe, I've also seen just as many that not claim it isn't, I've seen other studies that claim one joint is the equivalent of 10 cigarettes for the damage it causes your lungs, have also seen other studies that claim long term marijuana users are not nearly as motivated. I've seen the latter more than once with people that I went to high school with or know from around the area. They are perfectly content to get food stamps, free school lunches for the kids, WIC and government subsidized housing as it isn't their fault they are not successful enough to pay their own way. Just as long as they have enough cash leftover at the end of the week to buy beer and a baggie of pot they are perfectly content to just cruise along.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Same here. Meth is about the only thing we hear about.


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

Not sure what the answer is but I know this country has spent trillion's of dollars on the war on drugs. 
Obviously we have not won it. If we were to win it just think about the unemployment rate going up due to law enforcement lay offs. 
Has to be a better way.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I take it they plant it after the last pass of roundup?


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> I take it they plant it after the last pass of roundup?


Nah. Monsanto sells a Roundup Ready marijuana seed.


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

@ mlappin, your libertarian friend would also eliminate the welfare state that makes such mooching possible. If people actually had to suffer the consequences they might be responsible for their actions. I don't see any sense in alcohol being legal and not marijuana.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Well the thing is, and we've discussed this at great lengths as well, the amount of alcohol in your system at any given moment can be measured while tests for marijuana either show a positive or negative.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> This could open up a whole can of worms. My staunch Libertarian friend thinks all drugs should be legal and taxed just like alcohol or cigarettes with the caveat that if you want to do drugs, you surrender your drivers license for life and sign a waiver absolving the american taxpayer from monetary responsibility if you end up frying your brains and need a nursing home or other long term care related to drug use.
> 
> I've seen studies that claim marijuana is perfectly safe, I've also seen just as many that not claim it isn't, I've seen other studies that claim one joint is the equivalent of 10 cigarettes for the damage it causes your lungs, have also seen other studies that claim long term marijuana users are not nearly as motivated.


I don't consider myself a libertarian, but more of an ultra conservative. I have also thought that drugs should be legalized...and taxed! And there should be consequences, such as: you smoke, your health insurance doesn't cover lung cancer; you use heroin--no coverage for HIV, you're obese, no coverage for diabetes; you get high and harm somebody else, you and your family become indentured servants of the harmed--get my drift? Oh, and no government aid. Period!

You want to take chances, you live with the consequences of your decisions. And, if those decisions result in your death---tough!

The gazillions of dollars spent fighting drug usage have been totally ineffective, so it's time to do something else!

I'm guessing I'll never get elected to Congress on a platform like this!

Ralph


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

If he ain't hurtin' ya there shouldn't be a law. If he is hurtin' ya there's laws enough.


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

Ralph , like you I consider myself a ultra conservative .


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

S$&@, Telsan where do I get that seed?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> I don't consider myself a libertarian, but more of an ultra conservative. I have also thought that drugs should be legalized...and taxed! And there should be consequences, such as: you smoke, your health insurance doesn't cover lung cancer; you use heroin--no coverage for HIV, you're obese, no coverage for diabetes; you get high and harm somebody else, you and your family become indentured servants of the harmed--get my drift? Oh, and no government aid. Period!
> 
> You want to take chances, you live with the consequences of your decisions. And, if those decisions result in your death---tough!
> 
> ...


Yes and no. England has pretty near all but eliminated drunk driving, the penalty is so stiff for it nobody does it. If our cousin has to drive in the AM, he doesn't drink in the PM, period. Maybe the penalties here just aren't stiff enough yet.

I do like your line of reasoning though Ralph, wanna do drugs, you pay the consequences not me or the rest of the tax paying citizens of this country.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

Just imagine if the government spent all that money on the war on drugs on real weeds. We would have some really nice hay . Oh wait the government did spent all that money on weeds... It's still the number one cash crop.......

Ok really, We are still paying trillions to try to stop people from growing a weed? Really?

On a different note, hemp was, and still could be a great crop for this country, with endless potential, from fuel to clothing.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

The gooberment does NOT want to 'win the war on drugs'....they get way toooo much money to fight it.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Amsterdam tried the legalizing of drugs, ended up costing them dearly in rehab. "Soft" drugs are still legal in Amsterdam though given that the Dutch are very Libertarian in nature.

The thing in back of my mind though, legalize marijuana, then what after that? Another, how many people might end up addicts if drugs were legalized? In other words, how many don't do drugs from the fear of breaking the law and the possibility of being arrested outweighing the desire to at least experiment a little?


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> The thing in back of my mind though, legalize marijuana, then what after that? Another, how many people might end up addicts if drugs were legalized? In other words, how many don't do drugs from the fear of breaking the law and the possibility of being arrested outweighing the desire to at least experiment a little?


Good questions!

Then what? I just read a few minutes ago that CVS is going to stop selling tobacco products. Smoking has been in decline for over 20 years, to the extent that I only know 2 people who still smoke. So maybe there's a lesson to be learned there.

Future addicts? There doesn't seem to be much fear of breaking the law (or any law) nowadays with all of the leniency of the courts. Laws only count when they are enforced. Laws only act as a deterrent when the penalty outweighs perceived benefits. Country club jails seem to be schools of higher education for criminal activity.

It's obvious that what we are doing isn't working, so we need to do something different, or, according to Einstein, we're insane.

Nature has a way of fixing abhorrent behavior, so maybe we need to let Nature take its course.

Ralph


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> Nature has a way of fixing abhorrent behavior, so maybe we need to let Nature take its course.
> 
> Ralph


That is true, but sometimes it takes nature generations to react.....this country does not have generations to spare at our current declination rate.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Last week a defense attorney's home was raided by drug task force.scales,pipes,etc were found.He was a public defender with many drugy clients.


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## country boy (May 27, 2010)

think a few plants in a corn field is bad look what I'm dealing with here in east texas . largest bust in the state of texas 1/2 mile from my new place . over a hundred thousand plants then another 6000 plants then some more just the other day . just the first crop they figured at 175 million dollars . me and the wife were sitting on the porch after dark and kept hearing a whining noise could not figure it out , it was there pumps running to water the crops


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

The custom chopper guy around here had an issue 2 years ago with a grower. They went started chopping and the weed evidently wasn't ready to harvest. The growers left some chains the field that the self propelled chopper ate, which bought another week of breakdown.

Anyway I think it should be legal and taxed. CO is on the right track. NH sells plenty of cheap booze to neighboring states, we had the first legal lottery in the country. Why not bring in more sin tax, especially since cig smoking is so far down now.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Only problem I see with sin taxes is there isn't any relief to other taxes.It just more money they tend to blow on stupid shit.Or give to welfare.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

It helps around here. No sales tax, no income tax. Just property tax, and we wail on the tourists with Rooms and Meals and sin taxes.

But our cigs and booze are way cheaper than the surrounding states. The liquor store at the Portsmouth traffic circle is one of the busiest in the country cause its 20 mins from Mass and 5 mins from Maine. Heck we put liquor stores on highway reststops.


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## country boy (May 27, 2010)

well they got another 9000+ plants . i think we have too many retired people trying to add to there income here or something . have to change it from lake livingston a good retirement community to polk county largest marahouche growers in texas


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