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Risk Factors: Rip-offs, tip-offs and your own big mouth (Long)

I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
by the Cannabis Creator

A. Rip-offs, tip-offs and your own big mouth
Reading a chapter entitled "risk factors" of cannabis cultivation in the United States, one might automatically assume that the subject of that chapter would be law enforcement. After all, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year by various anti-plant life agencies around the country on the ferocious war to exterminate this harmless and helpful species. However, despite the normal paranoia that is a byproduct of the current system, law enforcement actually only represents about 2% of the problems that face modern American freedom fighters. Law enforcement techniques like reducing mandatory sentences for squealers and placing anti-cannabis ads with 1-800-GROW police hot lines are vivid proof of exactly how clueless these people are when it comes to where to start looking for the cunning grower.

Any estimate given by the authorities relating to the percentage of cannabis seized in a particular time period or area is fabricated. The truth is that they have no idea how much of the crop was uncovered, because the remainder went undetected.

By far, the number one risk facing the modern cannabis creator is thieves. This point cannot be emphasized enough. Rip-offs don't answer to anybody. They don't care about your civil rights. They dont follow any rules at all.

In my opinion, people who steal are really at the bottom of the food chain, period. But people who steal cannabis, especially from the growers, endangering their freedom, have got to be the saddest, lowest, most pathetic and most thoughtless (deviod of thought) individuals on this earth. And they are abundant.

The number one way to get busted is when the ripoffs come to steal your crop and somehow the cops get called. This may be simply the concerned neighbor who calls when they see prowlers, or a concerned passer-by who only witnessed you violently pummeling a would-be intruder with a bat, or someone who heard gunshots when you shot the scumbag, (not recomended) or the shots of the scumbag shooting you (less recommended). (It is a serious legal complication to have a gun at the pot growing location).

The second most common way to get busted is through your girl/boyfriend or your roommate/grow partner, (love and money are both by nature de-stabilizing) or anyone else who has knowlege. No matter how much you trust someone, they might end up telling just one other person, who "they trust". This person has nothing to lose and will undoubtedly tell just one other person who "they trust" and who you might not even know. The cannabis creators' creedo should be "for every one person you tell, that's too many." It can be good to have a partner if you have a large garden, because cannabis creation can be a lot of work, but this person should have just as much to lose as you do. This is the best incentive for both of you to keep your mouths shut.

Realistically, a small commercial operation (5KW or less), in a good location, with a good odor control system that only two trusting people know about is virtually unbustable. You peek out of your blinds for months, always expecting to see the cops, but the bust only comes when a Cessna has engine failure and crashes through your roof. In my experience, I have never seen any cannabis creator get busted because the police figured it out by themselves. It is true that the slightest hint may get them on your trail, but it is inversely true that without that, you should be getting away with your wildest dreams.

B. Number of plants
Under the law, a cannabis creator is judged by one factor and one factor only; the number of plants in a single residence. A plant is defined as having roots, so unrooted clones do not count. The cannabis creator must also learn to distinguish between state and federal law. Washington state has some of the most leiniant cultivation laws in the country, but this country has some of the harshest, most evil and draconian penalties on planet earth. According to state law, the catagories are 1-99, 100-299 and 300 or more. Federal law adds a 50-99 category. It is hard to say exactly what determines whether a given case will go to state or federal court. Most cases below 100 plants go to the state because theoretically, the feds only want the big fish, but this simplistic analogy cannot explain the arbitrary methods of our warped and corrupt federal government. In fact the whole theory of saying that a large number of plants equals a large amount of cannabis is fundamentally flawed. 300-plus plants could potentially fit under a 400 watt lamp and yeild 6 or 8 ounces of dried product, or 300 plants could fill a vast outdoor plot or greenhouse and yield one or more pounds per plant, a considerable difference. So, we find that living in this state of unreasonable and illogical laws, people learn to turn the laws around and use them against their oppressor...

:)
 
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I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
Risk Factors (Continued)

Risk Factors (Continued)

C. Odor control
There are many common ways to reduce the fragrance of pungent cannabis flowers, including ionizers (negative ion generators), charcoal filters, air scrubbers, and chemical sprays. Unfortunately, reduce is the key word here. None of these methods will do much to eliminate any smells except from the smallest room or the least stinky garden. There are some strains of cannabis that are known for their lack of the trademark pot smell, and are perpetuated for that reason. I realize that you're more likely to find a charcoal filter than any particular clone, but I am trying to emphasize that basically, you should be prepared to deal with the beautiful smell of fragrant cannabis flowers.

Here is a brief overview of how these devices work. Ionizers work by generating negatively charged ions and dispersing them into the air. When these negative ions come in contact with positively charged particles floating in the air like dust or pollen, they change the particles' charge to negative, causing the particle to "precipitate", or to fall to the ground. This results in cleaner air, and dirtier floors and walls.

Another kind of ionizer is called a "collector ionizer". These incorporate some disposable filter and either a positively charged surface which attracts the ionized particles, or a small fan that moves the air through the filter (which usually also contains activated charcoal) and then injects the ions into the outgoing airstream. Charcoal filters are similar to these but use only the fan and activated charcoal, and are usually slightly more heavy duty, and seem to work about as well, as long as you keep the charcoal fresh by changing the filter regularly.

Air scrubbers consist of a large barrel of water with your exhaust piped into it, like a giant bong, and then to the outside. Pine cleaner and/or liquid smoke are added to the water to taint the smell. I have never personally built one of these but the theory makes sense, except that it seems awkward and I don't think it would work with high-powered exhaust blowers.

Chemical sprays are used in hospitals and kennels to deal with very harsh odors. They work, but I personally find the artificial, chemical odor overwhelming to the point of nausea. I do not recommend these sprays because they are impractical to use on a continuous basis, and frankly if its gonna stink, I'd rather have it stink like greenbud.

If you can't find or afford any of the above, a simple trick is to buy a box of urinal deodorizers from a janitorial supply store, or maybe car deodorizers, and put one or two next to your exhaust blowers' intake.

Now aside from the above described odor reduction devices there are two more things that I will recommend for this task. The first one is called an ozone generator. This mighty device generates ozone, an unstable oxygen molecule that actually changes the molecular structure of stinky particles that they come into contact with. This results in total odor elimination. The proper way to use an ozone generator is piped into your outgoing exhaust. (The generator has its own small blower built in.) Of course, like everything, there are trade-offs for this amazing performance. Ozone can be harmful to plants, animals or people in too high of a concentration. The only way to use it safely is by using it to treat the exhaust that is going outside. Also, ozone generators can be quite expensive. I recommend ozone for all commercial growers.


The second, most practical and most effective method of odor control is your exhaust system itself. You will learn later in this book that a good exhaust system is just as important to happy plants as light or water, and although this won't actually make the outgoing air less stinky, it allows you to control where the stinky air goes. For example, lets say you live in a third floor corner 2 bedroom apartment. One bedroom is your bedroom, the other is your grow room. A properly installed exhaust system can solve two odor problems at the same time. One, inside the living space of your apartment. By leaving your exhaust blower running 24 hours a day, there will always be "negative pressure" inside the grow room. This simply means that air will constantly be flowing into the grow room through every possible crack and opening, and when fresh air is constantly flowing in, no smell gets out. Two, outside your apartment. By cleverly routing the exhaust pipe into your unused chimney pipe, or out of the far back corner of your attic, the smelly air will end up where there are no noses to smell it- either 4 stories off the sidewalk or parking lot (and heading up) in the chimney pipe example, or on the backside of your building where there are no stairs and where nobody hangs out. (If a bud reeks in the city, but there are no noses to smell it, did it ever really smell at all?) Another thing to consider in apartment cultivation is that even if you can smell the weed out in the parking lot, there is no way to tell which apartment it is coming from. It sounds crazy, but 'round these parts it happens all the time. Smells pretty good, too.

D. Power consumption
I was reluctant to even include a section about power consumption because I thought that it would just breed paranoia. Residences all around use large amounts of power for all kinds of things, including cannabis cultivation, and there is no way for grow lights to be "detected" by the power company. However, I do have a list of power saving tips for the power conscious.

The number one power sucker in your home is the hot water heater. Most of these units use between 3500 and 7000 watts. Turning off this unit at the circuit box will dramatically reduce your power bill (not to mention the length of your showers, ha ha). Number two would be your baseboard heaters. These are the most wasteful power suckers. A 4-foot long baseboard unit can draw 1000 watts or more. A small apartment usually has several of these. Turn them off at the box. Plug-in electric space heaters usually consume 1000 to 1500 watts. Cold? Hang out with the ganja. (I have seen electric internal forced air heating systems in large homes that consume as much power as ten or more 1KW grow lamps. These are ideal grow houses because by turning off the heat, your bill may not be any higher than the previous residents). Tied for number three are your dishwasher and clothes washer. Both of these units use lots of hot water, and the dishwasher even super-heats the already hot water. The clothes dryer is also a major culprit. Use paper plates and go to the Laundromat. At number four we have the refrigerator and freezer. Most people won't want to try and live without these, but try putting gallon jugs of water in the empty spaces (if any) of both. Water retains its temperature more efficiently than air, so your fridge will use less energy. Also, a lot of people seem to have this thing about leaving all the lights in the house on all the time. Remember to turn off lights you're not using. Use low wattage bulbs. If no one is living at the grow facility, all of these appliances should be turned off at the box and you should be growing a lot of weed.
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_cultivation4.shtml :)
 
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I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
"Loose Lips, sink ships" as they used to say in World War 2.

"Loose Lips, sink ships" as they used to say in World War 2.

The forward of this guys book gives "Special thanks to the department of corrections in Everett, Washington for providing me with all the time that I needed to write this."
:D
"Jails are chock full of people who would give up their own mothers to get out. Police forfeitures generate lots of money that they can use to encourage criminals on the outside to be narcs. Tip lines ring off the hooks, deluged with calls from people brainwashed with drug-war hysteria, who think they heard a rumor or smelled something just slightly out of the ordinary. Cops bust naive kids with a pipe or a bowl, and then threaten them with anything that will get them to squeal. These are just a few of the ways that modern law enforcement tries to deal with the responsibility of having to find and imprison otherwise normal Americans for something as common and benign as eating donuts. The fastest ways. The least expensive ways. The easy ways."

The Home Cannabis Creator- A Northwestern Guide To Pretty Good Pot (Archived @ Erowid)



 
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G

Guest

Awesome article IM

Awesome article IM

**In my experience, I have never seen any cannabis creator get busted because the police figured it out by themselves.**


So many times ive thought that exact phrase in my head while watching most of the local news busts...
 
G

Guest

Good To know

Good To know

Thanx for posting that bit of information, It was very informative
Psychichigh:)
 
If this were true Fido we'd all be in Europe

If this were true Fido we'd all be in Europe

Europe is more pot tolerant in some places but there are still, countries or Cantons of, that enforce their laws against weed. Just moving to Europe in general might not put you in a safer spot and living in Europe in general should not be the reason to ignore common sense when it comes to growing weed. Relax your grip and you might slip. European grows get busted too. Just ask around. Peace Herb
 

Harry Gypsna

Dirty hippy Bastard
Veteran
Not true, my ex-girlfriends dad got 7 years in 2002, ok he was getting a crop every 2 weeks and running 15000wats at 2 locations, but hes in jail, and this is the uk
 
ofcourse

ofcourse

i was talking about personal use not big crops like 15kw:eek:
in my country(Czech republic) you can get 4 years but police
check out dealers and hard drugs, 10 plants are about nothing for
them and I really dont know about people around me that went to jail for small grow:D
you have to earn more than 50.000 dollars and than maybe someone will kick your ass, they want to destroy organize crime
not lonely growtrolls - this strategy I have from my uncle, he works for murder investigation
peace for policemen in US
 

CalcioErba2004

CalErba
Veteran
Re: ofcourse

Re: ofcourse

Freedom Fido said:
i was talking about personal use not big crops like 15kw:eek:
in my country(Czech republic) you can get 4 years but police
check out dealers and hard drugs, 10 plants are about nothing for
them and I really dont know about people around me that went to jail for small grow:D
you have to earn more than 50.000 dollars and than maybe someone will kick your ass, they want to destroy organize crime
not lonely growtrolls - this strategy I have from my uncle, he works for murder investigation
peace for policemen in US

If only they thought that way here in the US. They did at one point....then the 1st president retired and died. :(

I have been told you have a beautiful country. I want to visit there someday. :)
 
R

randude

About Power consumption in the grow room.
We all know that you need a lot of lumens to make a healthy bud, but that is not always watts. Look around and see what you can get lumen wise without having to spend so much watt wise. It will likely cost more in the front, but state governments are requiring low wattage alternative to most if not all new productions (Ferry Boats, Buildings, etc).
Now that you have that part figured out, the next thing is to reuse as many lumens as possible. I am sure everyone knows about the different reflective surfaces available. I have had so much fun breaking up packing foam and placing it all over the tops of my soil planters to reflect light back up out of the soil. Soil is dark and absorbs heat, white stuff reflects it out. I have curtains making my grow area of diamond grid pattern foil with insulation. I staple it to my garage ceiling and hung it over a grow table. It can be stapled to anything and fitted with vent holes for ducting or whatever. If needed, I can tear my grow room down in seconds. I use velcro to hold two corners together that make up the door, and all of the other corners have duct tape. That foil insulation was in Home Depot and cost me about $40 for the whole room. Now the surface that my pots are on is a table, but I bought these foam boards at the Home Depot to go under them (I bought several sheets of this at $4 each, they are like 4'x2' and very easy to work with). So if a beginner like myself can just go through the isles of home depot and find all of this stuff, imagine what we can all do in our great numbers to share with others.
 

Budweiser13

Active member
Good shit, I dont care if you are 20 and it takes you till 40 to grow safe you better do your homework and be smart before you par take in this type of hobby in the USA. Be smart and be safe dont take chances read read,study study and do it right the first time.............good luck all........... :rasta: :wave:
 
S

stonedeconomist

your right about the odor control, half of the big Chinese run grow houses that have been busted out here in southern California have been busted because the neighbors smelled something weird and contacted the police.
 

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