Gardening In California: What a Weed Problem!

California…the place where raindrops are as scarce as hen’s teeth, and the people, well, the people there are as fine as frog hair. Yep, California is the place where all the latest trends begin – where Botox is an afternoon snack, and where opportunities exist like no other place in the world. Where else could uneducated folks like Jethro Bodine become a double-naught spy or brain surgeon, without previous experience or training?

Why just yesterday, hip and fast-moving California made the news by moving one step closer to completely legalizing marijuana. The state Assembly’s public safety committee actually approved a bill that would allow California to tax and regulate marijuana, a law similar to those that control the sale of alcohol.

Just a few short months ago our government was leading an unrelenting and hard-fought war against drugs. However, that same government has now learned it’s out of cash. They can’t pay their bills. People may go hungry. Non-violent prisoners, the folks serving long and harsh sentences for selling marijuana, must be set free. Prisons can no longer afford to house them like merchandise on warehouse shelves.

Suddenly, because the government’s broke, the war is over and it’s okay to sell and possess that once horribly-taboo stuff. Well, isn’t that the same scenario that plays out on the streets all across America – people need money to survive so they sell drugs? What’s the difference? Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just asking.

Ironically, on the same day that California passed the “legal for politicians to sell dope” bill, a massive drug sweep took place in the Bay Area, near San Francisco. Officers from SFPD raided three suspected marijuana grow houses near Mt. Davidson. There, they confiscated nearly 6,000 pot plants from inside the residences (Based on the Sisters in Crime industry scale of euphemisms, this was was “major deal” times many). The homeowners had even tapped into the power lines, bypassing the system to avoid detection by police and power company officials (More-than-normal power usage is a red flag for marijuana growing operations. Power officials have been known to alert law enforcement).

Three children, all under the age of 8, were at home during the raid, which means their parents had already exposed them to a life of illegal drug dealing. The kids were immediately taken from their families by CPS. Hmm…perhaps if this had occurred six months later, post marijuana tax and regulatory bill, and minus the power-stealing, the folks growing the weed in Mt. Davidson would have been hailed as heroes for saving California’s economy. Timing is everything, I suppose.