There’s a reason why a bag of weed that you buy cost so much and it’s not because it’s difficult to grow, it’s not. The reason why people charge the amount of money that they do for the pot they’re selling is because the risks that they have to take. So keep that in mind if you are considering growing were about to grow it, and that even goes for medical marijuana

So your job is to minimize the element of risk as you go about your business because if you approach it with “daredevil” or “caution to the wind” attitude eventually your number will come up. Now been arrested and charged with cultivation is for sure a great learning experience but the load of information that you’ll pick up can just as well be learned from others who’ve already gone through the system.

Information like how not to get caught in the first place because if you ask anyone who’s been arrested for growing they will always have at the very minimum a short list of things that they should have or shouldn’t have done.

Areas where they became complacent that left the door open for the authorities come in to make a case on them. Then another thing that’s surprising for a lot of people who get caught up in the legal system by way of a cultivation charge is just how corrupt the judicial system is.

Growing Medical Marijuana: 101

The problem most people who start in growing marijuana under a medical marijuana clearance have lies in the fact that most people just have a minimal fundamental understanding of how all laws work.

In simple terms, any law is only as viable as those who enforce it are able to do so.

So now you might be wondering what medical marijuana laws allow. The answer here is that in general they tend to be vaguely written.

What too many states medical marijuana laws allow for as they are written today is for people who are sick and have a doctor’s recommendation  to use cannabis as part of their treatment, and California is a fine example.

As of writing this it’s still illegal for people to buy it in California because the law doesn’t account for that, and it’s also illegal for them to grow it because the law doesn’t specifically account for that either.

“The report contains both a summary and an in-depth review of current medical marijuana laws; an overview of the history of medical marijuana policy; and MPP’s model medical marijuana legislation.”

So you need to keep all this in mind before you start in growing medical marijuana because if you’re in the wrong state you can still can be arrested and prosecuted for doing it, even if you end up being vindicated. Even so where you live, how much you grow, and the tolerance level for it in that area plays a huge part in the likelihood of it happening.

Try to understand that your local sheriff and district attorney have to be re-elected every four years, so they tend to craft their policies around the the public opinion of those who vote. Then another thing then one more thing that district attorneys take into account is how the local public opinion will factor in when seating a jury because in the end they have to find 12 people from the community who will unanimously vote to convict.

You see, a trial is an expensive and time-consuming process for a county, so even if the local sheriff and district attorney would love to arrest and prosecute medical marijuana growers unless they’re assured convictions they’re effectively barred from doing so.

So in the end in most top local law enforcement officials end up backed up against the wall by local public opinion on growing medical marijuana laws and are in turn forced to strike a “balance deal”. A deal with the public that involves holding up some numbers serve as a sort of line in the sand.

These numbers are the amount of plants that can be grown and, or the weight of cannabis that can be possessed by someone who’s been approved by a doctor. Go over those numbers and you run the risk of prosecution, and there’s something else to keep in mind here.

That is that growing for personal use is one thing but starting up a commercial operation that involves the sale of a marijuana is entirely an entirely different story. Get caught selling cannabis and you won’t fall under the same umbrella of positive public opinion as easily as you do for growing it for personal use.

Growing Medical Cannabis: 3 Things to Make it Safer

So with so many gray areas where vague interpretations can be made in today’s medical marijuana laws it should come as no surprise that people still find themselves being arrested and prosecuted even after a doctor’s recommendation.

People who thought that they were free and clear for growing medical cannabis under the terms of the law who nonetheless found themselves in handcuffs fighting a case.

Just imagine their surprise too at having their crop torn up and all their equipment confiscated, then being taken for a ride down to the local jail the back of a squad car.

“Growing medical marijuana or medical cannabis has garnered a lot of both criticisms and praises to various medical groups and legislators. It has long been argued if marijuana can be used to treat or cure diseases and if it is safe for medical use.”

You see, there’s an important point to be made here that you should understand perfectly. That is that it’s surprisingly easy for the authorities to find a reason to arrest you even if they know they have no chance of obtaining a conviction.

Even so you still have to post bail, hire an attorney, and you still have to attend all court dates and possibly even have to pay your doctor to appear as a professional witness. Then after spending thousands of dollars, the prosecutor can simply drop the charges with absolutely no explanation. Now your equipment can be returned but you still be out that thousands of dollars you spent.

Safety Rule #1

So rule number one is to read and understand completely the laws pertaining to medical marijuana in your state. Far too many people fail to do this and they end up paying for it. Information is power and as long as you understand precisely what’s written in the laws and how it pertains to what you’re doing you will in turn better understand the parameters that you need to be operating within.

Safety Rule #2

Then rule number two is to do the research to find out what the policy is regarding  growing medical cannabis are your area. The local authorities will have some established quantitative numbers that they hold out to be the amount of plants and the amount of pot you’ll be allowed to produce and still stay safely under a legal umbrella. Go over that amount and you risk arrested and having to defend yourself.

Safety Rule #3

Then rule number three is understand that under any state law unless you are assigned caregiver you can only engage in growing medical cannabis for yourself. Then after you have the finished product in hand you still have to abide by state laws that cover the distribution of marijuana. Keep one thing in mind here too that you don’t have to charge anyone money to break the law. Even giving it away for free is illegal.

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