New Haven Independent

Posted by: Ed | September 10, 2009 8:02 AM

Legalize it

Posted by: Margaret | September 10, 2009 8:22 AM

When the cops report this kind of thing, do they give weights or just street value estimates? Weights would help us understand what kind of operation this was.

Posted by: robn | September 10, 2009 9:13 AM

Too bad this house didn't burn down...our little uptight city might have chilled out for a day or two.

Posted by: Volvo | September 10, 2009 11:24 AM

That looks like a lot more than 16 plants...

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 10, 2009 12:18 PM

First, Channel 8 shows a picture of Jerry Garcia in there broadcast... Hey not all dead heads are pot heads, look at the warph rats trying to educate.

Then of course I am wondering how many of our tenants in the building across the street saw the pot filled roof and never said anything. Kind of made me laugh....

I know robn, would of loved that.... how many fireman would of been laughing while trying not to put the fire out. Doritos for everyone...anyone want a marshmallow?

Volvo the roof had 16 plants... but once they got the warrant they hit the mother load in the house.

Margaret good question My guess is there is some pot chart the cops and courts have. but I just have to say wow! that is a lot of pot 1/2 mill. is that if the small plants where fully grown??

Now see the government could of been taxing this if they made it legal. What would be the sales tax on 1/2 mill. $35000.00 in revenue!

Posted by: Margaret | September 10, 2009 1:21 PM

Thanks for giving us the weights, Indy. Next question: does that include the dirt, and the pots, and the leaves, or just the sell-able buds? And how do the cops calculate the street value of their busts?

Posted by: Patriot | September 10, 2009 2:45 PM

How do they put a price tag on that product. They take the entire plant, root ball and stalk included, and weight it out to just under 25lbs. 500,000 divided by 25 equals $20,000 per pound. If they include the clones and seedlings into the estimate then the handful of seeds I have make me a multi-millionaire.

Posted by: Lt. John Velleca | September 10, 2009 7:08 PM

There were a total of 452 plants siezed. Each adult plant can yield a pound or so of marijuana. In New Haven, marijuana (non-hydro) sells for about $3,000.00 a pound. Roughly, that seizure is actually around 1.35 million. We base the estimate on the value of mature plants. Hope that helps clarify some things for you.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 10, 2009 8:28 PM

Thank for responding Lt John. I love it when the cops share with us like that. It makes you more approachable.
So basically the charges will be based on intent. Intent that they would of cultivated all 452 plants if not caught and that would of yielded 1/2 mil. Makes sense

But I still wish would could tax it darn it!!

Posted by: robn | September 10, 2009 8:43 PM

I love the fact that the perp had 58 mature plants growing inside and he JUST COULDN"T RESIST growing another 16 on the roof. What a maroon.
BTW, if the guy had 436 plants under grow lights, do you think it might be possible that he had an extraordinarily large electricity bill for a small apartment??? Doesn't law enforcement have authority to get red flags on this type of thing from the utility companies?

Posted by: William Kurtz | September 10, 2009 9:46 PM

Of course, it's only $3,000 a pound because it's illegal; the street value would drop precipitously if people in possession of marijuana weren't worried about police raids. Decriminalize, and anyone who wants some can grow it in their backyard garden along with their tomatoes. The police could free up some time to concentrate on the things that are really detrimental to life in the city.

I don't personally think drug use is a good idea, but show me a guy who's stoned on his couch eating Doritos and I'll show you a guy who's probably not bothering anyone.

Posted by: bumphus | September 11, 2009 6:23 AM

Marijuana promotes Godless beatnik-ism, that's why it must never be legalized. Do we really want our children to grow up listening to negro jazz music and attending poetry slams when that time could be spent worshiping Jesus? God bless you, Lt. Vallesa, for continuing your war on freedom...

Posted by: robn | September 11, 2009 7:41 AM

WK,

You've got a good point and I generally agree ... I don't give a a damn about other peoples choice of intoxicant as long as they don't end up in the emergency room, jail, or on the dole. However, think about it another way. If you hate drunk drivers, you're really gonna hate stoned drivers. Thats probably the number one argument against legalization.

Posted by: Ned | September 11, 2009 7:51 AM

What a complete waste of time, money and resources [the "drug war" that is]. Legalize it.

Posted by: Ned | September 11, 2009 9:33 AM

ROBN,
You might want to check out this article: Alcohol impairs driving more than marijuana.

Also, does anyone one else find drunks as completely insufferable vs. someone who is pleasantly stoned?

Posted by: Steve Ross, Human | September 11, 2009 10:20 AM

Bumphus wins most hilarious NHI post ever.

Posted by: stopthewar | September 11, 2009 11:08 AM

Dear Legalize it. You're about the only one to make sense on these posts. Now let's see, if it were legal, like in other countries,
1) you could tax it
2) the gang wars on the border would stop
3) it would no longer be a gateway drug

and not to mention, has anyone ever, committed a crime in order to get money to buy pot? Nope
Is it safer than alcohol and cigarettes, or which both of those drugs are legal, Yup.
And have long term studies revealed any negative effects on memory or cognition. Nope

This guys mistake was moving to CT from CA.

Posted by: robn | September 11, 2009 1:14 PM

NED,

Less dangerous is still dangerous.

Like I said, I've got no problem with consumption and agree with a lot of what STOPTHEWAR wrote but the driving-under-the-influence problem is vexing.

Posted by: werd | September 11, 2009 9:55 PM

The cops lie. Or at least exaggerate the truth. They have a separate chart to make it look like they took more off the street than they actually did.

> Hydroponically grown marijuana is highly potent and therefore much more expensive than run-of-the-mill marijuana, Reder said. A pound of marijuana usually costs about $700. A pound of "hydro" costs up to $4,000.

Don't listen to cops when it comes to this kind of stuff. They inflate their totals to make themselves look better.