Massive DEA raids planned for Humboldt
The rumors are true.
The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency is sending 200 agents to Northern Humboldt to crack down on marijuana growers, according to sources. The full-blown bust-a-thon will take place June 22-30.
300 houses have already been targeted by way of high electric bills. Perhaps our readers at PG&E can tell us to how the feds got those records. Did they use warrants or just ask nicely?
Rumors that every room at the Eureka Red Lion has been booked between June 23-30 may also have legs. One industrious Craig’s List user consulted hotels.com in attempt to book rooms for those dates but the website said no rooms are available during that time.
The federal government doesn’t recognize proposition 215 — the Compassionate Use Act — passed by California voters in 1996, which legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
Arcata grow houses made national news recently with reports in the LA Times, NY Times and Fox News. The issue also came up repeatedly during the 3rd District Supervisor race.
While some of the upcoming busts will target illegal operations under California law, others will take aim at patients protected by Prop. 215. Will Humboldt County Sheriffs or city police participate in raids that violate laws of the state?
We’ll know the answer in seven days.
UPDATE: More info at Humboldt County News. They write “Rumors were circulating a couple weeks back that the feds were going to raid dispensaries in Arcata, and as a result all but one of those facilities did not open for business on Friday, June 6.” Those rumors turned out to be false.
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The Humboldt Herald 
This could be some serious fun: if we’re out of hotel space for the narcs, maybe they’ll have to sleep in cars or under bridges. Then Eureka and Arcata could have “homeless sweeps” and they’ll all be pinked! I was a tad going to Berserkely when Patty Hearst was kidnapped, and for weeks FBI guys were all over the place. They were the ones with suits, skinny ties and sunglasses. . .they kinda stood out. I wonder if Feds still dress like that, and wear lapel pins and stuff. Are there field guides that cover these critters?
The opium crop in Afghanistan flourishes under Dubya’s administration, so he sends the DEA to Humboldt County. There goes what’s left of the local housing market.
The Bed Tax tis will generate could go towards paying cops.
-boy
Who doesn’t have a high PG&E bill? I suppose it is based on relative parameters, but jeez.
As for how they dress, I think they follow Hollywood movie guidelines.
As usual, pretend crimes committed by non-dangerous people get all of the focus while real crime committed by cold blooded exploiters of their fellow human beings run free. In this case people with medical afflictions which are often severe. Whether or not these rumors turn out to be true that has been the M.O. of the feds in the past with the most notorious cases involving extreme prosecution of terminally ill patients in extreme discomfort.
THe hotel’s own website shows the same thing-no vacancies.
Where are all of the States’ Rights conservatives when we need them?
Noel you know that is so much bullshit. People are moving here to grow dope and sell it to perfectly healthy people, trashing houses and breeding crime in their chosen neighborhoods. Good for the Feds. You guys get so wrapped up in Humboldt culture you forget there is a bigger world out there, and reality is about to come crashing down. Better hide your stash.
Anonymous at 7:07; If I had a stash I would be posting anonymously. Perfectly healthy people should be allowed to smoke pot in a free society and that is a widely held view in the “bigger world out there” that exists outside of the fantasyland created and maintained utilizing the MSM.
Bring-em on!! Should be fun to watch those 215ers go down. Stoners, Drinkers, and the like must have the most empty lives to have to enhance their lives with THC and booze. screwing-up your lungs and liver don’t sound like too much fun to me. Go surfing or hiking.
People who need to control others are the ones with empty lives. Isn’t your own life fulfilling enough without trying to live other people’s?
Noel, maybe it should be legal, but it is not. The bigger world out there? Europe? Right – a handful of of places does not constitute a widely held view. What is MSM?
Ah, but it is legal. Since 1996.
Heraldo, what’s your source for this news beyond Craigslist postings?
My sources remain confidential, anonymous.
… and the chickens come home to roost!
It isn’t nice to call DEA agents chickens.
Medical pot is legal in a number of states in this country and is grown all over California. I don’t know how Humboldt County’s rules governing it’s production compare with other jurisdictions but there seems to be little need for people to move to Arcata to grow pot.
Pot was being grown in rental units long before medical marijuana laws were passed and damage to those houses was sometimes done.
The notion that the feds will come here to roust people exploiting 215 for commercial gain is hardly likely considering their history of targeting not only medical marijuana gardens and supply lines but the sick people who are helped by pot. Indeed they are far more vulnerable to DEA abuses than healthy people who are consciously engaged in commercial trafficking and who have plans to avoid detection and capture.
If people who use intoxicants are such miserable people then it hardly seems fitting to focus one’s contempt on them and want to punish them further.
MSM= Main Stream Media.
Who said I was talking about DEA chickens?
Ahh, then I should at this historic moment in history divulge that the Grays and Insectoids will be fighting a war for the entire galaxy this weekend. Look for flashes in the night sky. I read all about it on Craigslist.
how the hell do you confirm a rumor like that? You would have to be either a fed or a Kevin Hoover who called the feds in the first place.
MSM stands for mainstream media.
Europe stands for French rear-enders, even though we’re talking about the Netherlands.
Purged means “We don’t need no stinkin’ documentation.”
It all adds up to a merry old times ahead in the Supes’ chambers, and don’t ferget the Code Enforcement Follies this Friday, June 27th.
There are other ways.
I heard of a similar rumor about two years ago. It was all over kmud news. The feds are comeing the feds are comeing. It never happened. Its a good scare tactic.
The Red Lion is booked during a conference being held during the tourist season. I’m shocked.
It’s probably like the way the U-Haul’s know to pull up in front of a growhouse the night before the bust, Anonymous. There is a leak in the department. Either the police department or higher up. And heraldo is in touch with the leak. Not rocket science.
So, we know which side H stands in the great grow house debate. Give growers advance notice so they can clean out. Arcatans are in your debt. Not.
Unless it’s all bogus, in which case, tee hee, a lot of growers will be going through a lot of trouble for nothing.
First, some top levels of law enforcement will be notified so that when dozens of armed men show up at a home, local cops don’t get shot.
Second, when you rub the Fed’s noses in it – when the two top papers in the nation carry stories like this – to think they would just sit back and ignore it is delusional.
Like natural selection, drug raids take the mouth breathers out of the picture and is ultimately a good thing.
Anonymous Says…you are a total a**hole! You and the other trolls posting here seem to take a great delight in the misery of others…you all should just mind your own business and STFU!
I know Noel personally and he neither smokes nor drinks. He is a Navy vet and served his country faithfully during the Vietnam war. He’s also a vegetarian (I don’t hold that against him) and one of the finest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
9:43, do you really believe that even the most grow-house-hating Arcatan ever wanted the DEA in here ripping the town apart? If this is really going to happen, it’s the law of unintended consequences writ large.
Either way, Hoover et.al. fu’d up big time dragging major mainstream media into it and putting our little town in the national spotlight like this. Yeah, there’s a problem, and it’s gotten way out of hand.
But steps were being taken locally and it’s likely that the bubble’s already been burst anyway.
Since we’re looking at craigslist anyway, hasn’t anybody else noticed the huge surge in grow equipment for sale over the last few months? Landlords are sick of their houses being trashed, neighbors are getting in growers faces, the worst offenders have in fact been getting busted left and right by local law enforcement, and those still at it have been having more difficulty moving their product. One grow store was recently put up for sale, a good indicator that its business has been going south.
So we have tangential indicators that many former growers have decided it’s not worth the hassle and legal risk to continue doing it. Sooner or later equilibrium would have been achieved without the need for federal intervention. But thanks to Kevin Hoover, now the community is suffering a whole new series of black eyes and who knows when the feds will finally get out of our faces?
I wonder who really booked the Red Lion? Maybe it was the Divine Evangelicals Association.
-boy
You mean busting up dozens if not hundreds of not-for-medical use grows, ultimately making more housing available to families in Arcata? You betcha.
Kevin deserves a gold star and despite the bubble you live in, the vast majority of the community is SICK of the grow houses.
Face it, medical pot as it operates in the real world is a blatant criminal scam. Great idea, but in reality it’s a greedy, criminal nightmare.
Thank god this will finish off the struggling housing market–maybe homes will be affordable again for people who aren’t in the top 7% or who don’t grow weed. And rentals? Hooray, rents can actually fall again.
This issue is everyone’s business. Evil Oil companies raise prices and everyone’s gas bill is an extra $100 per month.
Big Whoop. Indoor dope growers contribute nothing to our community (sales tax receipts–puhleeze!) and YOUR rent and YOUR mortgage are MULTIPLE hundreds more than they should be.
I say ‘thank you’ to Kevin at the Eye and everyone who is helping rid this cancer from our neighborhoods.
Like terrorists with human shields, the bogus 99% of 215 growers push the 1% sick old people out in front and claim they’ll be the first to suffer in a crackdown. Get real.
-JMan
Ohhh, no, wait a minute… Let’s keep all the not-medical grows and instead cut down more forests to build more new houses. I see the light and wisdom of your helping inform growers now, Heraldo. Thank you. Build lots of new homes, bring home prices down, and I can move out of my shack and into the promised land.
Wasn’t there a newspaper report recently that a large, if not the largest, contributor to Arcata’s city coffers was legal pot sales at the dispensaries.
Indoor pot grows drive up the market value of rentals to where families can’t compete. Landlords may be sorry for all their bitching when they have to reduce rents due to fewer “renters.” Maybe there will even be some foreclosures in the Arcata rental market and families will be able to buy a home there.
I vote “Jman” for Governor.
JMan, actually grows have little to do with high mortgages and rents. You may recall that home values skyrocketed in the past 5 years, and at the same times interest rates dropped and lenders gave 100% financed loans to anyone who wanted them. Because of that, hundreds or more home owners have $3000+ mortgages, and that is way too high to rent out to normal families. So what do they do? They live in the houses and they don’t rent them. And if they do rent them, the rents are high to cover the high mortgage payments.
THAT is why housing is scarce and rents are high. Maybe it’s true that growers can afford the high rents and mortgages, and so they occupy those homes, but it’s not like you think. The housing bubble has affected rental rates and availabilities throughout the nation, not just here.
source: http://news.humcounty.com/Real_Estate_Boom_to_Blame_for_Housing_Crunch.html
Carson Park Ranger Says:
“Where are all of the States’ Rights conservatives when we need them?”
Like you, they are busy excoriating Anonymous posters.
Healdo –
If you had advance knowledge that a violent assault would occur at the Republican National Convention, would you report it?
I totally agree with Jman. Get rid of these leaches.
Pot for fun- yes, in moderation
Pot for medicine- yes, in moderation
Pot grown in massive numbers in homes in ARCATA under the guise of “it’s medicine” (enough for around half the pop-
ulation) ?? NO
But of course! When people move out of their apartment or house and are replaced with indoor gardens… while new housing isn’t being built… that doesn’t affect housing prices at all! Nope, not at all. No it doesn’t! *I’m covering my ears now.* I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! It’s not happening!
Really? The FEDS? Machine gun toting, jack-booted thugs? Knocking down doors, ripping out walls, confiscating properties? Arcata wants that? I’m dubious.
As I pointed out earlier, local authorities of late have stepped up their efforts to reign in the problem. Give them just a little credit. Are we really so eager to obliterate growing indoors that we’re willing to let federal authority run roughshod over an entire town? Stop for a moment and think of all the things that could, and probably will, go wrong.
I don’t fault anyone, least of all Kevin Hoover, for being concerned, for expressing concern, or for pushing for LOCAL authorities to do something about the rampant out of control grow problem in Arcata and Humboldt at large.
I do fault Kevin Hoover and anybody else who thinks this is a good idea for bringing in the DEA – which was inevitable once the LA Times, NY Times, Fox News, etc got all over the story at Hoover’s prompting.
This is George Bush’s government we’re talking about here. A government that above all else always needs an enemy, a punching bag, somebody they can call the bad guy so they can claim they wear the white hat. They don’t care what laws they break along the way or how many bodies they leave in their wake.
This will not end well for our community.
Yes, when you use a phrase like “jack-booted thugs” you are dubious. The rest of Arcata is not. Someone has to save us, even if it’s the federal government.
Before we vote, we need to take off our rose-colored glasses and see clearly what our vote will mean. Rosy predictions are not the full picture. This medical marijuana debacle shows what happens when we overestimate the decency of our fellow-citizens. We need to remember the slimy depths to which many of our fellow “human beings” are capable of diving in pursuit of the “almighty dollar.”
Careful 11:18, you might just connect helping the homeless with helping medical marijuana patients. Both are very agreeable groups to help with side effects that have gone woefully wrong in Arcata because of blind trust and ideological adherence to positions no matter how badly things become. Arcata activists share something in common with Bushies. Mission accomplished?
If this Craiglist raid occurs, the growers will select a scapegoat for their woes instead of looking in the mirror.
Well, it’s a safe bet they will in fact be wearing what could be called ‘jackboots.’ And toting machine guns. We’ll just have to wait and see if they behave in a thugish manner or not. Given this government’s track record of late, I’m guessing that phrase won’t be too far off the mark. And despite your assertions to the contrary, I would think most Arcatans would rather see this handled locally.
Sometimes it takes “jack-booted thugs” to battle jack-booted and dread-locked thugs, especially those with huge dollar signs in their eyes.
PS my friend’s vacation rental is rented for that time period becuase of the Redwood Acres Fair.
When the solution to a problem wreaks more havoc than the problem did in the first place, does that mean the problem’s been solved? Everybody’s happy now? Well then, by all means, bring on the DEA! And let’s invade Iran while we’re at it.
Maybe the Feds can erect a tent city in the Arcata square for all the burn-outs they bust while raiding their hemp-homes. Then the pan-handlers won’t have to go far to bum money off people. There will be an abundant “captive” audience. haha.
The problem is more than I think some people believe. I think it is serious enough to warrant some attention from the Feds. I would rather they spent my tax money on the war on drugs instead of the other type.
I’d rather they spend it on violent crime. The war on drugs lost long ago.
From what I have seen, this qualifies as a violent crime in many instances, but I would agree with you about the “war on drugs” being lost.
Much of the violence connected with marijuana is due to criminalization. I disagree with property destruction that comes from clandestinely turning rentals into grow houses, but I wouldn’t call it violent.
I am referring to their protection (with weapons, etc) of their high-priced property, endangering neighbors, etc as well as law inforcement/fire depts being in danger from explosions when they enter, from high pressure cannisters, etc. The neighbors near these grows are highly stressed.
Sounds like many here are growing and now feeling uneasy. Thats the “pucker” factor you criminals have to deal with. If the Feds come, you can be certain they will have no trouble “turning” everyone they bust and enlarging their net. Its a small community, anyone who knows you grow will squeal like a stuck pig. No loyalty among criminals its their ass being hung up to dry. Nice to see the cockroaches scurrying around when the light of exposure comes on. And realistic prices for housing and rentals gives people more money to spend legally and will increase local tax revenues. Good for all except the leeches.
Also, the threat of violence is perceived by the public. There is a community task force that is anti pot grow, and yet you don’t see one sign or bumper sticker. The residents of Arcata are afraid of the pot growers and their potential to be violent or vindictive. This is violence to me.
Maybe the Red Lion Reservation was made by the Drunken Epidemiologist Alliance.
-boy
Pge employees are confirming rumors.Care program fraud mentioned.The Eye just reported the feel of the whole mess.
Havoc only for the growers. As a resident with two grows on his block, I’d welcome the neighborhood being cleared of its empty residences.
if heraldo’s post is accurate (who knows?) and they have only identified 300 houses with extra-high electric bills in all of northern humboldt, that would seem to suggest that the sky-is-falling estimates are wildly exaggerated.
i don’t like having big indoor grows in residential areas or the energy use they involve, but the level of hysteria around this is beginning to reach “reefer madness” proportions.
as far as this rumoured d.e.a. operation, it looks to me like a last gasp by the d.e.a., who can see the handwriting on the wall if obama is elected. he has promised that his administration would defer to state medical marijuana laws.
yes, that’s right, the feds might actually have to abide by the will of the voters of states like california. of course along with that, we the people of california, and of humboldt county, will need to use our own resources to deal with the unintended consequences of the laws we pass. that’s only fair.
Yep, bring it on, it’s not like I and many other Arcatans haven’t gone round and round with the city to get them to do something–in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a large faction in city government that wants to keep this a gray area of the law.
And why not, 26% of tax revenues are from pot businesses, and I’m not sure if that number includes hydroponics stores or not, but it obviously should, if their advertising in the Journal is any indication of the type of customers they’re looking for.
And the CARE fraud!! For those who don’t know, CARE is the reduced billing PG&E offers to low-income households (20%). Guess who uses CARE? Unemployed, 200K/yr dope growers! Guess who pays for the discount–you do!
And anon 1026, I agree home prices didn’t rise because of dope grows, but they are instrumental in preventing a proce correction (bad) and keeping rents sky high (bad).
I’m personally sorry for my many friends who have indoor grows, but what they are doing is wrong and detrimental to community, so let the chips fall where they may.
-JMan
No. If a big operation was going down, it would intentionally involve a limited number of the total known grows. It’s all for show, remember.
What a pathetic state of affairs – 200 DEA agents running around conducting surveillance and raids on private homes. Would a community, or Humboldt County, allow it to happen without a lot of noise being made about it?
Apparently, a few in Arcata are happy about the prospect of regulating the amount of indoor grows that happen in their community, and that’s understandable. But, as someone else mentioned on this thread, the problem was being addressed locally. Jesus, who would want a three bedroom house next door to them converted to a grow operation? I wouldn’t – what a nuisance!
But, that sort of thing should be handled through the local zoning (democratic) process. After all, growing indoors was considered appropriate. It still is – done safely, within limits, within code.
Addressing these issues should be a local law enforcement thing. Prop. 215 allows for that. Instead, we get a convention of law enforcement bureaucrats armed with guns and drug war hubris looking for signs of activity. Well, rumors of one, anyway.
The housing bubble has affected rental rates and availabilities throughout the nation, not just here.
Very true. But, why haven’t housing (and land) prices fallen as much here as in, say, the central valley…
JMan, you’re right about the CARE abuse. We wind up paying that extra 20% in the form of sky-high electricity rates for those of us who do actually have jobs and normal lives without the involvement of marijuana. I live in a 1500 sq. ft. house and my PG&E bill is always more than $300, and I don’t even run the heat unless it’s really cold. I do have a couple computers, and I cook at home every day, so I know I use more power than the miniscule baseline that pge gives me at a decent rate, but it’s hard to think that rates would be this high for normal joes like me and you if it weren’t for excessive abuse of CARE by greedy growers.
But, why haven’t housing (and land) prices fallen as much here as in, say, the central valley…
For starters, because there is almost no growth here. We don’t have big time developers building out new subdivisions every year, so our market stays the same: high demand, no new homes.
Thank you Feds…please come and clean up this hell hole. These criminals have nothing to do with sick people they are simply leeches feeding off of humboldt county.
And Heraldo, if you think these guys are ok, you are a sick criminal too.
Hoover didnt call no feds…come on you paranoid freaks, he is a news reporter doing a news worthly story..you want everyone just to ingore all the pot houses? I think the millions of tax free dollars are a good thing, but if you cant self regulate…
If the rumor is true and we’re really looking at 200 or 300 armed DEA agents participating in these raids, anybody who believes that only growers will be affected…well, I’d like to talk to you about a great opportunity in bridge ownership!
Hoover didn’t call the feds, but he did everything he could to bring in major mainstream media. Once this hit the front page of the NY Times, how could the DEA just sit there and continue to ignore it?
Thanks Kevin. From all of us innocent non-growers who are now wondering how long it will be before our children will be lying on the floor with machine guns to their heads while guys in black vests knock holes in the walls looking for contraband because the guy next door has a grow, thanks a whole f’in bunch.
Sound like hyberbole? It’s not as if it’s never happened. It has, and it does, all the time. Show me where in the last decade this federal government has been held accountable for any mistake and perhaps I’ll stop worrying about it, but the fact is these guys are armed and dangerous and won’t nobody do nothin’ no matter how bad they fuck us up when they blow through town.
I’d rather deal with Terry Liles.
“These guys are armed and dangerous”. You are right, 1:57. But you are talking about my neighbor protecting his pot from the neighborhood kids.
“Hoover didn’t call the feds, but he did everything he could to bring in major mainstream media.”
He did? What do you know about that? In what way did he do “everything he could” to draw in outside media?
Admitting there is a problem is the first step,Arcata has realized that having 4 dispensaries, 5 grow shops and 3 headshops sends a clear message to a certain segment of the population.To a stoner kid from rural Kansas it’s nirvana,but to his parents it’s a hell hole.Perception and reality.The urban legend of HUMBOLDT with Arcata as it’s crown jewel is a Sirens Call to the 49ers of today.”There’$ green in them there hill$”
“And like dude my landlord sold me clones and puffed me out
sell your car and get out here I’ll set you up.Don’t tell my Mom she thinks Im selling real estate.”..That was part of the cell conversation overheard in beer line at Oyfest .The 23yr old guy quoted also added “it’s like Amsterdam but the dank is better”He made no attempt to hide his conversation in fact it was like he was giving a speech.
Police yourselves……DA has asked.
I think the recent pieces in the LA Times and the NY Times simply reflect the growing movement towards legalization and decriminalization and also the spread of marijuana grows to every other nook and cranny of America. People are just curious about the effect of grows on local living and economies.
Marijuana grows are popping up all over just like bootleggers became common in the 20’s and 30’s. Bad economy, no good jobs, and a need to make money. People are not stupid and they will do what they need to do to survive. Especially if it involves growing an herb.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Hoover took the reporter from the LA Times around to show them “grow houses.”
We know. So?
I think the link between the recent media play of Arcata grow houses and this possible federal raid is a tenuous one. The craigslist allegation was posted just days after the NYT story ran. A raid of this size — 200+agents! — would have taken months to put together.
And Hoover’s statement echoes mine. His quote from today’s Eye: “One more time: neighborhood wrecking bad, compassionate use good. Got it?” He wants the same thing as the majority of Arcata.
The DEA comiing is pretty exciting stuff, but I have to give my two cents, about what Noel posted, that ill patients are being targetted, while more serious crimes go ignored especially in Humboldt County.
M sister’s remains are still sitting on a shelf at the County Coroner’s office, ever since her remains were recovered on 08-09-2002, the coroner has maintained her remains as evidence, that may be used as the letter I received states, “IF and when” charges are ever filed.
My sister, Andrea, was murdered in 1980, according to FPD in their final report to the DA in 2003, …………which named their only suspect, officially closing out Andrea’s case.
Nearly 6 years later, her suspect has yet to be charged, and quite honestly most everyone in town some still working for the county tell me, “They are never going to file charges in Andrea’s case, they know it, we all know it.”
Andrea was missing for 22 years before her remains were recovered, incidentally, the same year that her suspected killer was convicted of homicide in another near by county.
So I guess that means her suspect got away with murder, but why don’t the authorities, just tell the family they will not file charges and release Andrea’s remains, instead, according to the written letter received, Andrea’s remains, “must remain in custody”.
………….. while her suspect is never held accountable.
The book Deadfall by Robert Scott 2006, that was pulled off of most of the local shelves in Humboldt is still popular up and down CA and many other places, tells the tragic and unbelievable disregard for human life.
I wish there was an agency like the DEA for that!
That’s a sad story. My sympathies to you and your family.
The NY Times guys pretended to be doing MMj article since NY is passing medical pot soon A youngen took em to his scene & talked $$$$$ amounts, 215 legal of course.
BBC article,Baltimore Sun, many others will now reprint due to # of IP hits.
The measure B vote also brought them here.
Busts on I 80,I 70,I 40 in Humboldt rental cars brought em here.
Cell phone records from back east investigations brung em.
Articles in HighTimes –CannabisCulture brung em.
Sales tax records from pot clubs,.,gro shps,,auto dealers brought them.
YoU Idiots (u no who u r) brought them.
The beautiful place we live brought us all …Peace!
Does anybody know how much an expensive power bill really is? With the rising cost of energy isn’t everyones power bill outrageous? And for those who want the grow houses shut down, aren’t you slightly worried about your own privacy. Lets not forget about the about the controversial implications of the Patriot Act that everyone is worried about. Are we prepared to allow “massive” county wide raids for grow houses? Why not just have low enforcement come through every house in California? Why not just have a weekly surprise inspection? Are we in America? Is big brother really around the corner? Your crazy if you want law enforcement to tear through neighborhoods causing more destruction than the average grower. I understand that some people do it for a main source of income but in most cases it is more of a hobby that does not involve endangering your neighbors, or your fellow Arcatans and destroying a rental home. Isn’t blasting down doors, and coming into residential neighborhoods with automatic weapons destructive?
And for those local business owners who did not start their business with “grow cash,” imagine how poor your monthly net income will become with the eradication of growers. Like it or not humboldt county has a very heathy economy, and its not because of the logging industry.
My PG and E bill has been over $700 and I have no worries at all about the Feds coming in here. I mow my lawn (unlike grow houses) once in awhile and you can see in every window, since mine are not covered with misc blankets and black plastic.
Didn’t I hear the amount used in a grow house was like 30x the normal usage?
I don’t know. Did you?
The burnt grow house in LA Times had $2000 a month pge bill.
In Ontario, Canada, it is estimated that $500 million is stolen each year in electricity, and that one in ten grow house will go up in flames, and mentions how the first responder (fire dept) faces the potential hazards of explosions and electrocution.
the idea that 1 in 7 houses in arcata are “grow houses” is truly laughable. this kind of nonsense is often accompanied by the equally laughable claims that arcata is a “hellhole” and the arcata plaza is a dangerous open-air drug market littered with heroin needles, used condoms and human feces.
as far as grow-houses, most of the “evidence” i hear from people is things like “a guy whith dreadlocks moved in down the street and we hardly ever see him” and “houses with blankets or tapestries on the windows instead of curtains.” pretty underwhelming stuff. lots of gossip, some obvious jealousy, plenty of assumptions, and not a whole lot of facts.
but maybe we’re arguing, in part, about definitions…does a house with one room that has one grow light in it and a 215 prescription to go along with it qualify as a “grow house?” not in my book. but, sure, there’s a lot of those situations in arcata, i’ve seen a few myself.
if by “grow house” you mean that no one really lives there, most every room is packed with marijuana, there are dozens of lights as part of a sophisticated continuous growing operation, then the number is much, much lower. i’d be surprised if it was even as much as 1 in 100 by that standard.
personally i don’t think anyone should be wasting electricity growing indoors when we have plenty of sun and soil in our beautiful county. but it’s the d.e.a. and the failed war on drugs that pushed growing indoors and it’s the county and city govenments in other parts of the state which continue to persecute and prosecute 215 patients that have made arcata more attractive by comparison to, say, fresno or something.
i lived through the great crack-cocaine hysteria of the late 80’s. during part of this time i lived in an inner-city neighborhood and saw how easily the term “crackhouse” was applied to the residences of poor people and those with lousy landlords. i even had someone point out my own apartment (not knowing i lived there) as a “crackhouse.” the evidence they offered? the sheets and tapestries used in place of curtains, lots of young people coming and going, and the ethnicity of some of the roommates and their visitors.
were we crack users or running a “crackhouse?” no, we were students with quite a few friends coming and going, and no money for non-essentials like matching curtains. gee, i wonder if we might have a few of those in arcata?
don’t believe the hype.
True.
Not “littered,” but a scavenger hunt on any day of the week will turn up at least one of all of those items.
All those things are, in fact, out there on the Plaza. Ask anyone in Public Works who has Plaza cleanup duty. They’ll show you their daily haul.
Also, talk to the neighbors who show up at Council and Planco meetings. They think 1,000 is a low estimate. Some people are surrounded on all sides by full-tilt boogie grow houses.
Funny, I don’t hear that. I hear about the nighttime crops harvested in big trucks. I hear from people who smell the harvest from my back yard. And I get sick to my stomach seeing you apologize for these guys. They have squandered Arcata’s goodwill, and now it’s their time to leave. It’s too bad H’s Craiglist rumor is all one big hoax because I wish it were true.
Anecdotal “evidence” from a vocal minority of anti 215 people galvanized by Hooven’s hysteria. If there was really that much pot being grown the price would collapse and no one could afford to pay their overhead.
oops Hoover
Heraldo, the bulk of your article on the impending DEA bust was reported (with full attribution) on KGOE radio today at about 5:00 p.m. I thought you would like to know.
553 they are not selling it here.
i think the 1 in 7 growhouses estimate was a bit much if you count apts.
but your 1 in a 100 number is low,but at that it would ==70.
70 residential growhouses entirely converted to ag is still a bit much.The anti growhouse click says there are 2 or 3 in every neighborhood bringing the number to 250-300.And that’s not counting commercial buidings & bays.
There is another side; a gray area or wild hair sceneareo :
there are those 215 parents who don’t want a 215 scene(even a small totally legal one) at their home with teens & all, so they rent a “215 sugar shack” & go there to medicate & grow in 1 bdr. or garage. Is that a growhouse? Good Luck
This thread seems to be made up of either growers or their neighbors. I am the neighbor.
“Heraldo, the bulk of your article on the impending DEA bust was reported (with full attribution)”
Full attribution?
They identified “Heraldo” by something other than a false name?
Still can’t copy and paste, dammit.
The fella who says Obama will solve the medical marijuana dilemma by letting it be handled by the states on an individual basis makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. That means Obama is in favor of “States Rights???” God! The Civil Rights Movement, of which I was a part, battled against States Rights all through the fifties and sixties. Bull Connors supported States Rights. The KKK supported States Rights.
I suppose that is all completely irrelevant now? Well, then, Obama, dig my grave, I’m ready to go. I guess I’ve lived in this world too long.
Yes, apparently you have. Cya, wouldn’t want to be ya.
I am not a grower and so far as I know, none of my neighbors are either. But then I don’t pay attention to what my neighbors are doing. So long as they don’t disturb my peace, I don’t care what they are doing. Make pot legal and most if not all the problems associated with it will vanish.
and the hysteria gets even more hysterical – now we’re in danger of jim crow segregation coming back because obama thinks medical m.j. should be up to the states?
yeah, you’re right, “states rights” is all or nothing, no way to distinguish between states taking away the rights of their black residents and states allowing sick people to use marijuana. it’s exactly the same. and the feds should make ALL governmental decisions, because otherwise that’s “states rights.”
hoo-boy!
6:48, would your neighbor’s house burning to the ground and catching your home on fire disturb your peace? How about a home invasion robbery next door? Bother you at all? Welcome to the joys of having grows in your neighborhood.
The grow houses usually have guns, huge piles of cash and often meth in them. Then there’s the trucks coming and going at night, briefcases changing hands in driveways…
Welcome to the neighborhood!
6:27, all “states rights” issues are not created equal. The constitution grants the states the right to have their own constitution and laws which may not be the same as what the majority in another state wants. Laws regarding civil liberties; however, are federal which state laws can’t violate. Whether or not mj should be exempt from federal laws is difficult because there is, as we know, a lot of exporting to other states. The only solution I can see is national legalization which I believe will eventually happen. The states can then make own decisions.
to me, the most serious and pressing issue is the potential fire hazard. if it was up to me, i think anything beyond a 100 square foot (10×10) personal grow should be in an industrial or better yet greenhouse agricultural space, not in residential neighborhoods. it’s really quite inefficient to be converting residences for horticulture when we have plenty of sun and soil. so i’m no fan of indoor growing, and certainly no fan of big indoor grows in residential neighborhoods.
but d.e.a. sweeps will only ensure that people stay underground, which generally means converted residences which may not be properly wired for this kind of use.
in my opinion, bringing the growing “out into the open” and removing the reason for all the subterfuge is the only approach that will work in the long term.
Does anyone think the conservative contractor very involved with 215 marijuana growing will get a visit from the DEA?
Fire is a serious issue, but I wonder how many fires have been caused by indoor grows, as compared to fires started by cigarettes or barbecues or candles. Maybe we need to ban all of those things, too?
I can see it now. Separate water fountains at the Plaza for whites, blacks, marijuana users, and alcomaholics like the ones who have been criticising me here tonight. Luckily, inasmuch as I am an anonymous poster, critical commentaries from such as you folks rolls off my back like a duck off a log.
And let’s not forget christmas lights and christmas trees. Better ban those, too?
Who has banks of 1,00 watt halogen lamps on their Christmas tree?
Have you seen the June 17 EYE? Good stuff. Goggle it & save the trees.
1.Kevin update
2.PgE article
3.Jason’s opinions-reeeeal good !
…i’ve never seen a duck on a log. I have seen water roll off a duck’s back, though.
KGOE identified Heraldo as the Humboldt Herald at WordPress, a blog. KGOE’s newsman reported he did not know if all of Heraldo’s article was true, but the newsman said he knew for a fact that some of it was true. He then read almost the entire piece just as it had been written by Heraldo. (Whoever the heck Heraldo is.) That’s what I meant by “full attribution.”
7:27, the point is that all of these items, such as candles, barbecues, cigarettes, and christmas lights (including the over-the-top outdoor displays that have thousands of bulbs) can cause house fires when not handled safely. So we try through education and regulation to make sure they’re handled safely, rather than banning candles, barbecues, cigarettes, christmas lights, etc. Get it now?
Yep it just gets sillier…..I hear the Marines are doing training for Martial Law in 5 cities of the US this summer…..I think that the Constitution says something about how the military is not allowed to be used on it’s own citizens…..The question is: IS THIS RAID OF 300 FBI AGENTS LET LOOSE ON HUMBOLDT COUNTY ABOUT THC OR IS IT TO UNCOVER PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE WITHOUT CAPITALISM CONTROLLING THEIR LIFESTYLE? HAS OUR GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY FOOLED US AGAIN? IS FREEDOM STILL POSSIBLE? Is this a civil war? I’m seriously concerned because I have Grandchildren that deserve to grow up in a world that has achieved Peace….there’s been way too much blood lost to have not attained that yet….our loved ones are dieing in the middle east and our homeless number is growing at the same time isn’t there more important stuff to worry about besides making criminals of those who medicate with a drug other than a pharmaceutical? When will we ever learn??????????
let’s not pile rumors on top of rumors, kate.
one thing we can be pretty sure of is that if they indeed spend their time busting big indoor growers they won’t be uncovering “people who are able to live a good life without capitalism controlling their lifestyle.” for better or for worse, the big indoor growers are laissez-faire capitalists in their purest form.
i’m 100% against the raids, but let’s try not to get as hysterical as those who are favoring them!
Gee thanks man…I needed that!
no sweat. glad to help.
The duck reports he is feeling much better now. Falling from that log hurt his sense of dignity more than anything else. He told me he apreciates your concern.
“.. isn’t there more important stuff to worry about besides making criminals of those who medicate with a drug other than a pharmaceutical?”
Yes, without a doubt.
“When will we ever learn????????”
We are in the process of that learning now. It is a slow and uncertain process, with at least one step back for every two steps forward. But yes, slowly but surely we do seem to be learning. This D.E.A. raid, if it even happens, is just one more wailing, thrashing death dance of the doomed dinosaur we call the “drug war.”
Christmas lights put out a fraction of the energy of grow lights.
This is by far the biggest scare tactic this blog has ever tried to pull over on us readers. Heraldo, you don’t have enough credibility to pull “autonomous” sources, which is ironic cause you’re anonymous.
There is no proof of planned raids. You have no sources confirming this. Stop trying to get readers, you’re as bad as the local rags.
I meant anonymous, not autonomous.
You are arguing that these growers smoke their whole crop instead of sell it? That must be some vitamin-rich smoke they have there. How do they survive? I mean, physically?
“Christmas lights use a fraction of the energy of grow lights”
start adding thousands of fractions and you still get some pretty big whole numbers. try it sometimes.
besides, the point that was being made was about fire danger, not electric usage.
for the record, my own feeling is that both of these uses of electricity are a complete waste of energy and money. the sun provides plenty of light to grow things, and no god worth worshipping would want us to waste our resources on those tacky christmas lights.
a pox on both your houses!
I heard the DEA raid is because receipts from liquor taxes have declined here and they are trying to get rid of the competition. Not really.
There is nothing similar about fires caused accidently by Christmas lights and a grow house that changed its electrical system to accommodate an illegal business, the latter which may have cannisters of butane sitting around as well. One is an innocent mistake and the other is an illegal attempt to make a ton of money at the expense of the neighborhood.
Hmm three hundred houses with 10 to 20 1000 watters each that adds up to one of Josh Hedlund’s diesel grows! Come to think of it, know that Josh works for the feds you have to wonder what his role in all of this is? Paid consultant?
But, why haven’t housing (and land) prices fallen as much here as in, say, the central valley…
For starters, because there is almost no growth here. We don’t have big time developers building out new subdivisions every year, so our market stays the same: high demand, no new homes.
Which brings us back to the original question: If our market has stayed the same, why did it double in value over the past few years. It followed the same trajectory as national and regional markets on the way up — presumably for similar reasons: low teaser interest rates and low credit standards. Why hasn’t it followed the national regional trends down?
So I poked around a little bit to try and answer my own question. It looks like prices here are following regional trends. Prices are declining, just not as precipitously as in other areas. Zillow is showing declines in Arcata home values: 7% this year and 15% off the peak in 2006. The Humboldt Economic Index is showing
ongoing depreciation in Humboldt as a whole.
If you would like to “blame” marijuana, irregardless of other factors, for high real estate and rental values I’d suppose the question is why are prices falling now?
If you would like to “blame” constricted development for increasing housing costs then, again, why are housing prices falling now?
Some analysts believe that median prices, in other areas, will fall until they become affordable for people living on median incomes.
If you want to think about how far and how fast local prices will fall then the question is what impact has marijuana had on median income levels in Aracata — including the multiplier effect of marijuana income spent in local businesses as well as the direct income to growers.
Most people who have bought, or refinanced, homes in the past few years will no doubt appreciate the fact that Humboldt homes seem to be holding their value better than homes in other areas.
Personally, I think prices need to fall. I also think they will fall. But, if it is a gradual fall rather than the sharp crash taking place in Sacto and the inland empire that will be a good thing.
Careful what you wish for…
Less housing for people + people wanting housing = higher prices.
What part of the equation confuses you? Marijuana grows negatively impact housing prices any way you slice it.
you’re right 9:59, the two examples ARE completely different because a grow house is at least producing a useful medicine and bringing money into the community, whereas the christmas lights are just pissing away energy and money in a ridiculous dsiplay of over-commercialized religiosity.
but seriously: they both would be examples of “accidents.” or do you think these people actually want their crop, and their equipment to be lost in a fire? i kinda doubt that.
when it comes right down to it, most reasonable people can agree that any grows beyond the strictly-personal-use size should really be in industrial or agricultural buildings that are designed for this purpose, not in retrofitted grow houses, which are both inefficient, expensive, and yes, a potentially dangerous nuisance to the neighbors.
so perhaps we really disagree a lot less than you might think. the question is how to get from here to there. d.e.a. raids will most likely be counterproductive, as they will encourage continued underground growing rather than moving it out into the sunlight where it is safer and more energy-efficient. so we’ve got to try to keep the big picture in mind.
The basic difference, 10:53, is the smokescreen that most of the pot grown around here is “medicine”. It is a pathetic excuse to grow it in abundance when it is used as a recreational drug for the most part. The few that do need it as medicine are given an unfair shake, meanwhile. It’s all about big money.
Less housing for people + people wanting housing = higher prices. What part of the equation confuses you?
I guess the part where market prices are actually falling.
I realize that empirical evidence is frowned upon in an econ 101 world… but I believe your analysis is oversimplified.
It’s not me that confuses easily…
Kevin should win some newspaper awards for this stuff. It is really well done.
You say oversimplified. I say unimpeachable.
You say pissing away energy. I say bringing merriment and cheer all the year around.
Maybe we should give teens condoms instead of watching teen pregnancy rates rise.
Maybe we should give drug users clean needles instead of watching diseases spread via shared needles.
Maybe our fire departments should hold public workshops on proper wiring for indoor gardens instead of blasting water at burning houses.
I’m just sayin’.
that’s cool 11:52. it seems that some would rather get some merriment and cheer from an innocuous herb. others prefer thousands of multicolored plastic blinking lights. and then there are those who get their kicks from seething with righteous indignation and feeling superior to their neighbors.
oh well, to each their own, i suppose. i don’t really want to take away anyone’s christmas lights, no matter how tacky i find those things personally. and though i sure would rather people grew their herbs outdoors or at least in more appropriate places like greenhouses or warehouses with proper wiring, you can thank our pals at the d.e.a. for forcing the grows underground, and therefore into our residential neighborhoods, in the first place.
it’ll be interesting to see if the enforcers treat arcata neighborhoods the same way our rural areas are treated, where a warrant for one property is used as carte blanche to search all adjoining properties under their amusingly named “open field doctrine.”
if they apply this same standard in arcata, and you happen to be one of the folks with a grow house next door, they can go tramping through your backyard and throwing your family to the ground, for the “safety” of the officers of course, while they ransack your possessions without a warrant. after all, you live in an area with some pot growers, therefore you’re fair game for a little heavily-armed warrantless search activity because they assume you’re probably a grower, too. at least that’s how it works out in sohum and the other rural areas of the county.
meanwhile, most of the real commercial growers will have long since packed up and moved their stuff somewhere else for a few weeks, leaving the small-time personal growers and legit 215 co-op growers, along with non-growers like you and i, to take the brunt of the d.e.a. assault. then in about a year, they can come back and go through the same charade all over again… ain’t the treadmill of expensive, mindless, ineffective enforcement just so much fun!
so those who are so happy that the d.e.a. might be making a “sweep” through their neighborhood: be careful what you wish for, you might just get it, and then some!
Maybe we should teach the homeless how to obey laws and stay out of trouble with the police.
Whoops! Wrong thread.
1.) Smoking, growing, and selling marijuana to consenting adults is morally acceptable.
2.) The prohibition against marijuana cultivation, use, and sale is immoral and unethical. Furthermore, it wastes millions of tax payer dollars, incarcerates generally non-violent individuals, ruins lives, and keeps the price of herb high (no pun intended). An even bigger problem is Mexican mafia coming into Northern California and decimating local ecosystems through clear cutting and dumping petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides into creeks and streams. Large scale grow ops, run by locals or foreigners often involve weaponry, attract thieves and leave people empty handed at best, and dead or injured at worst. All this because of a law against a plant.
3.) Like Tosh said “Legalize It.” “Judges smoke it, even lawyerman too…goats love to play with it…good for the food…good for tuberculosis….singers smoke it….nurses smoke it….birds love it!”
Legalized marijuana=redux in crime, redux in pot prices, and takes all the money out of it for big mafia types. Let’s just legalize it and let the feds tax it.
Better yet, let’s just all fire one up, join hands, come together to legalize the herb, and get on fighting violent crime and healing the earth my brothers and sisters. PEACE!
PP in rare form :-)
“I mean where market values are actually falling.”
You mean like this:
“A home currently at auction on 18th Street in Eureka has an estimated value of $160,059. The amount owed is $217,902.
In McKinleyville, where 20 homes are currently in some stage of foreclosure, a house on Silverado Avenue is at auction with an estimated value of $140,940 and an outstanding loan amount of $267,719.”
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_9609782?source=most_viewed
I don’t believe a home on Silverado is worth any less than 300K. Maybe that neighborhood has changed?
Yes, like that. Though clearly facts are no match for theory.
Jeeesus H Christos onna crutch! Are you people really that paranoid?
Here’s some info for ya:
1. Since when has the Gubment ever worked that fast. The articles in the papers/TV were only 1-2 weeks ago. You think that ‘The Man’ can get that many RSVP’s at local hotels inna week during tourista season? Not. They actually have had the rooms for quite some time, more on that later…
2. You think PG&E will just turn over every bill for Arcata to the FEDs? PG&E, the company headquartered in San Francisco? Puulease. It could be done, but on a case by case basis, and with a warrant. But in the times of everyone having astronomical bills, what Judge will give a warrant without some other evidence.
3. There are actually about 500 Justice Dept workers coming to the Redwood coast next week FOR A CONFERENCE at the Riverlodge in Fortuna! Since there are only around 200 or so rooms available in Fortuna (since it is turista season) they are taking rooms at any hotel they can.
The conference is being attended by Justice Depts. from the western states and the fed, or so I heard, to discuss the different pot laws on the west coast.
4. Don’t even try to eat lunch at the Eeel River Brewery any time next week! The conference isn’t catered, so the Cops have to eat lunch somewhere in Fortuna.
Anony.Miss, Houses are only worth what someone is willing to pay no matter which neighborhood. Apparently people aren’t willing to pay what houses used to be worth and some people are walking away from them if they have negative equity.
Maybe that house on Silverado would be a good rental investment for you since you think it is worth more than the appraised value.
Speaking of PG&E, I have been leaving my Fridge door open for the last several weeks. I hope the spike in my energy bill does not make me a target for the Dippy Energy Amalgamation. Perhaps I should go to see them at the Red Lion after they arrive.
-boy
Hey boy,
Yer beer won’t stay cold if you do that!
I have noticed that price range (2-300K) seems to be selling a lot quicker than the higher priced homes. Silverado is a nicer neighborhood and would definitely be easier to sell than a home in a “bad” area of Eureka. I just think 140K on Silverado is exaggerated. Just my opinion.
So by 140K house with an oustanding $267K loan, you really mean a $407K house.
No. If the true value is only 140K and you owe $267K, you have a negative equity of $-127,000. That is why they would want to “walk away” from that loan. However, I think that this neighborhood (Silverado) and house could be better than the estimated value, so perhaps the home is actually worth closer to around what they owe. If no one will buy it at a higher price than 140K, then, in fact, there is a real problem for these owners. I think waiting for a possible upturn and going ahead and paying the mortgage if possible is the best way to handle it. If they absolutely cannot pay the mortgage and cannot sell, I guess they have no choice but to walk from it or make a deal with their mortgage company, which could be an option.
What do you others think?
I think a house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, regardless of how much is owed. That in turn affects the value of other homes in the area. This could become a nasty downward spiral like what happened on a regional level in Texas when the oil business almost collapsed only it is happening all across the country.
If you recall, in Texas lots of people started walking away from their devalued homes and buying others from foreclosure for much lower prices. They weren’t forced into foreclosure because they couldn’t afford their payments but because they didn’t want to pay more than what their home was currently worth.
The Humboldt MLS lists 2 houses currently for sale on Silverado: $299,000 (1436 sq ft) and $344,900 (1500 sq ft).
Those are small houses built in 1997 and 1998. If a home was seriously valued at 140K on Silverado, my first question would be: what’s wrong with it?
Another question is… why didn’t the Times-Standard reporter ask that question? Assuming the reporter didn’t make a factual error, he erred in using the home as an example because 140K is not representative of house sales in McKinleyville.
People don’t list their home for less than what they owe. Asking and getting aren’t the same. You could do an awful lot of remodeling for $150,000.
iF A LITTLE OLD LADY CAN BE RUSHED ( DOOR BROKEN DOWN) AND SHOT SENEN TIMES AND KILLED BY THE EUREKA POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHAT ARE THE FEDERALLIES GOING TO DO TO OUTDO THEM IN ARCATA????? fOOD FOR THOUGHT ( SHE HAD NO DOPE AND NO 215 CARD)
iF A LITTLE OLD LADY CAN BE RUSHED ( DOOR BROKEN DOWN) AND SHOT SEVEN TIMES AND KILLED BY THE EUREKA POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHAT ARE THE FEDERALLIES GOING TO DO TO OUTDO THEM IN ARCATA????? fOOD FOR THOUGHT ( SHE HAD NO DOPE AND NO 215 CARD)
The Eye of June 17 is eye opening.Can you believe the half page ad in the Ereeeka Reporter from Humboldt Hydroponics? Must be boycotting the Eye.Arkley wins again!
I don’t necessarily agree with Hoover, but admire his integrity. Sometimes principles are costly but without them, what are you?
Ahhhh……. really the Humboldt ‘ I can grow as much weed as I want and am totally safe from the world ‘ bubble is beginning to be poked at. You mean to tell me that all these people who CHOOSE to grow mass amounts of plants, put their names on leases of rentals where large operations are being run (or even worse risk the homes they own) and on PG&E bills that range into the 1000’s monthly are really trying to turn this into a big politic ‘human rights’ event. It is a felony last time I checked and so if you choose to take it a level where you are making 100’s of thousands of dollars and have linked yourself to it all – then buck up and take responsiblity. Smoke weed if its your thing but come on this really about the people who cannot have the phat bankroll in their pocket floating in the Humboldt Blanket of La La land.
May I suggest that someone who has access to such things apply a liberal dose of Haight Ashbury juice to all the doorknobs at the hotel so that the DEA find themselves contemplating their navels in a big way next week. Maybe with their consciousness lifted out of the homeland security mode, they’ll decide it’s time to go after their bosses in the government who appear to be busy destroying the Constitution.
Arcata`became the “Vegas” of the Emerald Triangle many years ago.Crews that grow 2-3 hrs away still RnR in Cata.We have the airport and best grub.Thus Arcata is like the oasis where the weary & tired hang and take showers while resupplying and spending their cut.The alternatives are Fortuna,Eureka,Ferndale,Garbvle,Willow CR.,BluLake, Orick,Weavervle,Ukiah,Willits,Laytnvle,Rio Dell,Cresnt Cty!
Even a Hawk is an Eagle among Crows.
They “hate us because we are free”? What a crock of you know what.
What part of “Any right not expressly given to the Federal Government remains with the States..” Does the DEA not understand? If I didn’t know that our country operates under
martial law (that’s the only time a president is called Commanded-in-Chief of the Army, look it up!) and that the owner of our bankrupt corporation has written rights of piracy to the DEA, local Police, The Courts and other Alphabet Agencies to extract their tribute by any means necessary, I would be mad at an apparent illegal act that is actually expressly allowed by “law” and actually promoted if said agent of the courts (read British Crown) deems that any act by any belligerent of the land is an “Annoyance”.Me thinks we need to study the law and the words they use. Get back to me once you look into all that.
They “hate us because we are free� What a crock of you know what.
Hey, it made for a good line in Easy Rider!
What about the rest of that sentence you conveniently omitted?
That’s the kicker isn’t it. Unfortunately the constitution grants interstate commerce to the feds. Since pot is transported over state lines, they claim authority. We need federal legalization. States doing so may be the first step but only when it is handled responsibly to set a good example for those who may follow. We haven’t handled that part too well.
You guys arguing about home prices rising and falling should include timeframes in your discussions. I doubt you could find many homes in Humboldt County that are worth less than they were 5 years ago.
If you know you are going to have to go into foreclosure (job loss or other financial issue) then the best thing is to contact a Realtor and have them talk to your lender about a short sale as the bank ends up getting more money for the house usually than if it goes through foreclosure.
If there is a foreclosure listing priced at $289,000 in your immediate neighborhood and two non foreclosures priced at $300,000 and $310,000 then what home is going to sell first?? Usually the foreclosure. The appraiser for a house than is in escrow and getting a loan, will use a foreclosure that has sole in the neighborhood and then you may have problems if your home has sold for $30,000 or more than the foreclosure as that is a “comparable sale” for your house and can establish the neighborhood value. That happened years ago in L.A. since there were a lot of foreclosures when Lockheed moved to Georgia and around 10,000 people didn’t have jobs. It drove the prices down of all houses that were being sold even if they were in excellent condition with all pest work and anything that needed fixing being fixed. Some of the foreclosure homes had no kitchen cabinets and they had been removed and sold to get money to pay rental deposits and rent for a while. Lots of things were removed from the foreclosure homes so they usually were not in very good condition and would be considered more than cosmetic fixers, but your pristine house still could not get more money than the foreclosure sold for. Could happen here if we get more foreclosures.
Making naturally growing plants illegal, yet another infringement on our rights by the gov’t. Add it to the ever-growing list of violations:
They violate the 1st Amendment by opening mail, caging demonstrators and banning books like “America Deceived” from Amazon.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns during Katrina.
They violate the 4th Amendment by conducting warrant-less wiretaps.
They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment by suspending habeas corpus.
They violate the 8th Amendment by torturing.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on behalf of a foriegn gov’t.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save this great country.
Last link (unless Google Books caves to the gov’t and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0
And yet, we don’t want your grow house in Arcata, thankyouverymuch.
don’t sell or grow drugs……..the government hates competition.
Again, we’re moving too much towards a war on sin in this country. The private pleasures of others and victimless crimes are being pursued WAY TOO MUCH. Prohibition of alcohol failed miserably. The govt makes way too much money on the war on drugs for these substances to ever be legalized. Its sheer nonsense. Alcohol and tobacco should be illegal, since they both kill more people each year. How many people have died from cannabis consumption ??? Is this really the best use of the DEA ??? Do we really need a war on sin in this country ? Where are the victims of people who want to smoke in the prviacy of their won homes and not go out driving afterwards ?
That may be true, TimH, but probably isn’t much consolation to people who bought at the housing peak. You know, like that nice young couple who scraped together every dime they could scrape for a down payment on the little house down the street 2 years ago, who haven’t bought anything but necessities in order to make their house payments, who are now going into foreclosure because they can’t make both the payment and buy gas to get to work and can’t find a buyer who will pay what they owe on the house? I’m sure they feel much better knowing that their house isn’t worth less than it was 5 years ago.
A “raid” should be made on the Red Lion, right about 5:00 – 7:00 pm with an armed populace. Show these thugs to the way to camp Gitmo
10:47 am: Are you really a law and order guy? Are there issues of right and wrong for you on this topic?
Houses in residential neighborhoods should not be converted into grow factories – bad for the housing values. No doubt about that!
215 is law, however, by popular vote. It is change that reflects a realistic attitude of Californians towards the use of marijuana. Think about it, billions of dollars (who knows how much, really?) spent on its consumption. It’s not the poor and homeless buying the “kind-bud†at $490.00 an ounce.
One way of looking at it is that 215 decriminalized the largest income group in California. And, it is not for DEA bureaucrats to question the integrity of a physician’s recommendation for marijuana’s use. I hope you would agree with that.
The politics of a failed war on drugs is no excuse to continue marijuana’s prohibition and, for sure, it’s no excuse to push a self-centered agenda onto a whole community.
I feel bad for them. They probably shouldn’t have qualified for the loan if they were $100-$200 away from missing a payment.
all of you are a bunch of losing stoners. Get a life and get a job.
I’m just trying to figure out why this isn’t a local issue. All you “let’s clean up the trash” types are ignoring the fact that the “problems” you are referring to are all local in nature. So shouldn’t the locals have more incentive to do something constructive about it? If you’ve got a local problem, and local courts, police and legislature, then why should we be cheering the Feds coming from 1000 miles away and dictating what is to be done?
Should we take if one step further and let the UN enforce drug policy?
It seems like all people want are good neighbors. People who think of themselves as part of a community and are conscious of how their actions affect it. We all want considerate neighbors.
It sounds like many of the growers are not having a positive effect on the community and are only thinking of themselves.
Not all growers are like that.
The illegality of marijuana goes back to Hearst and Newsprint/Timber versus hemp and has been well documented. But the bottom line is, right now, it’s illegal.
Regardless of how we got here and the misinformation regarding MJ from all sides, we are here now. So what do ya do? There are records of people smoking it and growing it going back thousands of years ( Yellow Emperor).
As long as people enjoy smoking it, people will grow it.
The hypocrisy is that if you surveyed how many adults were dependent on pharmaceuticals ( from cholesterol to blood thinners to mood altering drugs for stress) you will see that it’s more than the pot smokers. But that’s ok, because big pharma makes a lot of money off it.
Growing weed is free and Monsanto hasn’t gotten the Intellectual copyright for MJ yet.
I don’t like the stereo type of the out of touch lazy stupid stoner, but some do aspire for that description. (rinngggg…..hello, it’s the 70’s, they want their hair back.)
The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, legalization with regulation.
But the nastiness and the personal attacks don’t help and show the fragmentation of the community.
Back in the 80s the CIA got exposed for bringing in cocaine and selling it to inner city black people. The same story came up again earlier this year, showing the CIA never stopped pumping cocaine into the inner cities and are still at it.
If the DEA does raid humboldt then it is only to get rid of competitors. They all have been running drugs for decades and never stopped. The DEA is just another branch of the CIA in the big ugly picture that is the united states federal government.
I am really glad to see some of you are fully aware that we pretty much have corruption throughout.
For those of you who are confused let me make it easy for you. It doesnt matter what part of the fed they are from.
IF THEIR LIPS ARE MOVING THEY ARE LIEING.
It is that simple.
Yes, people have been growing marijuana in houses in Arcata for thousands of years. Thanks for that hot historical perspective.
Welcome to the Land of The Free!
When in your own home, just do as we say please and we won’t have to point guns at you and put you in a cage.
Have a nice Day :)
Buy tobacco, cheap beer, prescription drugs all day, and support WAR!
We simply don’t want your grows in our town. Go away. Is there a number where I can report you?
“The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, legalization with regulation. ”
The big question is why? And, then how? What would regulation of marijuana look like? We know what its partial decrimminalization looks like.
Of course, its a highly adapatble weed that grows – or should grow – in every hemisphere on the globe. Those who use it should grow it. Like Tomatoes. But, in their back yards.
Hey I wonder if the DEA is here to confiscate alot of pot to turn out on the blackmarket in other parts of the country that are dry. Maybe the Feds garden in Arkansas had a failed crop this year and they need a fresh supply. And with all the trouble at the borders they depend on California to keep em goin. Somebody said that Hoover has integrity
….yeah but he has no soul…..
Does it make sense to encourage growers to form a co-op growing alliance that rents or buys large warehouses or farms where all the medical weed can grow? People who have yards with 215 could grow there own, but for those too sick others grow and distribute for them within the law. There is a solution to this madness, if we want to we can find it.
Jeez, I used to know a guy named William Carlson. Nice, but odd fellow. I lost track of him. Later someone told me he had been living in the Arcata Community Forest. I heard he was living in a hollow but still-living tree, and one day he died there. I liked him, he apparently had found friends in Arcata. I have no idea how he died. It was a sad day when I heard he had died. And now somebody with the same name is posting here (at 10:03 a.m.) and then posting the same message two minutes later as Anonymous. I don’t know how to feel.
Someone is going to say that it is not the legal grows that people worry about it is the illegal ones that are causing all the problems but I would challenge that idea by simply stating that this present US economy relies on blackmarket business practices and drugs are a big piece of the pie. Legalizing them would put many high power folks out of business. Centralizing all the grows would in fact make it easier for the feds to raid, yet make it easier also for medical pot to gain credibility as these raids go to court growers could prove their 215 implementation works.
kateascot, it makes sense to me. All the same, Marijuana should be decrimminalized altogether. That would reduce the profit motive for the large scale grows. And then Joe farmer can offer, alongside his tomatoes and basil, his latest organic bud at Saturday morning farmer’s markets.
That may sound quirky. I’m serious, though.
I’m inclined to believe most patients grow their own rather than buy it from some supposedly legit large scale grower… unless the stats of 1 in 7 or 1 in 5 houses being grow houses is true… that would explain the notion that patients don’t grow it themselves.
Say “good neighbor” the reason I take my heart meds is not to make Big Pharma richer. It is to keep living. Is that OK with you?
Decriminalizing is definately the goal but while we move in that direction we can use what we have, 215, to the best of our ability.
“Most patients grow their own…” I don’t see that and I work with patients in their homes. They rely on the clinics.
Forget the crazy euphoria induced conspiracy tales that come to mind as a result being high.
Prop 215 has unanticipated consequences, mostly resulting from people using it for moneymaking, not compassion for physically ill people.
Marijuana legalization isn’t strictly a local issue, as decided by the US Supreme Court. So enforcement of pot prohibitions isn’t strictly local either. When FEMA, USFS, or the USCG act locally within their missions, no one screams “The FEDS, the FEDS, the sky is falling”. Helicoptering out a surfer or providing emergency funds for rebuilding an unsafe bridge is welcomed. Heck, Redwood National Park is run by the FEDS !
I think everyone has known individuals who personally use pot in a way that creates problems or limitations in their lives. And often those problems affect their families. And sometimes those problems affect their communities. So pot isn’t harmless and there is a valid incntive for regulating its availablity and use. How harmful, and in comparison to what, is a good discussion, but doesn’t change the essential element of risk. In general, substances that acutely change an individual’s willful behavior are regulated. And yes, when pleasure is involved, which makes usage more likely, morality concerns cause regulation.
Right now, commodity pot growing for profit is illegal, even under 215. And continuous toleration of illegal activity is corrosive to communities. It creates an insular culture based on secrecy and fear. It creates incentive for vigilantism because legal recourse isn’t avalable for illegal disputes. Most importantly, conspiring in illegal activity causes people to disassociate and withdraw from the larger society and to not contribute to maintaining and improving it. Frankly, criminals aren’t good citizens or good neighbors or good jurors or good public officials or good role models.
I think the vast majority of Arcatans(and Humboltans) would much prefer close control over pot use to the disintegration of their social fabric of open dialogue, engagement and interdependence.
F#@*ING PIGS
Obviously marijuana is the biggest threat to Big Pharma out there!! Hence they get their thugs (FBI, DEA, NSA, Etc.) to thwart anything that might take away profits!!
How can Big Pharma allow a plant (really a weed that can grow anywhere!!) replace all of the medication they make without any side effects except feeling better!?
They can’t, and since in a capitalistic society everything is money they must squeeze out anything that can take away customers and profits!
Now that said, we should all stop taking ALL prescription drugs except in case of extreme emergency!!
Since the FED doesn’t recognize prop 215, we should all stop recognizing the FED as anything other then criminals!
Thanks!
Spiff
By the way, even if you THINK you need their meds to live you most likely do not …. look into an alkalizing diet and your health problems will decrease without taking any additional medications, and you can start weining yourself off of the prescription trash they hook you on with the drug pushing marketing ladies!!!
So if you have a serious health issue look into your diet and amount of exercise and adjust it accordingly, because taking their pills and still eating fast food and getting starbucks will kill you faster!!
Spiff
Thank you Tom Cruise.
Everything has a down side, and focusing on the negative does not solve problems. Positive action taken to stop making criminals of people who use pot (less dangerous than alcohol-tobacco) is a step in the right direction. Corruption is everywhere also, not a good reason to not give de-criminalization a try. The good it will do far out-weighs the bad. Add education that gives the whole truth about pot and we’re evolving into a compassionate society. Right now we’re still in the dark ages.
Ignoring the “downside” or “the negative” prevents you from finding a solution. Or it helps you create a solution to a problem you don’t have.
Pharma has gotten so popular because in this country we don’t educate people in grade school about how to take care of our bodies and most parents are so busy making money to buy the latest techno stuff and keep up with the Joneses that they don’t research how to take care of themselves and their children without popping pills. Being healthy is easy and cheaper once you get the hang of it and stop believing all the commercials.
HERESY!
I didn’t say ignore the negative, but don’t make that the reason you don’t look at the positives. And often negatives are just bad information.
Peace be with you
I agree!
Have you tried medical marijuana for that?
love eternal
tad
Heresy? Sorry to pop you balloon man but popular belief and common sense often are not the same thing.
Why not assert local control by tagging commercial grow houses as such, tagging the growers vehicles as such, and filming & posting said growers on YouTube?
Since so many pro-growers and criminals like to flash money and act big, why not give them the publicity they truly desire?
Seriously look at myspace humboldt folks, and there are dozens of fools flashing herb and cash. If anyone deserves to get busted for stupidity, it’s them.
The truly sad thing is that local regulation could have brought some decent resolution; federal enforcement could potentially lead to dozens of people serving minimum sentences of 6 years or more.
And for the folks that think growing and selling herb is not capitalist behavior, get a clue. Your profits are so high because of the market system.
Capitalism in itself is not a bad idea, what makes it so damning is that people have abused it, just like everything else. Some folks confuse capitalism with democracy, not the same things. Capitalism is a tool but when allowed to get out of control is addicting, like anything can be.
If anyone needs to be tagged its Bush and Cheney as traitors to the constitution, then work down from there. Pot growers are the least of our problems.
Not A Native at 3:26
Prohibition of marijuana criminalizes it. The risks associated with its use in the way you described them are related to its prohibition.
We are the only empire in human history that has banned Hemp. And, every human civilization has known and used hemp. What’s especially ironic is that the economic base of the American Colonies was the production of hemp for the British textile industry and the Brit’s Navy.
The big question is why prohibition – lots of theories about it. Personally, I’ve never heard anyone dying from using it. I suppose smoking it the way it’s done brings some carbon into the body. From what we know of cigarettes and the damage they cause, carbon can’t be a good thing, anyway.
The stuff you read about how marijuana became a subject of national concern, only in the thirties, much of it is really very racist.
In the end the only thing that’s important is what to do about it now. I’ve never known anyone stoned who I’ve wanted to punch. I’m sure you’ve heard that marijuana is more benign in its chemical effects than beer is; and, how the ancients used it to relieve pain and even fatigue.
A lot of people use it now, even with the risks associated with its criminalization. A lot of people are incarcerated each year for it, too. It’s ugly. It’s paranoid; and, it’s un-American.
215 passed by popular vote for a reason. People making money from the changes it brings is not a good argument against it. Morality issues related to its use…well, you will need to be more specific.
Prohibition of pot began because of the newspaper industry and Hearst wanting to dominate the market and paper production with hemp needed to be removed from the market so he and another guy (forgot his name) began a campaign to destroy the hemp market. That’s where race came in, black musicians smoking with white musicians and developing a new music scene was used to make white folks afraid of the effects of marijuana and neglecting to tell the populace that what is smoked and what is used industrially is not the same thing. Mis information for subversive reasons is dangerous yet very effective when mixed with fear mongering. Education is important, but we need a thorough education, both sides of the story need to be investigated before making decisions about regulating personal choices.
Some of you people are unbelievable. I really dont know where to start, but I’ll try to educate some of you.
First off, Go watch the documentary “Cocaine Cowboys”, if you dont think the economy will greatly suffer here if the grow houses all dissapear.
Secondly, you guys seem to think that all the houses have 20 lights and are making millions. Far from the truth. The amount of grows inside the city limits and surrounding areas (not the rural areas) over 8 or 10 lights is not common. I would venture to guess if 25 grow houses were entered, maybe 1-3 would have 10 or more lights. And for a 10 light setup, the average income would be approx $130k a year, minus expenses which would average 40-60k, which nets a grower around 70-90k a year. Thats based on 10 lights. Do the math there for less or more.
Thirdly, I have inside information about whats coming, and belive me, its not a scare tactic. Im apprehensive to post what I was told first hand, but what I will say is that there have been agents in Scotia at the Scotia Inn for over a month, and agents are currently at the Red Lion (and not 200 at the moment either). The hammer is coming, and its not going to be pretty.
Lastly, im going to say this once….
ANY LANDLORD OWNER THAT GETS HIS HOUSE TRASHED HAS NOBODY TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES!
Yes, thats right. The majority of landlords simply DO NOT INSPECT THE PROPERTIES ON A REGULAR BASIS. That’s their own fault. They either rent it out and are only concerned about that check every month, or they turn it over to a property management company, that could care less about doing walkthrough’s.
Its no secret that humboldt has alot of indoor grows, and all my friends that have rentals have a simple policy they tell every prospective tenant. They tell them they have walkthroughs every 30-45 days and that do not honor 215 cards and will evict at the first sign of any type of indoor growing operation, whether its in the garage or not.
Therefore, when prospective renters hear that, and are looking for somewhere to live and grow, they realize its not a good idea to rent that house. They have been warned ahead of time and choose not to rent. No grower in their right mind is going to setup all the fans, lights, blowers, filters, etc to grow and then get a walkthrough halfway through their crop and get evicted and lose that investment.
If more landlords did this, you would never see the problems you do now with houses being trashed. Its impossible to set up a grow room and grow a crop within 30 days. It is not possible. Growers know this, and so do smart landlords.
Also, there are some landlords that are charging higher rent than they would normally get, and turn a blind eye to whats going on. Its only after their house gets trashed that they start badmouthing the dope grower.
Kateasacot, be honest. What is smoked now affects people 50X more than what was smoked even 20 years ago. “one hit shit”, “trainwreck”, these are new hybrids, genetically modified and cloned for their ability to get you high, not cure cancer.
What2B- you’re right. If I think my renters are going to be nice people, I am a fool. I do need to inspect and be sneaky, because these growers are not nice, and I can expect them to trash my place unless I do inspections regularly. Thanks for the info. It’s all my fault if my places get trashed. Certainly not the growers’.
I do all of those things you suggested, and sometimes I still have grows. But have my rents gone up? not really. I am always hoping the next tenant will be a good one, and I do have some wonderful tenants.
I think if a person is netting 70-90,000 a year, they can afford to buy their own place and trash it, somewhere away from the family neighborhoods of Arcata.
Also, by your numbers, if there are only 100 grow houses, they are bilking the taxpayers out of around 2million a year in what they get out of paying. The rest of us make up for their
non-payment, for our roads, schools, etc. There are many more than 100 grow houses here, and the loss of taxes more than makes up for any benefits there are from the growers’ spending money in town. Everyone I know (everyone) wants these people to get lost.
PS I think pot should be legalized.
Damn, I missed the 215 post by that much.
Legalize it. Commercialize it. Tax it. Be done with it.
Bush’s boys just released study saying confiscated weed from over 40 states in 2006ish was TWICE as potent as same 20years ago.BTW word round the courthouse is that Bush’s boys have been in area investigating threats made against local lawmen.
I would like to add that I work 2 days a week in a health care setting, and work with people who are very compromised healthwise, with many ailments and health concerns. I see the drugs they need to take every day, and I am sure medical marijuana would be beneficial to some. I would hate to see them ingest just “any” amount or strength by these unprofessional growers. Drugs of all types need to be regulated, measured, and controlled for cleanliness if people are going to buy them and put them in their body.
Funny, the only word ’round the courthouse I heard was that the vending machines need to be restocked. Better recheck your sources. They may need to sharpen their divining rods, or maybe add an additional layer of aluminum foil to their beanies.
So much misinformation. Let me clear up a couple things:
1) Regardless of engineering, marijuana cannot get much more potent, as you can’t have all juice and no orange – most of the weight has to be plant, and the plateau was reached years ago. Regardless of potency, individuals tend to smoke until a desired effect is achieved, thus making more potent weed “healthier.” (Although smoking anything is not “healthy.”) Stacks of research confirms both of these.
2) As someone from South Florida who picked this up on WRH, I can promise all of you busts will no doubt cause economic ripples. Look at Miami in the 80’s, afer Bush Sr. had his way as Vice and later POTUS. (During and after the cocaine years)
3) They are not doing anyone any favors, and those who support the people that called them out will know it. There was infighting in this po-dunk, coastal town that I live in now, until the Feds sent goons to the FRIGGIN’ QUAKER MEETING! Many more got on the leave-us-alone bandwagon.
Small towns have their issues. Most of the time, if you hash them out in the family, it is better for everyone. I am sure Humboldt’s finest can do just finei n acheiving a new homeostasis, and leave the D.C. puppet-troop out of it. \\\
THE REAL DEAL:
If, as a county, you REALLY want to tackle a problem, might I suggest the >meth in Eureka.< Tourism is a smart way to go with all those nice trees you have, and THAT is what had a negative effect on the atmosphere of my visit. Not the potheads in the square.
Except the potheads on the square scare the tourists away.
I doubt that most people are afraid of potheads, even tourists know they are the least likely people to get violent.
If the feds are here because of threats to lawmen then maybe they’ll find out why anyone would make a threat especially after having their child killed by Liles. That is a subject I hope gets more interest soon!
Potheads on the square scaring tourists? Are you sure? Men and women in suits and ties with wires behind their ears don’t freak people out on a vacation?
Anonymous 5:28, honestly it makes little difference how strong it is unless you are very young. Adults figure out how much is enough unless they never grow out of the peer pressure stage and have to smoke more and maintain better than the big macho smoker. Both will crash and burn at some point and possibly figure out that as with everything moderation is best and listening to your body (because no 2 are alike) and making friends with who you are is the wisest way to live with any substance including food, which marijuana is a nutritious source.
1.Florida is right about Bush Sr & S.Fla.; remember him on the cigarette boat.But the bootleggers in Miami were out of control. Scarface & Blow were more fact than fantasy.The people of Broward & Dade counties finally said enough. In Florida it was “stash” houses not “grow”houses but they had the same effect on neighborhoods.
2.The USA did just have a”dog and pony show” press conference on MJ potency.Actually they included 47 states & the #s were like 9.65% now versus 4.85% twenty four yrs.ago.The “show” was on C-Span bout a week ago.
What active ingredient they checked for I don’t know? THC??
3.Meth is & has been a problem in the entire USA for decades.Yes we have a Tweeker problem in NorCal but no worse than other places & probably not as bad as say Ft.Laud.-NY-LA-SF-Denver-ATL.CHI; Anywhere Mexxy.weed goes Meth follows.We don’t have MexWeed here.No market for it .Eureka’s meth problems stem from the rest of Humboldt county forcing the tweekers to move there.Like community policing.Arcata does not have a tweeker prob.
4.Humboldt Co. is about the size of Rhode Island with 2 weather zones. This whole county never agrees on anything
All i have to say is good luck to the feds. If they think they will stop the movement, bueno suerte. This goes well beyond the few thousand growers in this county and will remain a part of our culture indefinitely. I am a medical patient who holds multiple degrees as well as running my own business. i do not personally grow, but am greatful to have such wonderful providers of medicine for me and others in my situation. I was in two near fatal accidents and was left with both external and internal injuries. Ganja has alleviated pain, reduced the anxiety related to such a traumatic experience, and helped me to cope with not only my injuries but the severity of my future. On top of that i have made it through nearly my whole situation with almost no other forms of painkillers with the exception of the days of the surgeries. You wanna talk about a drug, take a look at the users of prescribed opiates. Take a look at the meth and heroin that fills even the streets of eureka and arcata. The idea that were just some crazy drug addicts running around causing havoc is obsurd. I am a non-violent, voting, citizen with an immaculate record. We, as in the ganja movement, are everyday folks leading every day lives. Every person that gets taken down will spawn openings for several others. Keep the movement strong and never give up the fight, its all of ours to take on. One love brethren
Here is how the US drug economy works folks
http://narcodollars.4webs.org/
Narco Dollars for Beginners
Anony-Miss,
Two Words: READING COMPREHENSION.
Never did I say there were only 100 houses. Hell, I personally know of over 30 so if I were to put a actual number on it (guestimate) I would estimate 2,700-3,000 for Eureka, Arcata, Mckinleyville, Fortuna.
Secondly, its not about “nice” people as you put it. Many growers that I know and that rent are very respectful of the landlords house. they usually setup a scene in the garage that is temporary and can be dissassembled without leaving any trace of a grow in the garage. The problem with the media is they find the idiots with no respect for the property, cutting holes in walls for ventilation, hacking the wiring, etc, and then show that in the news. I mean, cmon, you think they are going to put the landlords in the news that have perfect tenants, that pay the rent on time every month, DONT have a grow in the house and have a small grow in the garage? That wont sell any papers. No sensationalism there.
Also, Im not sure who the idots are that they show in the paper, but almost every person I know that grows files taxes and claims most , if not all their income. Its a little known fact, but most people that do federal time, don’t get convicted for the drugs, its mostly from the tax evasion. That crime is easier to convict on, and usually has as many years in prison as the drugs. Its funny how you all jump on the bandwagon to claim about higher crime rate (bullshit) and non tax payers, contributing nothing to the economy. That is farthest from the truth. Not only is the economy around here dependent on Marijuana $$, but is also used *GASP* to pay taxes and to give back to the community.
Most of you would be surprised to know what business’s in town are connected to grows as well as the type of people that grow. Its not all lazy hippies with dreads hanging out on the palza all day.
Exactly my point- which is 100 grow houses meaning 2million in lost taxes is such an under-estimation, so just imagine what the taxes are that are not being paid- 200 or 300 times that only in Humboldt County? I stick to my feelings most of these are mooching off society. I beg to differ- most pot growers absolutely do not pay income taxes. The amount they spend in local stores does not begin to come close to what they suck from society.
I’m sure many growers are decent enough not to damage property. The ones I have encountered personally may have tried not to damage mine but they all did in some way, one or two cost us thousands. We are smarter now but my feelings about them remain.
Someone said marijuana has no side effects except it makes you feel better.
Marijuana screwed up my short-term memory. I had been at the top of my class all through high school and my freshman year at college. My ability to stay focused and my memory were harmed by using marijuana a couple dozen times in my sophomore year. My studies became more a struggle than a pleasure after using marijuana. It took me more than ten years to get my Bachelor’s Degree.
I’d say those are some pretty impressive side effects for a brief involvement with a so-called recreational drug.
I’m not about to start taking medical advice from a blog poster who can’t even spell common words correctly.
tad, how does “medical marijuana” differ chemically from the “recreational marijuana” that messed up my short-term memory thirty years ago? And tell me, does “medical marijuana” prevent second heart attacks? Please include links to the studies that prove it.
Kateascot, Pot people may be less of a problem than Bush and Cheney. On the other hand, Bush and Cheney are a lot less likely to want to move a Grow next door to your house and junk up your neighborhood.
215 passed for a reason. Californians were suckered into believing it would alleviate the suffering of people with painful diseases, without empowering a large numbers of vicious greed-heads to destroy historic homes with moisture, black mold, and holes chopped into ceilings.
215 supporters who really care about the suffering of sick people need to push as hard as they can to reform 215. Because the way this is going, Californians are discovering how much criminal activity is hiding under the protective umbrella of 215, and they are not happy about it.
215 may not withstand its next test before the voters unless it is reformed.
I think that the Governor of California should activate that states National Guard and have them go to hotel and arrest the DEA agents. It is about time there was a major showdown between the states and feds as to who really has jurisdiction in a state. The powers of the federal government are enumerated in the constitution. Regulating what people ingest isn’t one of them.
Of course, it won’t happen. Arnie’s balls have shrunk to nothing from to many steriod injections…
Well you can’t blame coppers for wanting to increase their stocks of dope for their winter holidays, not forgetting summer holidays of course.
I mean where’s a decent cop going to get his fix? The local dope dealer?
We always go down to the beach to watch the public burn-off of all the dope that is “stolen” from dealers and growers by police, but what really stands out is the fact that ALL the buds and heads are missing and all they burn is the stems, leaves and roots………where are all the heads and buds????
Usually back on the street within a month, and sold to high school kids.
I have witnessed this in action in Australia, right in front of my eyes, then warned to keep my mouth shut or else!!!
I heard stories about the same thing when they used to burn it at the landfill, all the big buds missing. Power corrupts, no surprises there.
ok the coast is clear! the east coast that is wink wink
THIS JUST IN: Up to 60 FBI agents may have recently rented houses in Eureka. No confirmation whether it’s connected to the planned DEA actions.
60 houses or are they pretending to share? Glad I don’t have to find a place to live around here with the grow houses and now the feds renting all the houses. Why would they need so many agents here?
Its quite comical to watch some of the brain dead morons here trying to blame a few hundred growers for the housing debacle. Its no wonder there are no forests left in No. Cal when spineless useful idiots cheer the raiding fascist hoardes.
man it took you ten years to finish a bachloer degree you must be a dumbass i know kids that went thru law school and med school high on herb people need to start thinking more about real issues like the same people bitching about poeople growing dont realize some do it for food money or to suppourt their families same pepole bitching dont reilize that they support the feds comming in who are the feds i mean you bitch about pot growers taking money away cause they dont pay taxes taxes to who the federal reserve private banking systems its way deeper then pot growers people get a clue and a grip on real life issues like oil shortage and shit higher prices on food things that actally affect the economy you all make me sick
What about the METH? Talk about drugs and “problems”… Marijuana is an herb and the American people are NOT free today. The government is still playing cowboys and indians with the little people (read slaughter of heart and body).
I would like to see the local forces stand up for our State given rights. I would like to see people stand up together against the military-state (corrupt). I would like to see every citizen put a plant in their yard- if one wants to stop the “greedy grower” and the “trigger happy” then everyone should work together to undermine them in a nonviolent way.
And all these comments, we should really ALL read and watch documentaries and educate ourselves on all sides of this issue. Blessings
“potheads in the square scare the tourists away”
I have heard this line of b.s. ever since I moved here. Where to the few tourists who come here come FROM? San Francisco? yep. Sacramento? yep.
Although these fine intrepid visitors are no doubt seeking the serenity of the redwoods and an escape from their urban travails, no San Franciscan will be afraid or daunted by a few pot heads – or even panhandlers – in the town square. NONSENSE.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Tourists are way more turned off by yuppie liberal fascists of the Kevin Hoover/Larry Glass variety running around telling them they can’t smoke in public, can’t walk their dog, can’t sit down, can’t breathe, etc. etc. These Democrat control freaks are ruining our community way more than some harmless hippies.
Since most people don’t smoke these days, they are probably relieved to find that they can walk on the boardwalk without breathing in the stench of second hand cigarette smoke or stepping in dog poop.
Looks like it’s gonna be a long summer…Humboldt Nation is the next Granada?Republican Presidents always go out with a bang.
What was Miss Harmony so p*ssed off about at Arcata Clowncil meeting last night?To me her time as Mayor & the message she sent to the pot community was the gasoline on the embers that started this growhouse fires. She is such a hottie & a good person but some of her crew have used her name inappropriately.If she knew the way her name is thrown around the plaza bars?One of the anti-growhaus petition guys is going to ask her to remove herself from the debate because of conflict of interest.Fireworks in July anyone.!!
HMS is being jerked around & that’s wrong, but whoever thought a dispensary belonged next to a US Post Office in downtown needs therapy! If you’re looking for a scape goat in the whole mess forget the Eye & eye theClowncil &PlanCo.
Let’s see a little college town in NorCAL where the City Council votes Anti War resolutions,impeach Bush resolutions,bans military recruiters in time of war,& allows dispensaries & growhouses to thrive.All while the Pres. of HSU(which btw does not have a ROTC program)the largest employer in the county is bitching to whoever will listen about the scene & criminality.Throw in for good measure the now “branded” name HUMBOLDT!!!!!!??????Is it any wonder the Federal government is paying attention & taking action?The real deal is what took em so long?
Who says they’re coming for the growhouses? If they are coming at all? Maybe it has more to do with big grows and LLCs and Property Seminars.
I don’t live in California, but what I will say is this. IF herb were legal and we were allowed the freedom to ingest the chemicals we choose to by our loving government, cough* Contra, *cough Russian-Afghanistan invasion,* cough*, there’d be no need to debate this issue. It’s a plant. Medical use or not, everyone should be able to take whatever they want. If they can’t, then I suppose to the constitution isn’t worth the hemp it’s written on.
Uh, dumbass, even after ten years, I did not earn a bachloer degree. No one ever earns a bachloer degree. There is no such thing as a bachloer degree. Dumbass.
Oh, yeah, dumbass, I forgot to mention that I’m a pretty smart dumbass. I earned about a 3.7 average on a 4.0 point scale. Which isn’t easy to do when your mind has lost its edge, thanks to marijuana.
“about a average 3.7 on a 4.0 scale.” LOL! Didn’t your grades reflect an EXACT average? 3.7 GPA and it took you 10 years? I find that unbelievable.
It has to be said, Anonymous blaming his ten year college endeavor on marijuana is quite pathetic. Seriously, if you think your “mind lost its edge” due to pot, think again. Do you have any idea how many brilliant lawyers, doctors, scientists, programmers, and engineers use marijuana both recreationally and medicinally? I personally know dozens of pot smokers who got engineering degrees in 4 years while smoking weed daily, and since entering the professional arena I have found that a large percentage of professionals continue to smoke into adulthood.
Don’t blame your ADD or whatever the clinical term is for “loss of mind-edge” on pot. Did you fall on your head, perhaps while stoned?
Michael Pollen did a chapter on pot in his book The Botony of Desire which mentions the reason that pot affects short term memory. It narrows the focus to what you are concentrating on and filters out the extraneous crap. You don’t forget what you are trying to think about but may forget less important things. That’s why food tastes so much better and why other pleasures are more, well, pleasurable.
actually the red lion is booked up during the dates of the redwood acres fair. it is not booked up for this weekend thru tuesday. Dont know about all the so called insiders who “know”, but the red lion tip being all booked from the 22-27 is false. The writer of this story should have done his own research before posting.
They cancelled their reservations and rented 60 houses since word got out.
Peace be with you
If it took you “10 years” to get your BS degree I don’t think it would be worth my time to try to educate you on anything. I would suggest that if you have medical questions you should talk to your cardiologist. That’s what I did over 12 years ago when I last had a heart attack. I haven’t taken a beta blocker in over 10 years and I feel great. I believe that I could as easily claim marijuana saved my life as you claim it fucked up your “short term memory.” The different is the fact that as soon as school started getting a little hard you had your failure and scapegoated something else. School got tough, you folded, and are still blaming pot after 30 years? Sorry to inform you of this, but it appears your a dunce.
Me, I couldn’t afford to finish school, let alone spend 10 years at it. But, when I was trying to get my degree in applied mathematics, I was tutored and taught by professors and grad students that smoked the shit out of pot. They ate, breathed, and lived in an intellectual realm of cutting edge theoretic mathematics, the text books of which you couldn’t read 10% of, and make sense on none it. Even today the smartest people I know are all pot smokers, or ex-pot smokers who still advocate for pot.
I would venture to guess that most marijuana users, medical or recreational, also can see beyond the rhetoric and also see industrial, and spiritual uses for the sacred herb. Perhaps if you started smoking herb with an objective of inner healing you would realize that you are just not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I’m sure when you get to the point you recognize that you would also recognize that its OK to be, what we politely call, “a little slow.”
There are many times I had wished I could of had just one more year to finish my degree, but we can’t change the past, and I don’t think I would gamble what I’ve got for what’s behind door no. 3. Stop whining about the past and get on with the future, and like before the petroleum/plastic age started, cannabis will again be people’s lifelines.
One last thought about “300 ‘feds:'” I have NO DOUBT that close to 90% of all those ‘feds’ smoke pot like a freight train.
love eternal
tad
The fact that the Red Lion Inn is booked up over a weekend in the summer is not even remotely newsworthy. All hotels in Humboldt do very well in the summer and it can be very difficult anytime a big event is going on to find a decent vacancy. The Red Lion is a very well-known Eureka hotel and for most from out of town it’s an easy choice as the “best” or standard go-to spot.
Anybody in the hotel business could tell you this.
As for the “FBI renting 60 houses” if they could FIND 60 houses in Eureka to rent all at once good luck. Most of those would have to be vacant for-sale houses otherwise there simply aren’t that many houses available. Maybe they couldn’t find hotel rooms?
Further, if there were 60 FBI guys new in town many people would notice. Shops, restaurants, etc. This is not a big area, ask around. FBI guys from out of town don’t blend it so well.
Keep in mind there was recently a big drug bust at San Diego State for coke dealers. Surely if the DEA was doing an operation at SDSU they learned about some Humboldt county sources. This is most likely a “source” of this alleged action.
Also remember that the feds under Bush 1 were happy to invade Southern Humboldt. Surely they’ll do it again for sport. Bush 2 seems to be all about repeating his dad’s moves only bigger and dumber. The impending end of the Bush administration does imply that this sort of “last hurrah” type stuff would go on.
Finally, this kind of newsmongering/rumor spreading would be a great way to clean up a lot of people’s grow operations. Even a whiff like this has surely caused dozens and dozens of operations to be shut down and put away. At least a handful of this people will get religion and stay out of the business. Particularly the out-of-town people who move here to “be humboldt” and grow weed and all that. Fucking tourists, good riddance.
Lastly I’m a landlord and even though I know there’s nowhere to grow in my house in Humboldt I also have to worry about the feds breaking all my shit if they don’t like my tenants PG/E over the cold winter and warm spring. Guess I should just skip fixing the heater next time, lest the rising gas and electric costs arouse federal suspicion.
So, 2:46, you find my tale of college trouble and marijuana memory problems unbelievable? Some people do have trouble believing me when I tell them my life experiences. They don’t believe the truth. Tough. That’s their loss.
Did I tell you about the time I met Harvey Milk?
Did I tell you about the time I, alone, challenged the former Los Angeles Chief of Police, Ed Davis, about his department’s practice of detaining and beating gay people in his jurisdiction? Did I tell you I made this challenge while at a banquet room at the Eureka Inn, surrounded by 250 to 300 stalwart Humboldt County Republicans?
Since you have a hard time believing the truth, why should I bother to tell you anything?
Don’t bother
I want to hear that story! Why was the LA police chief in Eureka? Making a presentation to the Republicans? Good for you!
tad, I have often read your comments and thought what an asshole you are, but until now, I never felt strongly enough about it to submit it in a comment. When you beg sympathy for your pathetic homeless doped-up losers in the future, remember, in spite of the condescending attitudes of assholes like you, I graduated, got a job, got a second degree, a career, own my own home free and clear, have money in the bank which I earned, and don’t have to rub elbows with shitheads like you. I live in a nice neighborhood. I only meet creeps like you online. Oh yeah, you bum, I worked my way through college. Full-time work, full-time college. Try that sometime, you loser.
whats this romur about the meeting at riverwalk, did it happen already, or is it planned for the future? What about rural properties, anyone heard these could be targeted as well, lots of helicopter traffic this week?
Listen people, just put your 215 on your heads and your hands behind your bong….Hey I heard that 666 disciples of satan r coming and check this out…..I checked about staying at the KOA’s in humboldt and there all vacant…….give me the heads up when you find out more, I know its true I saw it on craigslist…………
The DEA says the rumors are false.
Thanks for the kind words, Heraldo.
Ed Davis came through Eureka while he was campaigning to become Governor of California in the mid-Seventies.
He was no longer the Chief of Police then, but he had made his reputation as a tough-guy crime-fighter in Los Angeles.
The local Republicans were happy to see him. They sold dinner tickets priced too high for most working people to afford, and the room at the Eureka Inn was completely filled. And I don’t think there was a Democrat in the room.
I set aside money to buy one of those expensive tickets because I wanted to ask him some questions that had been on my mind for a long time. I couldn’t afford the ticket, but even more, I couldn’t afford to pass up the opportunity to question him.
After dinner, he gave his speech and then opened the floor for questions. When he called on me, I asked him two questions.
First, I stated that the Los Angeles Police Department under his personal leadership had a documented record of detaining and beating Gay people without cause. I asked why he had instituted or continued these practices, which were, on their face, violations of the human rights of the victims.
His answer was not satisfactory. He meandered. I think he hoped I would be quiet.
An old Republican man in the table next to me sneered and shouted, “That queer should shut up.”
Then, I asked Davis whether he was planning to fight against the new law known as A.B.1, that had been sponsored by Willie Brown and had recently been signed into law. A.B.1 decriminalized consensual sex for Gay people. That was right around 1974.
Ed Davis actually said he did not support the new law, but was not planning to take an active role in trying to overturn it.
Other people asked other questions, and I kept quiet, since I had done all I really could do.
When Ed Davis left the room, he worked his way toward the lobby, shaking people’s hands along the way. Then, standing a few feet away from me, he paused. He didn’t look directly at me. He stood and talked with some people close by. He had a look on his face. I am certain he was positioning himself, where (if I had been a stupid person) I could approach him physically. Being smart enough not to fall into a trap, and also never having been the kind of person to harm another person, I stood where I was. Eventually, he left the room.
Mission accomplished?
Some years later, Ed Davis came out publicly for an end to employment discrimination against workers based on sexual orientation. Including workers within law enforcement.
I have sometimes wondered if by standing up and speaking truth to power, as they say these days, I might actually have helped Ed Davis change his mind. I know he was shocked that a young man would stand up at one of his campaign dinners and challenge him directly on one of the issues most dear to so many of his local Republican supporters. I think the shock may have done him some good.
Thanks again Heraldo for your kindness.
Thats right you dopers..stand at attention and pray you hippie scumbags to the dope god..cuz u are all B- U- S- T -E -D-!!
215 sickies, ha, I hope you choke on a purple kerkle nugget…damn dope heads…..stand up and pray to allah you , you, you dopers…..Down with 215 down with 215.
All you fortuna growers you dont fool us boys & girls…YES YOU….quit trying to look like cowboys….we know ….we know.
This is directly to everyone except tad and the cretin who ridiculed me for struggling to have a successful life in spite of marijuana’s effect on my short-term memory. I do not despise the homeless, despite the things I wrote above to tad. He provoked me into saying unkind things. He deserved them, but the homeless, as a group, do not.
YOU PEOPLE R ALL CONSPIRACY FOOLS….GeeZ, you people eat other peoples propaganda for breakfast, think its good for you, and yet still think of yourself as leaders and not followers…ha your fooling yourself…cops take buds the dea rents homes…..yes it does happen, not as often as you think though, not now a days…most of the shit you “hear” is just that…words in the wind…unless you got the paperwork or tracking cells and walkie talkies with scanners and shit, your all just barkin, like the dog on the porch that is just annoying………….
I sincerely hope that fascist above isn’t really a cop with the 88 in his ID. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was.
see what I mean……..you people r fools….I made that shit up…sounds good though..see people can b anybody online, by the way what does the 88 stand 4….heil hitler, hello holly, humboldt high….?? shut the fuck up dude……..
88 refers to a piano keyboard. I just don’t see why a fascist would want a piano in the first place, much less a keyboard in his pants.
A correction:
The law that decriminalized gay sexual relations in California came first, in 1974.
A.B.1, the bill designed to eliminate discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation in California, came in 1978.
That was a brave act, especially in the mid-70’s in a room full of Republicans. I’m sure it made a difference, one of many steps in the progress of the last 40 years.
88 used in conjunction with an ID like that means HH, the 8th letter of the alphabet and Hitler’s initials. There are lots of that type in yahoo chat rooms spewing their hatred and ignorance.
If you were going for satire you should have been funnier 88.
God, Heraldo! It is nice to think someone cares about those unreported battles so many of us fought so long ago.
I sure make myself sound ancient, don’t I?
Say, did I tell you the one about the time I …
“I graduated, got a job, got a second degree, a career, own my own home free and clear, have money in the bank which I earned, and don’t have to rub elbows with shitheads like you. I live in a nice neighborhood. I only meet creeps like you online. Oh yeah, you bum, I worked my way through college. Full-time work, full-time college. Try that sometime, you loser.”
And yet we will ALL end up as bones or ashes in a box one day and none of our lives will be remembered or cared about given enough time. All of our wins, loses, cares, hopes, and dreams, will be buried by history.
None of this matters, so why not enjoy the time we have here? You and I will both be forgotten, neither of us matter, this is all “Just a ride” as Bill Hicks put it.
Your sad cries about yourself are just eventual echos in time. Rich or poor, sober or stoned, we’ll all end up dying and no one really cares about you, you are not special, neither am I.
It’s 4:20.
search news.google.com for “marijuana”:
99% of it is about law enforcement TAKING people’s land because of grows. People say, “Legalize marijuana and the state/country will make money from it” but isn’t more money made FOR government by busting growers and sellers and taking all of their property, cars, drugs, etc.? Read history and discover how a lot of law enforcement RESELL the dope and the history of CIA involvement in drugs. Private prisons are in business to get repeat customers.
Non-violent pot smokers are sent to prison to be anally raped and have diseased gangland semen injected into their rectum and may face a life ending disease just because they wanted to smoke a weed.
Datura, Foxglove, and other plants which you could smoke could kill you quickly but they are legal, isn’t that fun?
Marijuana is illegal today because governments profit from it being illegal. Just like with alcohol prohibition. See LEAP’s website, Law Enfocement Against Prohibition for some good information, and MPP’s website.
It doesn’t matter whether people want to smoke pot for recreation or as medicine, it should be legal and they should have the right.
It is illegal now only in places where the people are too scared to stand up together and shout, “NO MORE!” so they grow in closets and pass their money to people on the street who may be buying who knows what with the money they receive.
Anyone who condemns a marijuana user is either a member of law enforcement who profits from it being illegal, ignorant, or both.
There are plenty of pretenders on-line who are members of law enforcement or collaborators/informants who participate in such discussions as this and try to spread F.U.D., don’t listen to them.
Marijuana can and will be legal when the people stand together and say, “NO MORE!”
Big Pharma and their liver rotting pain killers and tons of meds with side effects are the real drug dealers, and guess which agency protects them? You guessed it, the same agency which raids marijuana growsers and clinics.
It’s all about money in the land of the free, where sharing and community is evil, and stepping on the back of your fellow man to make a buck is the law of the land.
Oh woe, our world has fallen. Oh woe, my neighbors don’t like my illegal pot grow. Oh woe! See beyond my personal profits and look at the big picture. Oh woe!
Over 50 black suv vehichles parked in the red lion inn parking lot this eve, that is a fact. Why would they need so many suv’s for a conference in Fortuna? somethings goin on, thats for sure.
whoever says 88 HEIL HITLER is a fool and needs to quit reading and get in the real world…..11 stands for alcohilics anoynomous???? your an idiot 22 stands for big boobs..81 Hells Angel…FEAR NONE RESPECT FEW…..
You’re the idiot for using an inflammatory ID, supposedly without knowing its meaning which I doubt given the content of your message. You appear to be a stupid flamer with nothing better to do.
Don’t you think the 88 stands for Humboldt Herald?
It could also stand for Happy Horseshit but that isn’t the usual usage.
Ah and when in the histroy of the DEA has EVER there been a leak like this? Name one time even the local LEO’s knew it was coming. Chuckle – that’s a big goose egg good buddy! Oh well its fun to see all the U-hauls empting grow houses anyway.
Every try getting a room on Fair week ever?
Almost as hard as getting a U-haul the week that someone starts a DEA is coming rumor. They will empty their homes for the week then put them back together a week later.
Such sillyness.
If I must read words of existential despair, I prefer the ones Shakespeare put into the mouth of MacBeth.
“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
But remember, when MacBeth mouthed those words, had had already gone quite mad.
I meant to write “But remember, when MacBeth spoke those words, he had already gone quite mad.”
hahaha you are probaly not even from here ass…get a life..by the way stay in arcata…cuz yep im flaming and im cummin your way. by the content of your message…hahahahahahahaha show your stupidity anonymous…..the only part about that name that fits you is the mous part…..you punk…hahaha everyones tough as nails on the web…..I know your one bad dude…Im flaming scared….by the way whats that mean? r u insulting homo’s?? leave the county now tourist.
what happen to the end of the world 215 fed raids????ONE BIG SCHLONG SLAP 2 YOUR MINDS BOYS………”we let the terrorist win if we give in 2 their fear” Dont print dont say just dont..
Getting rid of golf courses would free up land for housing.
LawEnforcmentCop88 Says: I like it in my butt!
To Anonymous: Bush and Cheney may not move next door but a grow house is more welcome than those 2 in the White House! You think Bush isn’t affecting your life every damn day? Wait till martial law is implemented full force, you’ll be eating your words then.
About five years ago, I thought Bush was angling to become the new Hitler, using 9-11 as if it were the Reichstag Fire, suspending civil liberties, increasing the power of the state and eliminating the power of individuals.
But I noticed that when he had the American Public eating out of his hand, willing to do anything he said, Bush never did start rounding up Americans for their political views, their religion, their sexual orientation, or for expressing opposition to his War in Iraq. That came as a surprise to me. No Americans in concentration camps!
If Bush had been a Hitler, these last 7 years would have been a lot worse than they have been.
So, no, I don’t like him, and yes, I think most Americans got suckered into supporting the unnecessary and counterproductive War in Iraq.
But today, Bush is the least popular President in about 50 years. Even if he wanted to establish martial law in America, I seriously doubt he has the political power to do it.
One more thing. Unless farmers start selling their crops for food instead of for environmentally-friendly auto fuel, my words may soon the the only things I can afford to eat.
Anonymouse must be DEA or a BIG FUCKIN DUMB ASS !The last time I checked prop215 made pot leagle under proper circumstances and we live in the land of the free !As a life long american FTA! I called the red lion and they are booked those dates but gave a big fat NO commetnt!
Measure B in Mendocino Co. has passed all votes counted and percentages stayed about the same as before.Yea B’s even gained a lil bit.Why don’t hippies vote?Can’t blame U no Who 4 this 1..???
if you want to amend prop 215, you’ll need to convince 50% +1 of california voters.
since it was an initiative passed by the people, the legislature doesn’t get to amend it. they tried that with some of the provisions of senate bill 420, such as putting into place a statewide limit of 6 flowering plants per patient.
that was recently overturned in court on the grounds that the legislature was, in effect, taking away rights that the people voted themselves. lawmakers have a lot of power, but don’t get to overturn a vote by the people – we the people get the last word, not our elected officials. that’s what ballot propositions (initiative and referendum) are all about…direct democracy.
the legislature had decades to come up with a medical marijuana policy, and they stalled, bickered, and never came to an agreement. if they had crafted a good law in the first place, the people wouldn’t have had to go around them with a proposition. they blew it, now it is out of their hands, and in the capable hands of california voters.
so if you want to overturn or revise the basic rights granted by prop 215, you’ll have to get a new proposition passed by the voters.
Humboldtdude has made more points than all the rest together.I,m a life long humboldt boy ,north and south and I,ll take south any day.I,m not a grower or want to be but I am for personal freedom,minding my own biz.Anyone more than half awake can see this whole thing is steaming like a pile of shit.Rumors like this go round every few years,there is usually a bit of truth at the root of it but 200 hotel rooms,or 60 houses rented? I don,t care if you have 5 degrees and got them in 4 yrs. or are a high school drop out most of these posts are so off point,gay rights, telling off ex cops at political dinners.Fuck all that b.s.Arcata needs to keep it,s crap to itself.The rumor mongers need to shut the fuck up.Arcata don,t have a pot problem pot has an Arcata problem and far too many people have a mind your own biz. problem!We will all see in a week or two. Like I allways say, It,s your story, make it as big as you want!
redneck/hippie/humboldtdude has the most illiterate posts today. Those multiple personalities must be getting confused.
It would seam to be a lot of dis-information floating around. The bottom line is this: if you dont believe in what you are doing, if you dont believe it is right, you can be easily intimidated. Im not going to tear down my grow, D.E.A. in town or not. If fate should decide its me who is going to defend what I believe in in court than so be it. I,m tired of being afraid to do something I believe is right. I advize all other growers to HOLD YOUR GROUND! Dont let them get to you, you are not a criminal. as for all the opposition to people having the right to choose for them selves what medicine they want to use, these people are useing this arguement as a platform to express prejudice and nothing else. The people of California passed prop.215, not the hippie kids down the street.
As far as Im concerned all pot use is medical. Look at all the medications available by prescription for social anxiaty and the like. Same dif. if you ask me. Besides the fact that if ciggerrettes, coffee and alchohol are legal than a substance as benign as pot should be for sure. It is human nature to alter ones perception, mankind has been doing so since the begining of recorded time. Some argue the birth of itelligance was primates taking hallucinagins. I wonder how many D.E.A. agents believe in evolution?
It would seam to me there is a lot of dis-information floating around. As far as I can see it does’nt matter if the rumors are true or not. The bottom line is this: if you believe in what you are doing, if you believe it is right, you wont be easily intimidated. Im not going to tear down my grow, D.E.A. in town or not. If fate should decide its me who is going to defend what I believe in in court than so be it. I’m tired of being afraid to do something I believe is right. I advize all other growers to HOLD YOUR GROUND! Dont let them get to you, you are not a criminal. as for all the opposition to people having the right to choose for them selves what medicine they want to use, these people are useing this arguement as a platform to express prejudice and nothing else. The people of California passed prop.215, not the hippie kids down the street.
As far as Im concerned all pot use is medical. Look at all the medications available by prescription for social anxiaty and the like. Same dif. if you ask me. Besides the fact that if ciggerrettes, coffee and alchohol are legal than a substance as benign as pot should be for sure. It is human nature to alter ones perception, mankind has been doing so since the begining of recorded time. Some argue the birth of itelligance was primates taking hallucinagins. I wonder how many D.E.A. agents believe in evolution?
Woot No Fear, That’s exactly what I was thinking when I opened up my computer this morning. Pot is medicine. Period. There are a lot worse things people profit off of. Things that kill like cigarettes and alcohol and prescription drugs. Humboldt County is a beautiful place, but it’s the intelligent and real perspectives of the people here that make it great. Not the jealous haters with nothing better to do than stereotype all growers into the pit bull owning, gun toting, house burning minority. Not that there is anything at all wrong with pit bulls, I’m just saying. I am environmentally conscious. I drive slowly on my street, mow my lawn, wave to neighbors, respect my neighborhood. I live with my plants. They don’t take up living spaces. It’s not excessive. I know that I am a good person. People like Hoover will not change that. I know not everyone smoking cannabis has a life threatening disease. They have joint pain or insomnia or just want to relax or even have some fun. It is no different than a glass of wine with dinner or an ambien before bed. Life can be hard. It’s human nature to self medicate, and if it isn’t harming anyone, then leave it alone. Personally I should be smoking more to help with the anxiety this freakin DEA hysteria is causing me.
Im with get real!
You might believe in what you are doing, and you may be right, but that doesn’t change the Federal laws and sentencing guidlines. Talk a big game now, and ride it out, but when you do find yourself in front of that judge and they lay those 5-10 years federal time on you, i can guarantee you will wish you had not taken your chances! Life isn’t fair , and everything that is good ,isn’t always recognized by everyone in the same way. Everything looks different in hindsight. So, do as you see best. If the crap doesn’t hit the fan ths week, it is only a matter of time befor it does. One thing I have learned in life…there are no free lunches, everything coes with a price. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is! Good Luck
Look into what’s called Subject Matter Jurisdiction. None of the raids up there when the charges get to court will have “smj”. Which means any judgement against anyone growing will be void for lack of “smj”. Look into Richard Cornforth. He teaches how to apply “smj”. The only way for the court to have “smj” is if someone is injured and they can testimony from a compitent witness. Challenge “smj”
in all cases related to this.
“get real” is not the type of bro that da antigrows gripe about.Da antigrows are not anti215. Key to surviving is “getting real” and be a good neighbor.Having the neighbors’ back is what makes a village. i read that the place in SoHum. that had the Dsl. spill is 4 sale and the”neighbors”are helping decide who gets it.Just goes to show that both rural & town folk have comfort zones.If you sleeze around & act shady whatz the neighbor supposed to do?Love & honesty are the answers.Lying to landlords & parents &neighbors means lying to self.The aura you project is negative no matter how much you believe in what youre doing.Have the courage of your convictions & be proud & honest in your endeavers.
Measure B in Mendo. passed basically bringing an end to the only real 100% legal pot ordinance in the USA.What does that say about the tone of the debate on MJ?They don’t read the EYE in Mendo.The pot migration & greed claim another victim.Is it that the pro pot peeps don’t vote or don’t care?
Counting apts,garages,sheds,& commercial prop. there are way more than 1000 “growrooms” in Arcata.(more like 2k?)
There’s a difference between a 215 room & a Growhouse.
Well mama bear, I do believe in what I am doing, and I agree that lif isnt fair. All the more reason I wont cut down my garden. As for the free lunch you refer to, I dont know what your talking about. I work much harder in my garden than any CEO of any major corporation and I dont make anywher near as much{how much does Charles Huriwitz make killing redwoods?}. As a matter of fact, the people I know who grow all have jobs and make very little, if any “profit”. Most live from harvest to harvest with very little spending money. As well, they take good care of the property they rent.
And for ananymous 2:27pm, do you believe the D.E.A. will only be looking for “grow houses” and not grow rooms in houses? they will not differentiate between organized whole house 20 light operations w/ 100+ plants or a sick little old lady with one room, one light and 5 plants.
No one is saying you don’t work hard, all i am saying is that going to prison for what you believe in …..just isn’t worth doing the damage to your life , and your family’s life. No doubt the growers do manual labor and don’t really make squat. everyone is jus trying to get by…and given the economical state we are in, any way to pay the bills and not get foreclosed upon works. That being said, it isn’t worth your freedom, they will send you to prison for ten years and not blink an eye!They don’t care about how hard you work, or how little you make for what you do, if it is illegal, they put you away. Anyone who has ever had to squat and cough , just to visit their relatives, knows where I am coming from.I agree with all of you who support cannibas , but I am not the law. When you are behind bars, explain to your mother what could possibly be worth your freedom! I know times are tough, and in this communiy we are all just trying to get by. I know that many businesses were started with money from growing , but the FEDS don’t care about us or how Humboldt really works, they care about their control.While many don’t share our view about how marijuana can help, none of it matters in front of a judge. I am all for spreading the gift of nonviolence and mellowness, but there are so many to outpower us, that it isn’t worth the next ten years of my life , just to prove a point!!!Legal or not, Humboldt will always have it’s roots from weed. But I hate to see good people paying the price for the ignorance of others. CUT IT DOWN Humboldt, at least while we are threatened!!! All I offer is love and protection from those who want to persacute us for our beliefs . My wishes are only well for those in this scary situation. Part of the reason we live where we do is because of the people who surround us. I support the business of growing, just like any other business, but there is a right way to do business and a WRONG WAY! We have to grow as a community and do what is right for all of us! I don’t want to see any good people locked away, for something so innocent!!!GET SMART
Yeah. I don’t want any good people locked away either, unless they are breaking the law. Then I hope they throw the book at them.
f you anonymous!!
Back atcha, little lady!!
Marijuana profiteers are such groovy, saintlike people. Don’t believe ME? Just ask THEM.
They have the milk of human kindness flowing through their veins. You can tell that by reading their compassionate comments above.
There are enough “growhouses” & Greenhouses to keep em busy for quite a while without messing with “lil ol ladies” and besides it’s a PR move if it’s real.PR moves and photo ops are calculated to give em bang 4 the $$$.But honestly does any one really know ANY Lil ol ladies with even 1 grow room in Arcata.Grannies with Grows Unite–yeah right!!
One theory that landed last night is that by attacking gardens now the logistical issues of disposal are solved since they can just cut & go rather than spend time with hauling.They can visit more spots & do more damage #s wise.
Anyone who’s been up in a plane lately will agree Arcata is probably safe since there are 1000’s of greenhouses visible for all to see in every corner of NorCal.
Well, has anyone heard of any busts yet? Is this going to happen or not? is this just a bunch of oficial type people in town for a conferance or is it D.E.A. here to raid our homes? does anyone have any facts? is this all just a bunch of hype or is the hammer about to fall?
Just think of the sublimely stupid logic of raiding grow houses in Arcata (but what can you expect from the “war on drugs.”)
If it ever happens that means the Feds are validating the diesel grows up in the hills that are harder to find. Drive the mom and pops out of business and leave the big commercial grows alone. Way to go.
Legal 215 grows in Arcata are low hanging fruit.
Hopefully when Obama is elected he will at least halt the federal raids on dispensaries.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Even Obama will not abide the dispensaries in their present incarnation.The state of Cal. getz their cut through sales tax so the Bushies move in & empty the bank accts. & take their cut.Most dispensaries are like saloons in the Old West where if you had the $$$ you were welcome.
Do dispensaries ID patients other than 215 card?
Do dispensaries keep patient purchase files?
Last thought on Obama::The Feds got his #s.My God He’s admitted dealing coke & weed>He’ll do as he’s told!
I’m still clinging to hope. Maybe the DEA will arrive on Sunday to save Arcata.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/12/MNKK10FD53.DTL
“As the candidates prepare for a May 20 primary in Oregon, one of 12 states with a California-style law, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has become an increasingly firm advocate of ending federal intervention and letting states make their own rules when it comes to medical marijuana.”
Now that that is settled, how about let’s open some dispensaries in Eureka? We need at least one in each ward.
The city needs the tax revenue. We need to shop local.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Barack Obama certainly understands that the “war on drugs” is first and foremost a racist war against black people and latinos and I think he will put an end to its most egregious excesses, though it is hard to see how the Democratic Party will ever unwind itself from the Prison Guards Unions.
We need to dismantle the prison system. It is a national disgrace and institutionalized racism.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
To Highboldtage: What Rules?
“We got no stinking rules”
You all get what you deserve!
You run around here flaunting your lifestyle returning nothing to the community…well let’s see how strong your convictions are suckaz!!!! Don’t drop the soap!
You jackasses get what you deserve.
You contribute nothing and give nothing back to the community.
Let’s see how strong your self richeous convictions are when the DEA comes knockin tomorrow..don’t drop the soap
mama bear are you a fed?
everyone please watch american drug war, the last great white hope
maybe then we will all realize who the real drug dealers are
quit playin the denial gameand stand up for your rights as an individual
i know i would die if the cause was great enough
how ballsy are you chikken feds “mama bear”
we know the truth about this ‘government’
and its not my ‘government’
we the people is the only true government
wake up join or die
freedom or death
peace
I and I will stand strong like LION OF JUDAS against the eichmens. My crunchy vibe will protect I and I and U and U.
Bigga ups stumpy at the hydro store.
hang em high
how much do you know about giving?
the truth shall set you free
my gift to you high hang em
“don’t drop the soap” type comments are an abomination & so wrong to say.Not to mention just plan not based in fact.Weed criminals do time in min. to med. security institutions federally. And the state is cutting all none violent defendants big slack cause of overcrowding.Is it that “hang em high” is a closet perv or just a sadistic scumbag who likes to fantaciize about prison rape.Interjecting comments like that into the thread will bring the wrath of all the tortured souls of prison violence to your spirit and being.Be careful what you wish for!
do you really the growers are returning nothing to the community? bullcrap, this local economy is run with money made from growers, it supports us all in some way or another, if you can’t see that, then you obviously have turned a blind eye.Every dollar spent, by growers goes somewhere, to the stores or housing market, or restaurants……everywhere they go, so does their spendable income.
The Humboldt economy will completely go to shit if the weed dealers get busted; they are the only ones that have legit money to contribute. I’d rather see weed dealers spending their money rather than a bunch of welfare fcuks!
Yeah. Your all a bunch of master economists. Your absolutely right, We will all starve to death if the pot growers go away. That just shows your ignorance . Pot money does not keep this economy afloat. If it did our schools and hospitals would be as well equipted as the hydro stores and the streets wouldn’t be in total disrepair. Sure, obviously some of that money gets circulated but the growers have no idea about the concept of philanthropy. Buying goods and services is not a contribution to society or the local community.
007 & mama are right,but you could be making the Feds point. By saying “everyone is touched by weed $$$” you might as well be waving a red flag in the feds face.In debates the opposition tries to turn strengths into weakness.What do the feds hear when mama says “this local economy is run with money made from growers,”?????Shhhhhh!!!!What does the parent of a perspective HSU student hear?Where does such arrogance come from?The $$$$$$$ have gone to too many heads.
Think & listen>Because the other side is!
No no
Don’t hush…scream it loud. Let everyone know about how much your making. Enough to support an entire community…yeah your all big time!!!
Where’s your conviction?. Where’s your backbone?
Your all scared…that’s why I’ve seen all those uhauls backed up to front doors so you couldn’t see what was being loaded.run and hide ….run scared…
You all talk such a big game and when the rumors start you run scared.
My question….if being a pot grower made you no money and growers received the death penalty…..how many of you would still grow? How many of you are truly dedicated?
A question for potheads: When you smoke-out, has your money gone toward the destruction of entire neighborhoods?
Heraldo is no better than a 15 year old girl spreading rumors. this blog is bullshit!
this blog is jus superstitious
people dont know, they enjoy acting and thinking they know
hang em high have you heard of suppy and demand? basic rule of economy?
dont criticize cuz you dont know open you mind, if you dare
are you scared of something you are unaware of?
a probable cause is not a electric bill
“the desire of the wicked shall perish”
“what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to lose his soul?”
do some knowledge to some understanding
dont get it twisted hang em genius, my cause isnt your cause obviously, what you criticize for? no one is expectin you to stand up for your rights. obviously
your alone hater
speak constructive what you show and prove is destructive and negative not positive growth
humboldt county is full of green thumbs who for the love of plants do what we do, this is a civil rights issue
ya see whats seperates us who actually love, from you is TRUTH
Actually I am an economist, what do you know about who you are talking too? Things you say about shushing so the feds won’t know, they already know. Who do you think you are fooling.Look, bottom line, everyone has their own opinions about the situation.Somebody asked if I am a FED, No I am concerned about everyone in this community and their different views. To each his own. Everyone bringing all this negativity is wrong, we should be able to communicate without all this hatred. If we care about the future of Humboldt county, we need to come together and reach a happy medium we can all live with. But, no matter what we decide the federal government has their opinions of how to deal with this situation. I am speaking from experience when I say, time behind bars is the worst place to learn your lesson. If growers are to continue, they must figure out a way to do it responsibly and in a non harming way to the community. There are some great people here, and I respect everyone’s view, but let’s show each other some respect!
what a joke!! First off all drug money supports the economy. If there was a button to stop crack heroin and all other drugs would you push it … at the cost of all government assistance ie: welfare child support school library funding. Those who think taxes cover our decadent society are fools. Our government profits on theres trades and uses the money here alls fair in USA. shit how could we not stop the problems of drugs when every one in town knows all the culprits and they dont have training. Theres a reason its there and theres a reason most people are ignorant to that fact. we believe what we want even though its a sad mad world and clear as day to those who dont belive they allready know just look and see. the drug dealers busted are allways low on the food chain. coke comes in in kilos 1000’s of kilos and yet we cant bust more than 1 shipment a year with that technology. Who is the true criminal. is it the one pointed at or pointing.
To summarize 12:53: We are all fools. People should be allowed to continue to destroy their lives because drug users are the reasons our schools and libraries enjoy vibrant health today.
Are you on drugs, or do you have us all drugged?
This county’s branded reputation makes it’s products in demand.But Humboldt gets the blamed for most of Trinity’s & Mendo’s action.People sell goods all over the USA as Humboldt that never came west of the Miss. River.A lot of BC was marketed in this fashion.Hawks r Eagles among Crows.
BTW There are several Humboldt counties in the US.
This is the best one.
Peace be with you
If drugs disappeared today the banks would all crash tomorrow. This is a fact. Heroin – Bayer Pharmaceutical, Methamphetamine – Nazis, Crack Cocaine – DEA, Marijuana – the Holy Mother Earth. Tobacco – 438,000 deaths/year, Alcohol – 152,000 deaths/year, Pharmaceuticals – 106,000 deaths/year, Cars – 42,000 deaths/year, Cops – 11,700 deaths/year, Marijuana – 0 deaths/ever.
love eternal
tad
You see Tad, that is why they are trying to get rid of it. It is clearly not pulling its weight.
-boy
HAHA Boy!
Now that’s simply a lie. People drive doped up and hit other people and they die. I’ve read news reports plenty of times. That’s not death by car. That’s death by marijuana.
Hey Mama. How do you square this call for us to respect each other with your statement “f you anonymous.” ?
I’m not perfect, are you?
Peace be with you
Although most alcohol related traffic deaths are counted as traffic deaths and not alcohol deaths, I see your point. I had a friend once crash his car fumbling for a joint he dropped on the ground. Though he didn’t die, I suppose you would call that a “marijuana death.” I remember a Sanford and Son episode where Redd Foxx’s character claimed his Uncle died from tobacco – “he got run over by a cigarette truck.” Just like I found that blatantly false comparison funny, I also find your blaitantly false comparison funny. There is absolutely NO evidence that proves marijuana ever played a cause in a fatal car accident. Sure many people have marijuana in their piss for 6 to 8 weeks after smoking it, but that don’t mean they were even high when they crashed their cars. It’s bullshit spin and refer madness.
And boy, if your comment wasn’t so close to the truth it’d be funny.
love eternal
tad
Yes, people are also killed from talking to another passenger while driving, changing CD’s, talking on cell phones. Did the passenger, CD or cell phone kill them? The problem isn’t what they are doing that is distracting them from driving but that they are distracted at all.
I think it is funnier because it is true Tad.
Peace 10:35
It is so rare to find someone humored by higher death rates. It just goes to show that cops are the real mentally deranged in our society.
love
tad
smoking marijuana is NOT GOOD, for your lungs smoke is not good bottom line…there is no other medicine in the world that you flame up an inhale SMOKE….so c’mon people we just like to get high….blaha blahblaha ablah blaha
I suck on jah jahs left nipple and will crusade against all 215 nay sayers down with babeylon, and all you arcata tourist…go home I command you…
comment deleted
ok who wrote that last comment and put my name on it, that was out of line. Apparenttly we have abunch of children trying to play games here, so I guess I am out! I gave my two cents, you all take care and goodluck!
I agree with mama , grow up or get lost!!
I agree with mama, grow up or get lost!
Why is someone using my name and being discusting? What is wrong with you people?????????
Grow up, if you have nothing better to do than pretend to be someone else, and say nasty things…….that is sad! I would love to hear you real opinions , if you have something intelligent to say? Well, let’s hear it!!
Well it’s Sunday and the big infiltration of DEA should be getting into action after they spend time checking out the sights. I agree with a post that said if you are not honest and a considerate neighbor you are bringing shame on yourself and other growers. I don’t grow because the thought of going to prison scares the hell out of me! But I don’t like bud either, it’s just not good for my physiology. I believe that freedom is important and I will stand with those who believe that they are benefitted by consuming marijuana and the federal government has no right telling any American how to pursue their personal happiness. I’m not talking about any absurdities some demented mind might use to argue with me like murder for fun or torture or molestation, no!!! Happiness is pure not disgusting!
I just heard someone smoked themselves to death on the plaze. Its all over fox news
I just saw Geraldo Rivera at the CO-OP
he was with a camera crew and a bunch of agents buying coffee before the raids….
Holy Crap Geraldo is in town busting grows!!!
any news
like real news?
whats with all the criticize and self hatred
wake up
and smell the flowers of love for REAL
ya know reality?
eat a sandwich, dont have the sandwich eat you
disinfo is not news, its actually censorship, a distraction on the ignorance as to what the REAL news is.
do the knowledge yourself instead of believin other peoples wisdom, we will know the truth and be happier for it
p.e.a.c.e
meaning means different to every meany 88 could mean anything to any particular individual who decides thats what it means, its intrepretive, all symbols, all meaning, please dont force ideas down peoples throat as to what something means, let them decide for themselves, ya know the ‘teach a man to fish’ quote right?
respect real respect
real respect real
duh
dont knowledge my wisdom please, im sure you dont understand, im just a humboldt hippy with no knowledge :(
one bit of advice
WISE UP TO THE HATERS
Has anyone really got any real evidence this is going to happen? Is this all bullshit or what? anyone have any facts?
none of this crap sounds real and I dont believe anyone has any real information on this blog. Can anyone post any hard news of D.E.A. raid plans or activity?
Don’t worry Anonymous 5:41 , this seems to be another great scandal. You are safe for now, but someday the time will come! Think about an alternative future. Actually I invite Heraldo to explain why he chose to experiment on the fears of Humboldt. I see that things have gotten out of control. But, I think it is the very young that have exploited The kindness of Humboldt, but don’t worry….remember when you were 20 or so and thought you were invincible. These kids will, get it together, hopefully they will eventually decide to take advantage of College of the Redwoods, or HSU and find a way to continue their liberal choices in a more grown up educated way.
If you’re on the care program with PG&E, then electricity could be your cheapest heat source.
House hold Kwh usage could be high only because they’re getting cheap eletcric heat.
If the feds are breaking down doors cause of a PG&E usage, I would hope they know more.
Mama Bear,
While I respect what you are saying, I have to strongly disagree. The grow-houses in Arcata can’t be blamed on “young people” alone – it’s ignorant to claim so.
A personal anecdotal: The grow house that had been across the street from me for the last 2 years was run by a middle aged woman who employed her 18 year old son for a while. She owns many houses from SF to Humboldt. It’s corporate monocropping if you ask me.
Frankly, I don’t think a lot of 20-somethings have the business sense to take a town to this level. Again it’s anecdotal, but the college students I have known that grow usually do so in their closet – not a 5 bedroom in Sunnybrae with a complete security system.
Kevin Hoover even did an article about a couple with 2 children putting on the “perfect family” act to rent a home to do business in. It’s not an unique story.
Mama Bear, when you were 20-something, weren’t you sick of all the older people always saying “Darn kids these days!”?
Do you want to be one of those people, cursing the youth?
Peace.
Kaiv, Ido remember being that age, and I remeber making a lot of stupid mistakes, not to say older people don,t too. I just hear so manypeople, stories of how it is the young irresponsible growers who don’t really know what they are doing or how to do it responsibly. It isn’t the experienced that are burning down houses. No matter what , young or old are going to do as they wish, it is the matter in which they handle themselves that seperates the responsible from the geedy and sloppy. If a family with kids can’t afford to live another way in our community, they may have no choice. No one is cursing the youth, we as their elders should be responsible for shedding some ight, and teaching them to be respectful in all they do!!
A strong economy is the way parents can raise families- retail jobs working for generational humboldt families won’t support that. Look how costco has gas twelve cents a gallon cheaper compared to local family gas- now imagine for a minute how much more that gas would be if all we had were local humboldt family gas. There is no love or magic here, only a struggle between those who want to enslave, and those know better.
I hear you, try asking a recent HSU graduate if they can find a descent job in Humboldt? We are losing them left and right , they can’t stick around to better our future, because there are no opportunities here. We have so many who try to fight big business from developing here, but those same people complain about the dope growers! What’s a young person to do, but either join the local industry or move away??
Conjecture and whimsy, losts of that floating around. Aren’t the DEA always in town in one way or the other? Every group must have a conference in the summer in some exotic spot I guess we’re lucky to be the chosen one thanks to Kevin Hoover’s ringing endorsement of our beloved homeland. No they haven’t put up a sign yet letting us know they’ve arrived, I’m sure it’s not safe for terrorists to know where they are all staying. But we in The Humboldt Nation have our ways of detecting intruders with our own banana telegraph system. I love this place!!!
i still have yet to hear of an actual bust that took place in humboldt county today.
looking on the internet has only provided me with rumors and paranoia.
though i will say that someone told me that one of thier friends (empty) houses was raided on saturday, though that doesn’t substantiate the rumors it is/was happening from the 22nd-30th.
either way, best of luck.
WE WENT LIKE TOTALLY SOLAR COUPLE YEARS BACK W DEEPCYCLE BATTERIES.. HANDLES ALL OUR NEEDS TOTALLY FOR GROWS.. EVERYTHING NORMAL IS ON THE GRID BILL, SO LOOKS NORMAL TO ANY BILL SPIES DUDE!!! gOTTA GET WITH THE PROGRAM!
heraldo you are a liar, worse than any pot grower thats for sure. YOU R AN ARSE!And you have lost all credability. because of aLL YOUR BULLSHIT MY WIFE MADE ME CUT DOWN THE 10 PLANTS i HAD! MEDICINE I REAlly need, you jerk.
Better safe than sorry!!
Visit http://news.humcounty.com/
DEA Busts Major Marijuana Grows In Willits
Posted on Jun 22, 2008 – 8:55
Amid the rumors and hysteria taking place here in Humboldt County, the DEA actually was raiding indoor growing operations as recently as last Wednesday in Willits, the outdoor pot growing capital of the planet.
If you have a 215 card and were growing 10 plants, you are an arse for panicking and cutting them down. To think they were coming after your 10 plants was delusional. Don’t blame Heraldo, blame your paranoid wife.
The U.S. CONSTITUTION is the Supreme Law of the Land – period. The Federal Government has NO Right to send expeditions/witch hunts outside of a 10 mile zone surrounding Washington D.C.. This is CLEARLY a State’s Rights issue if ever there was one.
The ONLY thing that the Fed Gov can/should do is regulate interstate commerce.
The drug war has become nothing more than an excuse to destroy the Bill of Rights, militarize police and usher in the New World Order.
All of you “throw the book at ’em” Yahoo’s – had better WAKE UP NOW! When does the day come that wearing a purple shirt gets your bank account frozen, assets seized and children stolen from you?
Our Federal Government has been hijacked and Our CONSTITUTION & BILL of RIGHTS are being systematically destroyed by all of these Federal Wars Dujour.
WAKE UP!
The DEA does not mess around with small time grows. They run like any successful business, the bottom line is top priority. Multiple grow houses, cash, evidence of laundering money and illegal firearms are what they are looking for. It’s how they pay their bills. Medical users with small amounts of “processed” cannabis and a few plants (under 100) are rarely if ever busted. It’s not fiscally responsible. Any federal agency has to justify the use of resources. It is extremely expensive to bust one grow, let alone 200. It would literally take the Army to conduct an operation of that size. Most busts also require months of research, they are thorough and exhaustive, multiple agents working around the clock making sure all bases are covered. The recent hysteria is nowhere near rational thought. Go to http://canorml.org and read up on pending and closed MJ cases. The only cases where small grows are messed with are in very conservative counties, in which local law enforcement played major roles in the busts. Arcata is hardly conservative, and its authorities will only work with federal agencies in the most extreme cases. Medical patients and growers FEAR NOT. We live in a beautiful place. Get out and take advantage of the freedoms we enjoy up here on the north coast. Don’t chain yourself up to the hysteria, breathe deep and chill out with the TRUTH. Truth STOPS Hysteria.
I am actually heartened by some of the clear thinking responses on this thread.
Yes it is true. The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantees you the right to possess, use, and cultivate cannabis and hemp. This right cannot be taken away.
The Feds know this, that is why the cannabis prohibition in the 30’s was based on a taxation scheme.
Any “law enforcer” local or federal who seizes a farmers crop is acting unconstitutionally and illegally.
The Constitution is only as good and as strong as those who are willing to defend it.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
you’re kiding me..someone actually cut down 10 plants in fear of the DEA. Well that just goes to show how there isn’t good education of American rights going on in the real world. Someone needs to do more active workshop type informational stuff to educate the public about how to avoid getting caught up in the system and fear. I’d do it but am busy in other areas of the community.
And getting off the grid; what a great idea! Amazes me that more folks don’t do solar, passive solar, etc.
Peace be upon you, Bill/tad.
I posted a message last night that seems to have been deleted???? Or maybe I can’t see it for some reason. ANYWAY….I drove past the red lion at about 10 30pm and the parking lot was NOT full of black SUVs……and again
HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL SMILING AT THE END OF THIS STRESSFULL WEEK.
(and whoever is in charge please don’t delete my post again!)
oh silly me i left my post under a dif. article….but i still wish you all good luck!!! kisses
it’s about money and ego: you take in without giving back; the Feds will do something. You think you can get away with something; the Feds will do something about it. Simple system of pay as you go, but if you don’t there will be a rude awaking in the early dawn by fatigue wearing dudes with DEA written on their backs. Best to keep the illegal stuff underground. Also – some advice – dress like you are a conservative….gets you through check points.
hope everyone is stress free! blessings!
Why is it that I have been targeted for all these nasty comments, just so you know I am in my 20s. Get alife dude, what is it I did to you? Like I said befor, if you weren’t such a coward , you would post your own thougts and use your own fake name. You’ll just be deleted again!!
the false rumor of the false dea deal is false…its for real. ask the city attorney.
Was the announcement that the rumor about the DEA deal was false false or was the rumor about the DEA deal false? I’m so confused.
to all those who deny that the money that grower’s put into the community does not contribute to the whole:
put a sign on your business saying that grower’s are not welcome and we will stop investing in your businesses.
I think that it is ridiculous that the anti-grow groups in Arcata are so afraid to stand up for what they believe in due to fear of retaliation. Grower’s, in general, are not violent people. The minority, however, would be violent with or without their grow. If pot were made legal then the criminal activity related to it would disappear and those violent individuals would move on to the next illegal, profitable market. Who knows, maybe they would join the military or become big oil executives, putting their violence to a socially accepted use.
The majority of growers have families that they care for in a community that they love. I do agree that respect is an essential component in a healthy community and would never grow in a home where it wasn’t allowed and would not do so in an unsafe way(10 lights in a rental, come on people!). Landlord’s need to accept responsibility for what happens in their homes. Inspect your properties and use some common sense when renting. You are violating your neighborhoods as much as the growers if you enable a dangerous situation.
To the rest who just plain don’t like young dreadlocked people who put tapestries on their windows:
maybe they don’t want vinyl shades. maybe they are too scared of nosy neighbors peering in their windows. and just maybe it’s a hairstyle, not a social statement(we’re not in Jamaica people). Bigotry will only divide a community. Assuming that every individual in a social group is acting in a certain way is just plain prejudice.
one more thing, to Mama Bear:
I appreciate your good will toward all of this community. My only thoughts are that I am not afraid to go to jail for what I believe in. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years imprisoned for his beliefs. I understand though that this affects everyone and we should move forward with a tone of modesty and respect so that we can sustain our way of being, DEA or not.
PS
Follow the sun…
Thanks for the kind words, I am happy to hear you want to stand up for what you believe in, I just couldn’t stand to see these nonviolent people locked away. There has to be a way to work this through.
Peace be with you Just a suggestion
You are a true patriot! If you are not in agreement with Just then I suggest you carry a jar of Vaseline expressly for police encounters.
love eternal
tad
Call me slow , but I don’t get it Tad
So its the 23rd. dont you think we’d heard something by now?
Raids are happening in Fortuna.
large scale?
to “Just a suggestion”. I can’t believe you think pot is so important in the large scale of things that it would be worth going to jail, or that you standing up for pot is as significant as Nelson Mandela’s beliefs. You would spend 27 years in prison to be true to your belief in pot? I would pick something more important to society.
I also think the price of pot will plummet when/if it is legalized. I hope it will be.
I don’t think it is the landlord’s “fault” if pot is grown somehow without their knowledge. Just because some landlords are not clever enough to figure out which renters have pot does not make them responsible for the damage done, and the unhappiness of the neighbors. The responsibility lies with the grower/renter who should not be using another person’s property for this commercial use without permission. If you want to grow pot, do it in your own home, and where you will not affect neighbors.
Compassionate use- yes, grows for profit- no, until it is legal
Sorry 4:21, didn’t mean to confuse you. I was merely spraying some ants with Raid.
No raids in Fortuna. Bullsh*t.
Shh, don’t tell H. I smell another scoop.
Arrest & incarceration is bad enough without the threat of sexual violence. Do you know anyone who’s been “vasolined” in lockup?
You folks rant about rumor & gossip but you spread even more vicious & vile crap by hinting of prison rape as a future reality for MJ criminals.????By spreading these rumors you provide the “Man” another interrogation tool to break down young arrestees. Stop helping the police create “ratz” and stop creating paranoia of going to jail . Don’t do the crime & all that.Pot sells for so much because of the risks inherent with illegal activity.Why haven’t the dispensaries lowered the price below street levels?Most are just fronts for otherwise black market growing.
MJ cons hang together in the joint & are usually housed in the lowest security “dorms” where any sort of violence is rare.Yes there is MJ inside & puffers are gonna puff + 215 is legal for the really sick.And when released they have better connections & a degree in Cannabisology.
Do the research & name the MJ defendants from HumCo who were sentenced to state prison terms in the last 4 yrs? Most were either already on probation or had horrible lawyers or had other no no’s like guns or drugs & $$$$.
To all the Phamily in lockup :Blessings & Love!Our prayers are with you.
So much pain and controversy and over such a little weed. Guess the money is worth the risk to some. Are growers proud of their efforts? Is peddling a drug that alters one’s mental status a “feel-good” way to give back to society?
Cannabis, “marijuana”, is by far the best medical treatment available for PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. It is non-addictive, it relieves anxiety, it lifts the spirits, it eases pain. It is worth the risk, compared to expensive, useless , addictive and dangerous drugs offered by Big Pharma to treat this condition.
Lots of people have PTSD, not only a large percentage of soldiers who have served in combat but also people who have been subjected to severe trauma in civilian life, like rape, torture, or severe traumatizing accidents.
Once legal, even the poorest man or woman can throw a few seeds in the earth and gain the benefit of this medicine.
Have a peaceful day,
Bill
Bill apparently is a doctor. He’s giving medical advice. What are your credentials Bill?
wait until the social conservatives start raiding Viagra factories……..old men wont be able to smoke weed or get a woodie. is that really what i have to look forward too?
…..forward to?
Is running a bar or a liquor store, Miss.Anonymous? What about selling cigarettes? If you don’t think nicotine alters the mind you haven’t seen someone in withdrawal from it.
Riverlodge in Fortuna has been packed full all day Butte county sheriff, HumCo sheriff, a semi truck fitted with a satalite dish and a 60ft antenna, trailers with quads and lots of gas cans, numerous enclosed box van type trucks, and a lot of high and tight hair cuts. go see for yourself
I can’t imagine a worse method of “treating” PTSD than marijuana, alcohol, barbituates or opiates. Drugs that numb the nervous system actually impede recovery.
All effective PTSD treatment rely primarily on psychotherapy of various kinds that allows sufferers to confront their traumatic events and re-experience them in a controlled and safe way.
Rather than “numbing out” unpleasant memories, effective treament permits remembering the events without experiencing severe and debilitating physical and emotional responses. In that way, they get to reclaim their pasts.
For all of you keepin it reel, keep on keepin on. For all you haters. Quit it! Just because you dont have the stones to do it yourself you envy those that do and wish harm upon them. You think every body that grows are making milliions well your wrong. The majority are just living comfortable and providing for their family. Their are some living way beyond their meens but if they can get away with it more power to them. And for all of you egotistic braggers in your pumped up trucks that think it is okay to be obvious just because you have a 215 script, remember that pot is only worth what it is because its illegal. If the raid does go down it may be good for some in the buisness. It will weed out the week and stupid and make a good market for the strong and wise. Oh ya, and the rats, i hope you rot in your own hell! If you cant do the time dont do the crime!
Yes, Highboltage, but it is not the answer for everyone, and is certainly overused here. I think nicotine is worse in different ways, alcohol too. I think touting it as the answer to all is sad. It has its uses, like most other narcotics, chemicals, or drugs. Why the love affair with one drug? There is no magic pill to make life better. I think it’s sad that our area is more famous for a drug than its beauty.
Perhaps you can’t imagine it because you believe the bullshit put out by Big Pharma. Marijuana isn’t alcohol. Marijuana isn’t an opiate. Marijuana isn’t a barbiturate. Marijuana is a plant. Just ask Arnold.
You have absolutely no evidence that “drugs that numb the nervous system actually impede recovery.” Who says so?
have a peaceful day,
Bill
Not A Native Says:
June 23, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I can’t imagine a worse method of “treating†PTSD than marijuana, alcohol, barbituates or opiates. Drugs that numb the nervous system actually impede recovery.
Humboltage,
Who says so, they do. But since they’re the VA, what experience could they possibly have?:
http://ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/fact_shts/fs_treatmentforptsd.html
But since you know better than anyone else, you are your own highest authority.
Check out the riverlodge webcam to see with your own eyes.
Glad I am not part of this mess!
In honor of George Carlin “Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?” R.I.P.
On Craigslist there is advice from someone who talked to a defense attorney and has a scoop..check it out
Where on Craigslist? I couldn’t find it under legal or politics. can you link it?
Here is that craigslist post about the person that spoke with an attorney.
http://humboldt.craigslist.org/rnr/730038257.html
Perhaps I spoke too hastily when saying “I am not afraid of going to jail for what I believe.” I am scared of jail, for how I and my family would feel. What scares me more than jail is living in a world where my rights and beliefs are being violated and ultimately destroyed. Jail is scary, but not as scary as a world without civil liberties, my right to privacy being just one.
No, i don’t compare the battle over the criminalization of marijuana/hemp so closely with that of Mandela’s. The common bond I was referring to was that of conviction. What is worth my freedom? My beliefs. Would I be jailed for life or even die for what I believe in? Yes. Every freedom comes out of struggle.
I do believe that we should have the right to grow marijuana/hemp for profit, trade, and self-sustainability. I believe also that growers should act responsibly, as in any trade. I wouldn’t want a metal shop, unless personal and up to code, in my neighborhood either.
As to the social significance of those on the opposing side of criminalization standing up for what they believe is right, we will have to wait and see. Hemp, in it’s many forms, could very well be the most viable solution to the food and fuel crisis that we are seeing. I believe that the future of mankind depends on this herb. If that isn’t significant, then I don’t know what is.
Food, fuel, fiber, medicine, biocomposite plastics, etc….
Free the herb, save sustainable agriculture
PS
TAD: your butt rape innuendo doesn’t affect women.
It surprises me to see so many folks suggesting to roll over. This is the time to resist. I spent 4 years of my life fighting for my country…putting my LIFE on the line for all you losers who wanna watch out civil rights get thrown away just cause you dont believe in mm. Isnt america about diversity, melting pot, a place where we all live together in our differences? But some of you would rather watch it all get trampled on…I fought for my country and put my LIFE on the line for my freedom. What have you done? and now you wanna take away my medicine, that I fought for PERSONALLY with my life.
Now its time again to put up or shut up and well see soon who the true free loaders are in out community. Whos willing to stand up for your rights…I am…are you? or are you a free loader letting everyone else fight the good fight?
You are correct 10:09pm. The fact that someone is doing something illegal in the eyes of the law does not give the law the right to stomp on your civil rights. If something does happen people should be taking to the streets and demanding a new govt. Remember the 2nd amendment “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. Time to take up arms and keep our State free
10:09, but also remember the rights of the many who do not agree that pot should be the centerpiece of our community table. It has its place ( no 11:13, I don’t know anyone who really wants to take away your medicine). Many people are ready to stand up and fight for their rights to live as they please without growers int their neighborhoods, and will do so. I am willing to stand up for my rights, but they may not be totally in agreement with what you consider to be yours.
They’re here.
What are you all gonna do now..
They are here and hitting em’ hard
450 agents conducting raids running from So. Hum to Trinidad and out the 299
Anyone wanna bet the economy does not crumble once all these jokers get locked up.
Prepare for a dry summer !!!
You know whos sales are gonna drop…the hydro stores and ford motor company now that growers wont be able to buy 60k trucks this year.
Run and hide….run and hide….
Everyone needs to drive by the Red Lion and Riverlodge at 3 or 4 a.m. and HONK YOUR CAR HORN endlessly as you drive by. At least we can keep those asshole scumbags from getting any sleep!!!
The Constitution isn’t worth the hemp it’s printed on! Now is the time to FIGHT BACK!!!!!
Not too bright. The hotel is next to a high traffic street. You can’t hear the roadway from inside. If you stay up all night driving around honking and wasting $50 worth of gas, hey, I’m sure someone will find it quite amusing. I’m giggling at the thought of you criminal-loving pinheads being so stupid and wasteful.
i am sure the growers of the area are super scared run and hide. the reason it is not going to affect the economy around here is that they are accomplishing nothing. even if they successfully bust a hundred operations that will not make a dent in the industry around here with a conservative estimate of 1000 houses in Arcata and Eureka being three times the size. with almost a weeks notice, the only growers who are going to get busted are the ones that are stupid, or don’t care enough to clear things up because they have money and know the state courts will not prosecute them anyway. so why is this government agency doing it? perhaps because of the national attention the area just got…they can’t look bad right? or perhaps they have other motives in mind…would we put that past them? the agencies have already been found to deal cocaine and crack in the past.
I think we are all getting a little carried away. Please consider for a moment that not all growers are involved in commercial-scale operations and they will still be a part of this community. I don’t agree with the actions of most commercial, large scale operations. They actually make it harder for those who believe in the herb to practice their beliefs.
Free the herb, stop the violence
I’ll concede your point if the yahoos concede that commercial scale operations are a scourge on this county and need to be shut down.
the bust in arcata yielded 20-30 plants from a woman’s house. if you think that will make any impact on the market, you are mistaken.
government workers get paid the same no matter what results they produce. lets take a tally of the amount of pot that they ACTUALLY confiscate.
face it. the diesel growers have shut down for the summer. how do the feds not know that?
Those who don’t get popped will make more money. It’s supply and demand baby.
Anyone got more updates on how they are going?
20-30 plants so far………they are busy looking for indoor grows that have shut down for the summer. feds arent known to be that bright. it took them 2 years to investigate and find 20 plants in humboldt county!!!!!!
I am sure they have gotten others by now… but I am hoping they are as dumb as you think Theo!
That craigslist post was talking about the FBI being in town as well due to the increase in robberies and gang affiliated crime in the area. That is some scary stuff…not interested in being held hostage, killed, or robbed by ruthless inner city gang members. Can anyone confirm this, or speculate if they are working with the DEA?
I love it.
Humboldt lives off of dope money… and any clown thats been here more than a month knows it.
1. Lowest paying county jobs in the state.
2.Timber has been dead so long, most people don’t know what PL stands for.
3. Humboldt is a service industry now… Should I translate that for you? MINIMUM WAGE
That should ring a bell since most don’t make more than 15 dollars an hour.
Marijuana touches every life here, and only a fool doesn’t realize that. I don’t smoke, or drink and I know it affects me.
You think those dope growing house renters don’t contribute to the tax base? Then you smoke something a little more harsh than Ganja my friend.
Simple things you don’t even think about are bought and exchanged that build the tax base… not to mention how many busineses that are due to the grow scene. If you think that our economy is held up by welfare, timber, or county workers, you are sadly mistaken.
Busted or not, these people aren’t going any where… its Humboldts culture. Takes longer than a week to remove culture.
I agree that commercial-scale operations are not good for this county, being made up of both non-growers and those that partially sustain themselves with the help of marijuana. Commercial-scale industry makes it difficult to survive for all cottage industry types, whether they be farmers, shop owners, or blue collar workers. I don’t feel that working hard and profiting is such a bad thing, but not at the expense of others.
I oppose the criminalization of marijuana, whether for medicine or profit. However, I do not side with those who blatantly disrespect the sentiments of entire neighborhoods and destroy property. Those acts stand separate from the issue of marijuana for profit. I want my beliefs to be respected and in turn I act respectfully, as I hope that others would.
Decriminalization of growth and possession and the regulation of distribution is the only way to make everyone content. Until then the market will still exist, as people will still smoke. Even the patients buying from clinics will be smoking medicine from small scale grows. Our state medical system is still flawed because all of the growers are too scared to distribute in a legitimate fashion. Bust some, the problem is still there.
PG&E won’t give out customer info, unless presented with a court order. PG&E doesn’t track high or abnormal usages for individuals…They have over 5 million electric customers, and not enough employees to bother tracking, and for what purpose?
quit waste our resources and legalizes it than taxes IT.
DEA fights a “war” that is civil. It is a civil war.
It claims a plant and some other drugs are worthy of this war.
Cannabis also known as “marijuana” is a plant that is pretty harmless, except when it’s worth 400$ an ounce or more. When a product becomes scarce and the demand doesn’t go away the price for the commodity goes UP for sale to the highest bidder. Until a supply comes into meet the wants and needs of the people, the price will continue to rise and obscene profits will be made. Like Gas…
Cannabis prohibition is making a lot of people money! Including the DEA! The DEA is like an annual flood that will replenish the land. When the supply comes back there will be an overall increase and surplus and the product will likely be more potent. This is evident through out the history of cannabis prohibition. When this happens the drug lords will buy big houses and fancy cars and the DEA will be back to harvest their new crop of wealthy entrepreneurs to fill their coffers with the grace of forfeiture laws.
Let’s face it the DEA is comprised of a lot of working class people who rely on drug prohibition to get a pay check to feed their families. And the world turns…
Independence means you know how to take care of your community and you work at bringing peace and prosperity to the poorest persons availability instead of taxing and raising profits above the heads of the common American as a carrot before a dumb animal working for the plantation.
….dangling before a dumb animal working for the plantation
The messed up thing is that weed is one of the few ways that you can make money that is pure. One can grow it, sell it to people that enjoy it, and everyone is happy. No taxes going towards beaurocracy or wars! They will be gone soon.. I think they are just in HB because growing has gotten so prevalent and its all over the news. Therefore, they had to make their own news to show face. My thoughts go out to those that are the target of this circus.
Open your eyes people. I talked with a person who was living in one of the arcata houses that cought fire. The fires were not an accident. they were set by authorities to try to alarm the media and bring attention to Arcata. Arcata was the first ever county to pass the CLZ (Constitutional Law Zone). These raids are the feds making themselves seen and it is just the begining. there here to collect information and try to pull back the redwood curtain. arcata is a threat to the new world order that the rest of the country is turning over for. Possible martial law coming? look up matial law drills on Utube. everyone needs to start researching whats going on right now before we start getting crammed into the concentration camps being built across the country. also, your cell phones are now tapped, thanks patriot act. none of this is by chance.
It is a shame the law enforcement find it necessary to go after pot growers instead of cocaine and other such drugs that destroy ones mind, body and lives. Or even go after gangs and killers. Pot is not destroying minds and lives. I don’t like it but truth is truth. Go get the more serious drugs off the streets and a lot of seriouse crimes will stop.
Our country is eating itself to death with meth,and perscription drugs, not weed. You dont want to smoke weed if your hungry. Eradicate harmful drugs first Bush, oh wait, wouldn’t really want to ruffle aany fathers in Afghanistan ie opium,heroin,osama bin laden? that stuffs too easy. Let’s eradicate some grow houses in an area that good weed grows wild if u let it. Gain some momentum.
Now that’s progress!
anonymous is a fed seriously i know him
just kidding
what growers get a real job
Kate – you’re not supposed to strive to be “the poorest persons” – every opportunity in the world exists for you. You went to school, you have an education, you have to have drive and ambition and guts and stick-to-it-iveness – and you can do anything – but that is entirely up to you – and no one else can do it for you. You don’t get it. In order to buy a house, you have to work to get the money to pay for the house. It isn’t a god given right. It wasn’t even back when men lived in caves. You had to find a cave. Maybe you had to fight the bear that lived in it first, and then you had to defend it when someone else wanted it. That’s how property rights got started.
And when there weren’t enough caves, industrious and creative people figured out how to make shelters, and that process evolved until some people specialized in building homes while others hunted and others cooked – you get it?
Now you slime them as developers because life is all comfy.
Rose you have bought the whole conservative, capitalistic model of life and it seems to suit you well. Me, I’ve seen way too much corruption and neglect towards poor people, mentally ill, veterans, children, the elderly, immigrants and racial prejudice to believe that your point of view is the best we Americans can do…you go to sleep if you want and keep saying everything’s alright, everythings alright until you convince yourself that your lie is the truth, but I’m gonna keep on searching for ways to bring peace and justice to everyone, even you…
The invasion of the Lost Paradise property , crudely called BuddhaVille, is the most recent example of the governments new strategy of prosecuting property owners.
The federal government has been using the RAVE Act USSC 856 to prosecute many property owners in California. You can find information about the RAVE act at the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAVE_Act
http://bbsnews.net/bw2003-06-12.html
The theme of most federal prosecutions in this regard is to charge a defendant with conspiracy and 856 (RAVE ACT). Conspiracy is governed by mandatory minimum sentencing. If you are convicted in a conspiracy with over 100 marijuana plants you will be sentenced to five years, in a conspiracy with over 1000 plants you will be sentenced to ten years. Unfortunately the judge and jury have no discretion over your sentencing in a mandatory minimum case. Most defendants when facing mandatory minimums decide to plead guilty rather than face an uncertain outcome in court which could lead to lengthy prison terms. When pleading the government typically agrees to reduce the sentence to a non mandatory minimum charge; the RAVE Act USSC 856 is a non mandatory minimum charge. What is important to note is that the federal government indicts using charges that will lead to a guilty plea, the longer the sentence the more likely a defendant pleads guilty (whether or not they are actually innocent).
Recently the government has been focused on targeting real property owners in order to put a dent in marijuana crime. Unfortunately this is quite effective because a property owner has both their freedom and their finances to lose. You can read more at the following sites:
http://www.canorml.org/news/LA_DEAletter.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/07/BAE4UTGBG.DTL
Humboldt County has a major housing shortage. There is very little land available for new families to homestead. This shortage combined with a difficult regulatory environment has led to property owners using other forms of ownership. The same thing has been happening for sometime in San Francisco and the people have responded by creatively following the law so that they can have a form of home ownership. The following website explains a lot about California models of co-ownership:
http://www.andysirkin.com/Index.cfm
Equity or ownership co-operatives are an effective form of land ownership. Their organizational framework is usually established by the developer of each project and its lawyers.
Co-owners have been called something more than a tenant , and something less than an owner. Typically, a corporation owns the property, and each purchaser receives a share in the corporation, together with a non exclusive long-term right to use in one particular area. That right is usually documented by an “occupancy agreement.”
One can investigate what form of co ownership “Lost Paradise” is using the following website:
http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C2581198&printer=yes
Contrary to reports, Lost Paradise is not an LLC, it is a corporation. A corporation is not the best current model of ownership for real estate. In fact most real estate investors use LLC’s because of the favorable tax regulations that corporations do not enjoy.
A corporation in Humboldt that owns land in the same way as Lost Paradise is: The Big Lagoon Park Corporation. The Big Lagoon Park Corporation has enabled the co ownership of approximately 50 acres of land with 76 shareholders on the coast just north of trinidad for over fifty years. The Board of Directors has done a great job in helping to make sure that this corporation runs efficiently through proper by-laws and governance.
It is important to note that just because you are a shareholder of a corporation that may be involved in illegal acts, you are not necessarily responsible for the corporations actions. The Enron case is a great example of this. It would be a shame if the federal government used 450 agents to investigate shareholders of the Lost Paradise corporation solely because they were owners. All of the shareholders of Enron were not investigated.
There are many working models of co ownership through out Humboldt and California. It is unlikely that the reason for this attack on civil liberties was because of the manner in which title to the property was held. More likely is that the federal government is all about seizing assets. Real estate owners typically have very visible non liquid assets that are easy to take and assess. Real estate owners are usually the most political for this reason: government is constantly stealing from them. Property owners in Humboldt county should be outraged at this recent invasion and should be worried about what is next. Will we see an increase in civil forfeiture like we saw in the late 80’s?
Its dying down now… you can go back and tend to your crops… good luck :)
The same propaganda ispini s posted yet again on this post, as well with the same comment on Editor’s note. Just because you repeat the “spin” doesn’t make it true or right.
Real Property is Joshee-poo, so don’t be fooled!
DEA, FBI, & CID consistently follow and comment on the blogs. Psy-Ops is what they call it. Control public opinion through leading the thread. Unfortunately courts have consistently supported cops ablity to lie in order to discover “the truthâ€.
Psyops is Josh Hedlund. Josh’s posts are so easy to pick out: they are always self serving and he posts them on multiple threads. So Josh, what specifically are the “DEA, FBI, & CID†posting about and how would you know it was them? So their motivation is to “control public opinion through leading the thread,†haha that’s funny. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling people who wonder why your not locked up? The Feds are trying to discredit you just like they did with the Black Panthers and Earth First. Riiiiiiight. Talk about delusions of grandeur. Here’s a more likely scenario backed by reason. You are cooperating with the Feds to further reduce your sentence and it is crucial for you to be trusted in order to find new information to sell to the Feds. Why do I believe that you are cooperating:
1) I know you and know how scared you are of prison and how the only thing you believe in is putting yourself first no matter the suffering you cause others.
2) You have not been sentenced yet and your sentencing has been delayed numerous times. All your codefendants have been sentenced. Fact.
3) You were arrested while out on either bail or on your own recognizance with your sentencing pending. You were placed in custody briefly and then released, which is highly unusual under these circumstances and can only mean that you have turned state’s evidence. Shortly thereafter your partner and “friend†Kite Finds the Feather was busted for a massive indoor diesel grow. Not surprisingly you remain at large and are not in custody. Fact.
3) So now you are running around trying desperately to gather more info to exchange with the Feds for a further reduction in your time (telling people that you can be trusted, that the Feds are just spreading rumors about you and likening yourself to various icons of the left in a transparent attempt to mislead those whom you believe to be unfailingly credulous). Supposition.
4) Perhaps most telling, you put the truth in quotation marks. Fact
Couldn’t have said it any better myself, Beo.
Why so quite Josh!?
The only thing controlling public opinion on this thread, is (are) the people who read and post here. I doubt the public at large even cares about or is even aware of what’s on this thread, Josh! You dumb fuck you! I know you wish everyone was interested, fascinated by your amazing life, and profound ideas, but the reality is most people in the world don’t give a rats ass about you, or even know who you are, jack-ass! So get over yourself.
I am truly sorry to hear that your peaceful community is about to be invaded by a group of cowardly sociopaths arresting decent people for made up crimes. When are freedom loving Americans going to demand the abolition of this out of control group of vicious thugs? You produce a good product–keep it coming!!
nice
ive fed the feds human shit-thats what you dea guys get-ha ha -pissed my pants as you ate shit- ha-ha
The feds dont book hotel rooms in the same county they plan raids in, also, they dont have to let local law enforcement know shit until a few mins before they actually hit a house.
In GA the feds hit 17 houses at the same time, all mexican drug cartels, got 22 million in cash, 850 pounds of meth, and a ton of coke, locals knew nothing about it until after everyone was in custody.
You think the feds are dumb enough to let you know they are coming?
The only houses they are going to hit in Humbolt are people growing for profit and selling across state lines, this is illegal even under CA state law.
The DEA is not targeting 215 grows unless they are trafficking it into other states, like so many do.
The FBI did book hotel rooms. We all knew they were coming weeks in advance. It was on craigslist complete with footage of their SUVs. Sorry to burst your theory of government competence.
Great JOB reporting this nazi crime by the feds.
has anyone been arested on this yet?
hah ha ha – i realize this is a year old but you knew they were coming? How? I want your contacts!
And you announce it? I want your protection!
then again sounds like a leak to me…or more likely a crooked goverment agent on the take.
See that’s the bad thing whether you think drugs should be leagal or not… you can’t tell the good guys from the bad any more.
if anyone did get busted
– they probably didn’t get the memo.
Dude, here is how it went down.
The FBI came to town to do this bust.
They stayed at the Red Lion.
One day, the entire parking lot of the Red Lion was filled with shiny new cars instead of the normal two dozen broke down crack wagons.
New cars in Eureka are a rarity, so people took notice.
Closer investigation revealed that these strange new cars has U.S. Govt. license plates.
It didn’t take much for the locals to it together.
The DEA Watch website stated days in advance that the DEA had nothing to do with this, that only the “feebs” would use hundreds of agents to do a pot bust. So, people knew it was the FBI since everyone assumed this was a pot bust.
The only leak was people stating obvious shit like “there are cop cars in the Red Lion parking lot” on craigslist rants and raves.
The web cam, and the postings of the convoy location was straight out of black hawk down.
(United States Attorney Stats) explain that over “1 million” Americans have died in the last ten years using legal pharmaceutical drugs, while also proclaiming that not one American has ever died from using marijuana.
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Humboldt « The Humboldt Herald†indicates that u fully understand what you r talking about!
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