California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

California State University East Bay

The Pioneer

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The Florist Through The Trees

Marijuana, a cash crop synonymous with California, has become one of the largest growth industries in the state. With the passing of Prop 215, medical marijuana dispensaries sprang up all over California, creating a legal avenue for the sale, possession and use of the product.

The bulk of the cannabis market, however, is not found within the walls of the Cannabis Club, but in the underground hands of black market growers and dealers.

One of these illegal entrepreneurs from the East Bay, who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, agreed to share his insights on a profession that most people don’t know very much about.

How did you get into this business?

“I’ve been selling drugs to make money since I was 14, from weed and nitrous to cocaine and ecstasy. When I came to Cali in ’98, I bought some weed from a waiter in my buddy’s restaurant and I said, ‘Holy shit! This is the weed they take pictures of!’ When I started selling Cali weed in 2001, I was buying an ounce and flipping seven-eighths so I could smoke one for free. By 2008, I built up a clientele, started picking up quaps (quarter-pounds), and started making some money. I started growing in 2009 and been doing it ever since.”

How much marijuana do you produce?

“My last harvest was 64 plants, producing a little more than 1 ounce per plant and yielding about 4 pounds of finished product. This was a low-yield harvest. I expect the next one to be bigger.”

How much money do you make growing?

“I usually get around $200 an ounce. By the pound, I make a minimum of $3000 and an average of $3200. Sometimes I can get $3500 if the weed is super-kill or I can find the right buyer. So I’ll get between $12,000 and $13,000 from this most recent harvest.”

How long does growing marijuana take from start to finish?

“I start with clones, cuttings taken off a fully grown mother plant. The growing cycle takes 14 weeks: 2 weeks for rooting, 4 weeks for vegging, and 8 weeks for flowering, depending on the strain. I use different schedules, types of light, nutrients, and treatments for each stage of the grow cycle. At the end of the flowering stage, when the buds are finished developing, I cut them from the plant. The buds retain water from growing, so they need about a week to dry. Once dried, I do what’s known as curing the weed. I put the buds in airtight jars, then open and close the jars periodically to let air in and out. This lets the buds sit in its own aroma to enhance the smell, flavor, and taste. This serves to ripen the weed, making it primo quality. Curing takes a few days, after which, the finished marijuana is ready for sale.”

Why do you think California produces so much marijuana?

“Growing marijuana is like making wine. Soil, atmosphere, temperature, pressure, and elevation all have a say in the quality of the produce. California provides the perfect growing conditions and some of the best soil anywhere. So when it comes to weed, and wine for that matter, California produces the best.”

What’s a normal day like for you?

“I tend to my plants for two hours at the same time every day. After watering, checking growing conditions, feeding them nutrients, and making sure the water reservoir is full enough, I do whatever. Some days there’s a lot more work than others, like when I trim, harvest, and move crops from one growing cycle to another.”

Does your lifestyle make you paranoid?

“I’m not paranoid at all. Where I live, they sell crack and shoot guns at each other. I live in a house and mind my own business, so I don’t worry.”

What kind of protection do you have?

“A P89 Ruger, a 12-gauge shotgun, two pit bulls, and me.”

Are you ready to kill for your business?

“Do I want to kill someone? No, but if someone comes into my house to steal from me, I’ll shoot them for sure.”

How do you feel about the legalization initiatives on the ballot this November?

“I’ve volunteered for Oaksterdam to petition for legalization. I’d be more than willing to pay tax on my growing if it meant that money went to support schools, healthcare, or something that helps people, but I wonder whether that’s where the money would really go. I’m trying to think of other ways in addition to growing to make money off the legalization. Maybe a hydroponics store like iGrow.”

So you’ll be voting for legalization?

“I don’t vote.”

What are your goals in this business? Do you ever plan to stop growing?

“In the future, I’d like to be growing legally. Maybe own my own dispensary. My goal is to have four to five grow houses that I tend to regularly. I’d like to wake up, have my coffee and eggs, spend two hours at each house tending plants, have someone I trust living at each house

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