How much tax do you believe is going towards housing marijuana related criminals?

How much tax could be had by making the drug legal and taxing its sales?

What are the costs in human lives that have been dispensed as a result of keeping the green illegal?
...and the cost of keeping alcohol legal, in human lives?

Maybe this has yet to cross into the minds of you/some, but society -or the law- is losing on all fronts. Although, that's obvious to me, what is not, are the reasons why are two-faced politicians turn and blind eye; a cold shoulder, to the opportunities that are being thrown away.

All America can say about this drug, or show for it, are truck loads of people currently being held against their will - that's it. Can we not capitalize on the drug in the same way, or in a similar fashion, as BEER and Pharmaceuticals?

You know we sent a man to the moon, but we can't commercialize a plant that has zero deaths related to its usage? How the hell was beer made possible then? What is stopping the capitalistic forces from legalizing the drug now?

O yes, I forgot, the benefit of keeping marijuana illegal significantly outweighs its costs of commercialization. Let's just say that stockholders of RX pharmaceutical companies would not like that, which explains the reason why RX companies continue to give to lobbyists, marketing companies, and public relation networks. Do the research; RX companies spend more on advertising than any other industry/market. Are you not shocked to hear that they also contribute more to their friends in government than any other industry - more than double than the next runner up?

Oh yes. That will do. That will do.

How are those gangs doing? How about putting some time into stopping violent crimes in the more shady areas in Collier.

166 for $498K, why must CC inflate these figures so much. Just tell us You guys did a good job took some weed off the street but don't tell me it was 498,000 dollars worth. None the less guys great job

The estimate is from a standardized formula all law enforcement agencies use based on what an average plant will yield in a harvest along with the current street price for crippie. The thanks goes to the DEA.

I agree with comment #1 by SHIFTT..and also, it is eloquently written, briefing the exact and massive discrepancies that exist in our marijuana laws. The current marijuana prohibition is absolutely not working, other than to destroy families, waste taxpayer resources, and make convicts out of otherwise law-abiding citizens, not to mention the seriously ill, who actually must endure prison and pain and addiction to prescription painkillers rather than the medicinal therapy cannabis provides to so many-with ZERO risk of death. It is unevolved and a highly antiquated point of view to continue to regard marijuana as a negative thing-as a cash crop, medicine, or a recreational choice for adults. It is simply unacceptable to tolerate this type of discrimination any longer! DECRIMINALIZE! REFORM MARIJUANA LAWS! Go to www.mpp.org to check out the movement for change! FOR REAL!

Even though I like Nancy Reagan, and God bless Ronald... she started this crap.

Remember the: "JUST SAY NO" rampage she went on while hanging on to her husband's coat tails?

Yea, we do. It changed the way our judicial system works for small time drug offenders.

People who commit murder sometimes receive a smaller sentence than drug offenders. I don't get that.

Good job CCSO. Surely we are tired about hearing about grow house busts typically involving people from Dade County. Likewise we are weary of reading gasoline prices daily setting new records. Perhaps NDN will be so kind as to install a new column to their readership, maybe titled the Ground Hog Day Column or Perpetual Story.

Keep busting those houses...and send the crimanals back to Miami or where ever they came from. Show them that this will not be tolerated in Collier! Prosecute them to the max. They are trash!

shiftt - just follow the money and all your questions will be answered.

Another economic stimulus check down the drain...

The whole system is screwed up.

I feel a lot safer now.

Does anyone know how they set the value of the plants they find? I always thought they used $1,000 per plant even for seedlings, no matter the dried weight? Now I see it's $3,000?

Sort of reminds me of the late '60s practice of "body count"... looks good on the Daily Report.

Did the CCSO get the proper warrants etc. this time???

I am still trying to figure out a "grow house.". I understand a house being used for growing marijuana, or an illegal operation for doing so. But the term "grow house" is not only grammatically incorrect, it sounds illiterate