Has anybody ever woundered if you took out all illegal drug people and theives what percentage that would be?

another sensless prosecution legalize weed pay off the deficet.peace

50 plants? Big deal. Probably his own personal stash.

Is this really the most important thing the police have to do...?

It is time marijuana is legalized. Far too much of the taxpayers money is spent to prosecute and incarcerate people for a drug that is no worse than alcohol!!!!

I agree Adelaide....BUT....the government hasn't figured out a way to get tax dollars from people selling it...what are people going to do...claim they are self employed? But then again, that could work!! Lot of self employed people out there!! LOL

Why aren't we addressing the possibility of "growing" small business in marijuana cultivation? It would require simple bookkeeping and all of the materials purchased would be business expenses with taxes on the profits. There could be a weight limit on cultivation for personal use just as there is for brewing beer. Small commercial farmers would be taxed by municipal, state, and federal gov't; the possibility for revenue income is limitless. Perhaps more energy could be devoted to reporting on this prospective income venture and less devoted to the Obama's dog or the singing Scotswoman!

oceanmist: The government could legalize it, and regulate the sale of it through authorized vendors. Then ramp up the punishment for unauthorized selling.

Also, im sure that the price would come down if it were available legally, so that is another thing that remove the incentive for people to sell it illegally.

What a load of CRAP! Why, as a nation do we continue to think that current laws re: marijuana are going to work?? When as a nation, will we finally realize that until "weed" becomes legal, the bad guys will continue to flourish. Take the bad guys out of the loop!!! Legalize the stuff . . .empty the jails . . .collect taxes and expand the research and development of s-o-o-o many useful products that can be derived from the marijuana plant!!!

Stop the stupid and ignorant stereotyping of people that use marijuana. Why should someone that smokes weed be known as a "doper"? I know a lot of people that like to drink alcohol, and they ARE NOT alcoholics! Why should someone be labeled a doper because he or she partakes of a little marijuana??

Butcher, baker candle-stick maker . . .marijuana is used by all groups of people regardless of race, creed, age, station in life and occupation.

The current prohibition and laws re: marijuana do not reflect the reality of what is happening in our culture.

Time for this nation to get real !

There is no shortage of tax dollars when it comes to prohibition. Just keep working and paying taxes and big brother will find ways to waste it walking through the woods picking flowers.

50?! I think they just found 400 here. Dont grow where you live. Sounds like a hell of an idea... especially if you live in a camper! Sounds like he was pretty serious about protecting his greenery!

forget legalizing this stuff, we should make like other countries in the east and shoot these people when they are caught red handed with the stuff like in this case.

new slogan, caught with drugs, get caught dead

okay 50 pot plants but yet a methodone clinic in calais how ironic is that and all the working people pay for these people who go to the meth clinic so wake up no difference let him go or close the meth clinic what a state maine lol

Yet another setback for our local farmers.

cmccoy,

You live in the wrong country, you should be living in say like North Korea or Iran..... Would you say the same thing about someone who drinks alcohol? If not , that would make you a hypocrite. I have seen the damage that alcohol does and believe me it isn't pretty in any way shape or form.

Oh, I get it now. If you can't stop the crime from happening, commit it yourself and collect taxes on it. There is another topless coffee shop in Portland that hasn't burned down. Should we send a government employee in there with a gas can and a lighter? Better yet, with all the recent arrests for child pornography and molestation we might as well legalize raping children and make pedophiles buy a license through the state to do so. Ooh, we could even begin cultivating children for sale, or create a library of children for the pedophiles to choose from. A CRIME IS A CRIME, just because pot is popular among a majority of Mainers it does not make it right.

how much money did this cost taxpayers. then they estimate everything from leaf to stock to trump up the charges and make themselfs look good. everyone should be able to grow their own stash, look how much money the state would save. have you ever heard someone got violent, abusive or dangerous on weed, no. but, drinking is accepted cause all the politicans do it so it must be fine. how many people r in jail for this and then you hear of drunk drivers killing people and get 2-3 years in jail. that makes no sense at all. they made this poor guy look like a danger to everyone. he just wanted to protect his stash so he would not have to go buy it from those bad as people selling it, what a joke this is.

"Crandall said he could not speculate on why there has been an increase in growing operations."

Duh. The economy...

DUH! is right!! Cheaper to grow you own. think of the money the state would loose if people could grow their own tobacco!!

wow. that comment looks stupid. My keys keep sticking.

I figured as soon as I read the headline of this story, I could count the rednecks that were gonna comment on it, and it held true to form.....get a life and a _ucking job, and if your growing your own, i hope they find out and hang your ass(es).....losers

Brooks, my lovely neighbor.... No one said THEY were growing their own. I happen to have a job.,.. right down the road. The fact of the matter is, is that this is becoming MORE common because it is a cheaper route than purchasing it. It's nice that you are so hateful. Were you heading on the 400 plant operation in brooks?

Brooks sounds a little angry??????

A little?!?

We'll see if Povich can file the papers on time or whether he'll let another criminal slip thru his fingers.

brooks10, guess yoiu are the 1st redneck to comment. i'm sure you are the kind who needs his drink though.

jwbooth, i would not put this in with the another criminal catagory. i would save that for rippers, rapist, murders, you know, real criminals. not someone growing a few plants for his own use. these are the criminals they should investigate and leave "the small time criminals alone.

A harmeless plant given to us by a kind and loving God for many uses. We are wasting our time trying to get rid of this, Maine should be in the forefront of legalization. Think of the tax dollars the state could raise in just having people grow for medical uses. Rid the jails of pot users and concentrate on real crime. Puff puff pass to the left.

What a waste of money. The only problem is the guns, that is wrong. As soon as our government figures out how to regulate it, maybe then it will be legal. But at least the stoners aren't getting behind the wheel and killing people like the drunks! I say double the alcohol tax to help pay for the problems caused by it, I think too many legislators drink so that's not gonna happen. Arnold Schwartzenegger is looking into legalization in CA, maybe Maine could follow suit.

Baldacci calls this the creative economy...

what a terrorable waste of police resources...........maybe it would be better if he turned to armed robbery to buy his weed.......legalize it

@whattayaknow, and just because it's against the law, doesn't make it wrong. All things change with time. Before Prohibition, alcohol was legal. With prohibition came one of the most violent periods in our history. It took the depression to repeal prohibition, so perhaps the time is right to repeal this prohibition.

Prior to 1937, there was no crime for possesion of hemp and that's what it was called until law enforcement and Harry Anslinger decided to change the name to Marijuana to give it a racial overtone. In fact, the law of the land used to be that, if you had a farm, some acreage was to be used growing hemp. Washington & Jefferson grew it and some papers indicate they new about segregating the male and female plants, something that isn't necessary for growing mere naval stores!

With over 700,000 people a year in this country getting busted for pot, you bet it's a 'growth industry.' Incarceration that is. We have privatized our jail system just as we have privatized health care. Why would law enforcement want to legalize their biggest 'cash crop?'

With more medical marijuana bills coming along and the recent decriminalization changes made, we're going to hear "MORE BUSTS THIS YEAR THAN LAST" as the 'protectors of our rights' ramp up their opposition. And for you Bible quoters, see Gen. 1:29 to see what God says about it.

I totally agree with Adelaide. I don't read about crimes perpetrated against the common good resulting from someone who was "high on marijuana" at the time of the incident. If anything it spurs the economy as people will hit the stores for munchies! :-)

Don't panic, it's organic.

I wish the government would stop wasting our tax money and resources. Legalize marijuana already. Let the people decide if they want to smoke it or not. I don't want the government thinking for me anymore.

JackWh wrote: "Is this really the most important thing the police have to do...? "

________________________________

yes, they have to justify their existence, doncha know!

Has anyone noticed that when these seizures are made and announced, they do not differentiate between male and female plants? What if this man's plants were all males? No thc is present in the male plant, o how could a person be charged with 'cultivating marijuana' if they are only growing hemp? Oh, wait, never mind---even if all your plants are males, they will say you INTENDED to grow some females, ergo 'cultivate marijuana'. If I'm not mistaken, one is prohibited from growing hemp also---but I am not sure how long that law was supposed to be in effect. Back in the late 30's or 40's DuPont Corp. successfully petitioned the govt. to make growing hemp illegal so that their patenet on nylon would garner some serious cash flow. Up until that time, hemp ropw was the strongest rope in existence---ask any old-time lobsterman. Hemp rope lasted almost forever and it supported small-time farmers/growers.

The best way to get people to stop smoking weed is to legalize it. I personally don't smoke weed and I've never been a supporter of legalizing it. However, I smoke cigarettes...therefore, I'm all for making it legal if some of the tax money will be shifted to those who smoke pot, yet criticize my nicotine habit! Besides, if you want to get people to stop buying a product, the best way to do so is to throw taxes at it. This government sucks!!!!1

my god,,,50 plants??what a bunch of idiots.leave the poor bas tard alone to tend his garden.50 plants might last him 6 months..

What I want to know is how does a simple man like Tom get busted for a charge like that come on now 50 plants, now dont u people have better things to do other then busting this very laid back individual, anybody thats anybody that knows this man knows this is not the way he works, and the the dea is giving him a hard time ill tell u what ive been to that god forsaken hellhole they call lubec and the only real descent people are Tom and his family and a few other select few other then that. I personally think that the dea and the sheriffs department should focus more on the pill scene in that town more then anything else in this time at point. Because the cops that run the place are just as crooked as the junkies that live there.

nobody seems to mention that this was behind a school.