Bob, if growing is so easy, why don't you do more than a 12 plant grow? Why don't you help others who are being ravaged by the evil greedy caregivers?
How much do you spend a month supporting your lifestyle? If you already own your house, factor in the average cost of the mortgage through the purchase date through now, per month.
Start writing down your house spent on the plants. Calculate the number of hours of work needed to produce an ounce, and get back to us on that. Don't just go off your memory, use hard facts please.
I don't need more than 12 plants to help others. And I don't want a cg card. I'm disabled, my income is fixed. I don't have my condo paid off..just bought it. I have 2 older kids at home, only one has a job, and I support all of us on less than $1700 an month take home.
Not rich, no savings....battled back from broke 6 years or so ago after I couldn't work any more.
With my garden in max produce mode (vegged larger b4 flower) Which it isn't right now, I can produce an oz with 3.1 hrs. My electric is high..I run 2200 watts total between veg and flower, have ac, humidifier, dehumidifier co2 all the "stuff" about $500 per grow (2 months) lower in the winter, higher in the summer. I grow in soil, organics, no expensive nutrient program...don't have to ph ANYTHING, don't have to mix anything (but soil) maybe $100 a grow for soil, nutes, and the occasional new bulb.
In reved up mode, cannabis cost me approx $50 an oz to produce...add in 30 for my labor...about 80 per to produce. Before p2p, when I could legally help other patients without being a cg, I never accepted more than $125 per oz..often less....and could easily come out with free meds for myself, and $400 a month for my "efforts".
That's a nice, reasonable profit. If you'd like that all expressed as labor, I made about 14.75 per hour.
If I had accepted 200 per oz..that hourly rate would be..$62.50...and that would be profiteering.
If I had accepted $250 per oz, as it seems many cg's feel their "efforts" are worth, the hourly rate would be $95.70..and that is an absolutely ridiculous wage for the minimal skill involved. That's not a care giver, thats a lazy fuck making money off sick people..or a drug dealer..you pick.
In a 72 plant grow my costs per oz would drop significantly. Unless i was growing all sativas, I'd have no where near 6 times the light. (I run 75 watts per sq ft, not many cg's running that much light per ft.) Soil, nutrients, everything is less expensive in bulk. And labor time doesn't get 6 times more either, maybe 4 times the labor..but there is an economy of scale in labor too. So actually, that "hourly" rate as a cg would go up...over $100.00 an hour at $2.50 per oz.
