Consequence of getting caught growing marijuana in California

First time grower here. Recently I got cold feet because I read up on the consequences of getting caught growing marijuana in california. However all the stories I read from other forums seems like it's pretty laid back especially if you're only growing a few plants and a first time offender.

Does anyone have any real life stories to share about getting caught growing marijuana in california?
How much was the fine?
How were you punished?
How did you get caught?

I live a very long way from you but it was my small understanding that it was no longer necessary to illegally grow 'erb in californ I a

hey mate Im not from cali, australia infact. it depends if you are growing outdoors or indoors. outdoors you wont get caught. police simply dont have the time and manpower to stake out a grow site with teams of police rotating every few hours staking the site out, so instead they'll destrow they plants. Although in cases where you're growing like 50 plants in a national park they can get federal help and fly over with choppers and rip up the plants cause they can see where you felled trees and shit (saw it on discovery chanel)
indoors im not sure about for america but here where its been decriminalised but is still illegal (hope you know the difference) if you have less than 20 plants they just take them away and give you a warning. you shouldnt need many more plants than that. and indoors if you have a carbon filter and arent running a 4000w grow room they wont pick up a spike on the electricity bill
Hope this was of some help, peace

well in california you can apply for a medical marijuana card but at the same time I don't really want it on my record because I'm not that serious about smoking. To be honest I'm only excited about growing it. Something about the thrill of trying to be stealth especially with my landlord doing the yard work at my house. My housemate will probably smoke 90% of it haha.

If you get a card from a doctor and DO NOT register with the County Department of Health and you pay the doctor cash for the visit you will be legal and no one will ever have to know. The County registration is what gets you on a list. Doctor patient relationship is sacrosanct.

Why would you want to risk any potential legal problems by growing illegally those kind of games can destroy your entire future, cost you a fortune hiring attorneys when all the time for next to nothing you could have a get out of jail free card with zero risk.

You don't need a card with the county or state and be on any list, all you need is a doctors scrip. The amounts you can grow are dependant on the county you are in, where I am it's 6 mature plants per patient. Check your local laws though, some counties have different amounts, and some counties (for what reason I have no clue) don't allow outdoor grows.

cherrypopper69 said:

well in california you can apply for a medical marijuana card but at the same time I don't really want it on my record because I'm not that serious about smoking. To be honest I'm only excited about growing it. Something about the thrill of trying to be stealth especially with my landlord doing the yard work at my house. My housemate will probably smoke 90% of it haha.

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hmm... sounds like youll be caught before you ever finish a grow hah. but in cali idk. i know where im at youll get 10-25years... or is it 25-50... hmmm something retarded like that haha.

In my county you can get a doctor's verification for $100 or less, and you can grow up to 99 plants and hold up to 3 lbs. However, you can still get busted if the law deems your grow to be "excessive". I know someone who had a large community medical grow busted.

PJ Diaz said:

In my county you can get a doctor's verification for $100 or less, and you can grow up to 99 plants and hold up to 3 lbs. However, you can still get busted if the law deems your grow to be "excessive". I know someone who had a large community medical grow busted.

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which county is this?

af571 said:

which county is this?

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Santa Cruz County

Dude, there's a whole lot of other cats growing the fuck outta this, and they ain't all in Cali... If I lived in Cali, I'd probably just go get my recommendation, and card and not even worry about it. To be so lucky! And I've got serious medical problems, taboot! I should be the one asking about the penalties of growing in the South, where we grow for the last four people on the Fed's list, and can't even get a chance to have a safer alternative for ourselves, unless you're thinking a safer alternative is something like oxycontin or fentanyl... Apparently, the DEA thinks it is, because that's about the only choices that the majority of us have in this country. We are fighting tooth and nail to get these other states, even to the point where CA and a few others are at, but are gaining NO ground... MS's last Medical Marihuana Bill, (yes, that's how it was spelled in the legislature), S.B. 2252 was JUST shot to the ground like an 8-point buck with a .45-70Gov't, not even a couple months ago, so there are some pretty pissed off folks like myself down here, and we are persevering through the prohibition, and just don't give a fuck what "Big Brother" has to say about it, so honestly, if u live in Cali, be thankful, and mabye even help out some of the other states who deserve the right to have legal, medical cannabis a little more than worrying about getting caught in Cali(where it is legal with a Dr's recommendation to grow)... There, I've said my part for the other 99%.... And p.s. I have friends in Santa Cruz, who I visit regularly, and they would also certainly agree... I have done many things for the movement in Santa Cruz... It's time to give back though...

Oh okay. I'll look into the card and talk to the doctor. But in the mean time I'm still interested in the consequences. Does anyone have any stories to share?

They busted our asses on Water St. for being too close to a school, or a daycare, or some shit... Got us for "code violations", even though we did everything in a very professional, and Journeyman-like fashion, that far exceeded code in Santa Cruz Co... I don't quite know whatever happenned to the main guy who had the money, but no know-how, we all split town, and went our own paths, as the wind blew us... It was a huge blow to the nuts to have over 20 lbs of GDP, and over 100 plants just ripped away, and probly either destroyed by the local law enforcment, or enjoyed by them, I'm not sure what ever became of the medicine... But, I am sure, even though it WAS a legal co-op, that with the shit they were talking about in the paper, btw, you can find it on microfish, that the penalties werent going to be great though... I'm just way more concerned with the lack of people behind the rest of the country, and the whole steroetype of the South in general, like we're a bunch of cousin-fuckin', toothless idiots, and I can testify, through my vast journies to CA and everywhere in between, that there are some OUTSTANDING gardens, run by EXTREMELY knowledgable good ol' boys, who are every bit as adept and cunning as anyone from Washington, or Oregon, or Cali... I just feel that by looking at the numbers of supporters for various states in the South with pending mj legislation, that we are kindof alone in our fight, although we stuck by our colleagues in the Wild West, and paid our MPP, and NORML dues, and where are our rallying troops? This is a fight, and a war we are in, and I'm damned tired of being in the trenches, catchin' grenades all the time, worrying when I hear choppers(even though it is most likely a News Station or some other shit), but all the same, I wish you the best of luck in finding out about your query...