Legal implications of growing in NY?

[dymaxion grow]

I grew up in L.A. but am now living in NY. My attitude towards weed seems a little too casual for my new environment(people get horrified when I tell them I smoke outside). I'd like to have a microgrow(probably a few square feet total). What kind of legal risks am I looking at?

 

[igrowone]

that is exactly what i do, a few square feet for a micro grow, and i'm in upstate ny
from what i've seen in actual prosecutions, this grow size is pretty safe
jail time seems unlikely for small personal grows, and recent changes in the old Rockefeller drug laws have reduced this
ny seems to be fairly tolerant of ounces, not so tolerant of pounds

 

[sweetsmell]

Your welcome


http://norml.com/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4554

 

[dymaxion grow]

Retroactive thanks!

Yikes, I didn't know you could be incarcerated for 3 months for smoking in public. Good to hear/see that reasonable personal grows are fairly safe. Are judges allowed much leeway when determining sentences?

 

[igrowone]

yeah, public is bad, then the decrim law gets tossed
judges now have a good deal of discretion, if you're reasonably discrete, there should be no problems

 

[!!!]

Absolutely DO NOT smoke in public in NYC. They *do* enforce this. Even though I've been stopped a few times and the weed was handed back to me and nothing happened, I've had many friends including myself get arrested for pot. It is a misdemeanor but you do get 1 free ride (an "ACD") - basically if you stay out of trouble for a year, the charge gets dismissed. But you only get one ACD across misdemeanor cannabis/shoplifting offenses.

I started a thread about growing in NY in the New York forum here on icmag. Go there for more info.

If you don't feel like seeing that forum, research "judicial diversion" - the chance of getting jail time over weed, even cultivation, is low in NY, but you still don't want a misdemeanor on your record if you can help it, and the lawyer fees here will ruin your life alone.