Thinking of moving to Cali to grow weed, legally... Where do i even start?

[FreedomFightr]

I think people get a false sense of what is "LEGAL". People are getting Raided everyday in Cali. I know of a few clubs that got raided in just the past month. Don't believe the hype! I think people think they can just grow weed and sale weed legally and do it as a job out in the open. It's still ILLEGAL folks! You got to remember Cali is about 5 years ahead than most states out there. Most of the people I know are moving out of Cali to other states to open up Hydro shops and stuff. To places where its not as saturated. Knowledge is power and having knowledge where a lot of people still have not gained that knowledge is the perfect combination to be successful. But being a Newb in the Land of Pro's deep in the game already GOOD LUCK! Please remember even tho we have prop 215, what you are trying to do would be illegal.

 

[RollmeoneKenobi]

I agree with Freedomfightr that medical mj does not mean fully legal. That said mj shouldn't be the only reason for moving to Cali. People are still getting arrested in Cali for growing their homegrown. In fact the best thing to do is grow your own where you are at, and tell absolutely no one! The hardest part is not bragging and I've been at fault there myself. The more people that know the more you are in danger of LEO coming after you.

 

[CascadeFarmer]

If you're moving to Cali to try and make $ off canna at this point good luck. It's very easy to get set up with a doctor's recommendation but canna friendly rentals are tough. If you wanna buy a place then uber expensive compared to the rest of the country.

For the most part, and even going back 5 years ago, the $ were made moving product to other states and even more true now.

 

[badbeans]

go to this lady if you're near socal

www.doc420.com

thats my doctor, she'll hook u up. She believes lots of people use cannabis medicinally without even knowing it.

from her website "You do not have to bring medical records with you, but I highly recommend to bring them if you can."

very cute too, i think she is also a model. gotta love LA

Very nice!

Cali here I come! LOL

bb

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Re: Thinking of moving to Cali to grow weed, legally... Where do i even start?

You are about to make a mistake. Its rough out there. I wish you the best, since you "don't have a choice" which is frankly bullshit, then do the best you can. I would play like you are still illegal as fuck, I wouldn't sell just not enough money to justify the bullshit. Do it for the love and for your family, but life isn't like fucking Weeds, and if you are gonna be there be ready to work your ass off and struggle. Why do you imply that you have no choice, you and your husband are both adults and have a kid...how can you not decide to do whatever the fuck you want. If you can grow good dope then a nonlegal state is where you want to be. Imo

 

[zymos]

I'm thinking about moving to Santa Cruz with my mom, who is ill.

Reasons:


1) The surfing is incredible
2) The women are like nowhere else on Earth
3) The weather is perfect damn near every day for my tastes
4) There are more genuinely unique and interesting people per capita than anywhere else on Earth for my tastes (talking specifically Santa Cruz here)
5) People are educated and thus aware of important political/moral issues in hyuuuuuge numbers
6) People in general have interests similar to mine (organic foods, living well, 'money isn't everything' bohemian culture (although flawed, of course)
7) Aesthetic beauty everywhere


For me and for many, you can't put a price tag on walking outside w the doggie during Christmas with comfortable weather, smiling, healthy people, little concern from leo if you're baked, and a beautiful ocean breeze.


I'd rather make 70K a year working two (legit) jobs in Santa Cruz than 110K in Michigan or Maine. If I can land the thing I'm interviewing for, I'll be doing just that. Just a personal preference man. No disrespect intended obviously.

I lived there between 1981 and 1993. I miss it almost everyday.

Why did I move?
Found a job in the SW, where I could actually buy a house and raise a family on about the same salary I was getting in CA.
I love it here too, but think about moving back frequently- probably to the Sierra foothills instead of the coast though.
Might happen someday in the next few years...

 

[whateverman]

I agree with Freedomfightr that medical mj does not mean fully legal. That said mj shouldn't be the only reason for moving to Cali. People are still getting arrested in Cali for growing their homegrown.

Couldn't disagree with this more. Have you ever left California? In CA, yes, there is a very real possibility that you can do time for a grow. Alas, if you are truly just growing for yourself and a few people, the odds of catching time for your grow are EXTREMELY slim. In most cases, you'll simply have to pony up for an attorney, know your rights, and go through the annoying process of legal threats to get your meds back.

Again, I recognize that you can do time. But you probably won't.

You get busted in a non med state, particularly in the US South, consider suicide if you don't have family who needs you. Your life is basically over.

Big difference.

Moving to CA to grow your own is perfectly rational if you can afford the CA cost of living independent of selling.

You are about to make a mistake. Its rough out there. I wish you the best, since you "don't have a choice" which is frankly bullshit, then do the best you can. I would play like you are still illegal as fuck, I wouldn't sell just not enough money to justify the bullshit. Do it for the love and for your family, but life isn't like fucking Weeds, and if you are gonna be there be ready to work your ass off and struggle. Why do you imply that you have no choice, you and your husband are both adults and have a kid...how can you not decide to do whatever the fuck you want. If you can grow good dope then a nonlegal state is where you want to be. Imo

I Just don't see this.

You guys wholesale great meds at about the same price we do in the Midwest. Yes, we wholesale mediocre at higher price because A) people aren't as pot-educated and B) there isn't a flood of mediocre/slightly above mediocre like there in CA. So if you don't grow good/unique dope, definitely hit a non-med state. But I'm seeing top dollar for unique buds all over CA, even still.

I'll agree that a decade, even five years ago, a half-tard with terrible grow skills could make a killing out West. This is not so now. Agreed. Now it's more akin to the "real world" with more competition. You have to truly have skills, not just a set of balls.

And lets not forget one other thing, California fucking rules. Yes it's expensive, but there is a reason for that, and it's not just fiscal irresponsibility. 90 percent of the state has mild weather, tons of things to do, and aesthetic beauty everywhere. Coming from the Midwest, CA is heaven on Earth.

 

[Chunkypigs]

One of the best things about growing in Cali is the access to clones and the biggest gene pool out there. not too mention the access to finding strains that work to medicate you.
and if growing does not work out for you, then you are still in weed heaven and this helps a lot while working a dead end job trying to make ends meet, you can take it from me!

you can find people to trade with if you are growing more than your own personal needs but less than a commercial op. this is nice for me 'cause when you live in Cali you probably are not going to be satisfied smoking your own grow all the time.

Also, it's not completely legal here but close enough for most reasonable folks.
I was scouting the state for a place to settle, one afternoon in the bay area I was passed on the freeway by 2 guys with a pick up piled high with new grow gear. not covered, they were very relaxed looking. a bit later a semi loaded with fox farm soil appears on my right.... I knew I'd found the state for me!

don't waste any money building a paper trail of ailments if one does not exist already.
go to the cheapest dr in the local free press and use sleep trouble if you are male and female trouble if you bleed on a monthly basis. if you are as old as me you will have plenty to complain about and mmj helps with all of it.
if you really look healthy and have no excuse some docs offer a trial rec only good for a limited time so you can try mmj to see if it helps with whatever is bothering you.
CA NORMAL has a list of over 500 ailments that mmj is rec for, take a good look at Normals site before you go into the mmj biz. it will give you the info on which counties are the most mmj friendly.

also, the best tip i didn't see in this thread is to take advantage of the online reservations at the DMV. you walk to the front of the line and get served. if you are moving out on a trial basis and want to keep your local drivers lic a passport and an address is all you need to walk out with a Cali id receipt that will work at the mmj doc and many (not every) dispensary. it took about 6 weeks before my actual id card was mailed.

even though things are tough in the state in many ways there are still many millions who manage, and they are not all smart and beautiful. hell look how many illegals come here and make a go of it.

one of the few freedoms we still have in the US is that we can choose a new state and if you love weed and nice weather go west till your feet get wet!

See you at the beach!

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

There are mch better states than cali to go to for growing. Like all the other med states.

 

[usda101]

SHANGRI La , fuckn Mecca... I gotta get my ass out there !

 

[CascadeFarmer]

SHANGRI La , fuckn Mecca... I gotta get my ass out there !

Some parts are really nice and others suck. The nice parts are usually over populated and expensive. Where I live is not very populated but pretty expensive...basically a tourist destination. We have our town for about 9 months of the year.

Locally LEO are a bunch of ball breakers when it comes to growing. NO WAY would they tolerate a large outdoor op like you see others do in other counties. Even small personal growers can run into problems.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

go to the yosemite area

 

[usda101]

Thanks Cascfarmr an Hashfarmer but i wouldnt go that way to cultivate im happy here . Its a small world in our nonleg states , An i have been out that way , But before i started cultivating with some people who really didnt want me there rubbing elbows with the natives . So i havent had the chance to go out there an just chill with good people , Check genetics etc . KIE26 im sorry again for getting off topic , I aint thread jackin .

 

[supermanlives]

you should start by first praying heavilly to whatever god you believe in . its a crapshoot out here right now bigtime.lots of homeless including my ex roomate who now lives with salvation army. took him a month . if you got great people skills,great weed and marketing skills you might beat the odds. the days of go west young man are long over . the east coast market is way better. i would move back but i own and live in a great area and am now addicted to the weather. especially in winter when the northeast get tons of snow ha ha

 

[turbolaser4528]

east coast market is better I agree, but you may also aquire a felony or go to jail in the unfriendly northeast. (aka, never getting a real job again because who hires felons, esp in this job market)

So, higher risk, higher reward. Is it worth it? still wrastlin' with it myself!


maine is looking good, wish it were warmer. Fuckin southerners need to wake the fuck up with their pot legislation. too much warm weather and cheap land going to waste, could be housing growers.

 

[supermanlives]

maine is great. especially rural maine. shortass summer growing season and bugs that could carry you away. good people if you fit in .anything north of bangor is heaven. alot of people think mainers are dumb . i find that not so . they are low key and reserved and a tough breed. enough said as i am getting homesick hhaa

 

[DankSide]

I've been going through a bit of this too - you really need a lifeline and a good chunk of money (20-50k) for start-up if your husband hopes to have a shot in hell at making it at all having this be his profession.

I am 23 now and I have been doing this since I was 17. I've practiced Scrog, SOG, LST and Topping/FIMing, cloning methods, blah blah. Over 30 different strains of experience etc, etc along with a couple of self-bred strains and I still look at Cali as a longshot.

I got a chance to visit over there and it was amazing. Prices for about everything else though? Those made my jaw drop. I wasn't impressed by the dispensary versions of pungent strains like LA confidential either - the few I saw just seemed to be missing the signature musk of that strain.

I loved it there, something about the people.
However, unless your father will also be fronting for rent and electricity costs, you might have a hard time. We got offered genuine jobs in the Santa Monica area and still couldn't scrounge the cash for anywhere in the area, much less the 2-3 bedroom house for rent.

If you're growing for yourself and have no choice but to provide your own then stick to that, its simple to get a rec. Depending on your husband's experience though, he may want to reassess his capabilities to provide because to maximize income you must
push the 99 plant limit, maintain ideal environmental atmosphere and optimize harvest times.

I don't doubt your husband can achieve these things, but I like to look at growing in the way that roadracers look at achieving better driving skill. You start with low power and on a low scale, you master that. Then, you step it up and push to maximize THAT output.
For example, I started with a 150watt hps, worked up to a 250hps, then to a 600watt, and it goes on.

You can't just start big if you haven't done a small scale because you just won't understand half the things that are going on at the time. Look at what happened when they gave Nick Hogan that dodge viper drift car, or when they gave Eddie Griffin that million dollar Ferrari for that movie redline, epic fails of crashes.

I've been wrestling a lot with this myself, because I want to be at the 'forefront' of this culture, I want to contribute to the gene pool and help others grow more efficiently. Cali really is a place where you can more quickly obtain legal rights to grow so it really is tough.

I recently 'came out of the closet' to my family about what my profession will be from now til my death, this was a huge risk but it means I'm sure - I hope your husband is sure too. He must be ready to learn, You'll want a lot of space - at least 2 rooms dedicated to it and you should check out Vert grows too.

I don't know what else to say, Cali looks to me like this - You can go and start growing there legally relatively quicker than any other state, you can maximize on a 99 plant limit, but you are financially limited by the over inflated market, you are paying a high cost of living and are taking a serious risk if you don't have too much experience in this field. Imagine growing a 'qual' strain that you view as amazing and then getting turned down by 90% of the dispensaries who have already established steady supply lines that supply that same strain faster and better than you.

I'm not kidding, I loved it there - way too many variables in this equation to say whether or not your hubby should grow for profit. Hope that helped!

 

[whateverman]

^^Never understood that. I've never done a crazy 100K grow anything, so maybe we're on different scales. But I started growing with multiple thousand watts and high plant counts. No big deal.

As long as you leave the sub panels to the professionals (or just plug and play yourself), I encourage everyone I meet to go big as shit on their first grow, if they so desire.

Hidden apartments closet grows with weird-ass venting configurations and hidden bubbler systems under a 250 watter are way more difficult than a bare bulb 10K room IMHO. I swear to Christ I spent half my teenage years making an impressive blueprint of my studio apartment grow, lol. My bare bulbs room are simple as hell. I had an emergency once and had to have my brother keep the girls alive for a two full weeks. I was not available to speak to him and explain what to do. He's never grown a tomato and knows nothing about weed. He researched the net for like an hour and figured it out.

I think sometimes we like to pretend we're doing nuclear physics to help self-justify our hobbies/income in some weird way. Organic kush to the ninth power + 305 squared vagina, whatever man...we're just growing out a few weeds here...

 

[JOJO420]

Cali has chewed up and spit out many "green rush growers" and shattered many big dreams. If you do have skills grow high end "boutique" type herb not large sale commercial. You will always get good money from high end product.

Ok, coming from me, one who has said this to others per say. it does not apply to you..
You said MEDICAL.. not money
Best advice is to get to know your community, get to know your neighbors.Trust your instincts.. just because your "medical" does get you a get outa jail free card.
First thing is your doctors visit.Do you have a legitimate MMJ need? Im sure you do, if your already considering the move. Go to a reputable doctor, not some scam artist. A doctor that is legit, and stands behind his patients in court if need be. There are many legitimate primary care docs that will give you a legitimate recommendation. And remember, its a recommendation..
gO HERE AND LEARN MORE
http://www.canorml.org/

Second thing is your support system. Do you have friends or family here? Do you guys have a job?
Or are you thinking you will sell off the extra and pay for the groceries and the rent??
That needs to be considered and a solid decision made, cause Californias unemployment rate is 11.9 %
http://www.google.com/publicdata/ex...e:ST060000&dl=en&hl=en&q=ca+unemployment+rate
If your looking for a relaxed, progressive place to call home and grow your own personal medicine, not for resale in a extremely competitive market, then by all means consider Ca as a place to call home.
Other thing you might wanna look at is the county MMJ policy. It rules and dictates the courts, thus the sherrifs response.. Some counties are better than others. The CaNorml website should help with all the explainations and intricate details of the laws.
GL and may the force be with you

 

[laylow]

So whats the deal with a European moving to Cali to grow weed?

Moving for the weather alone was enough to convince my partner to up sticks and go...

could rent my place out here so if it never worked out we could come home...

could come with $50K easy...

anyone know any foreigners that have moved to cali?

this isnt the first time i have asked this but its the biggest response i have seen to a topic on this subject so i thought i would throw it out there