REP. THOMPSON SEEKS TO TOUGHEN MARIJUANA LAW

TALLAHASSEE - Southwest Florida has had a long history in the battle
against marijuana trafficking and production. Its history is replete
with tales of abandoned airplanes, bales washing ashore and remote
fields scattered about.

But times have changed. Just as biological engineering has improved
the quality of such crops as corn, soybeans and rice, science has also
had a hand in this cash crop.

Refined growing techniques and enhanced strands of marijuana have made
the plant up to 15 times more potent than crops grown 20 years ago.

While techniques have changed law enforcement has not. Enter Rep. Nick
Thompson, R-Fort Myers, who is trying to update state laws to adapt to
a changing illegal business.

Growers now don't need to find remote strands of countryside to
profitably cultivate their crops for commercial sale. Armed with new
technology, they can as easily and more profitably set up in a house.

Grow lights, climate control and a caretaker to tend to the plants in
exchange for room board and a little income becomes an increasingly
attractive option. With potent marijuana selling at $4,000 a pound and
up, many growers have learned that quality trumps quantity.

The use of such grow houses have been on the rise in recent years.

Florida is only outnumbered by California in the amount of grow houses.

As of 2006, law enforcement uncovered marijuana grow houses in 41 of
Florida's 67 counties, according to House estimates.

Under current law, investigators must find 300 plants to determine
that a defendant was growing the crop to sell.

Thompson's bill would change that by reducing the number of plants
needed to be considered a commercial crop. The measure is scheduled to
make its last committee stop Tuesday before going to the House floor.
A similar bill is traveling in the Senate.

Thompson'- bill reduces the threshold to 25 plants. It would also make
it a third degree felony to own, rent or lease a house mobile home or
other structure for the purposes of establishing a grow house.

The proposal would also bump the penalties up to first degree felony
if their was a child living at the house and allow law enforcement
officials to destroy growing equipment once their investigation is
complete.

"In Florida, those who use grow houses to traffic drugs belong in
prison," Thompson said recently. "Under this legislation we are
clearly telling drug dealers, 'if you grow, you go.' "