POT 'MATH' PERPLEXING

I am perplexed by your report of the recent pot bust involving a 66-
year-old medical marijuana patient with fewer than a dozen plants in a
garage.

Police called it a "major, major, major deal," but gardens this size
are hardly exceptional. Many patients grow far more for personal use
- -- there have been numerous acquittals for gardens of 100-200 plants.

The police said the pot was worth up to $171,000, which works out to
$16,000 per plant. At $3,000 per pound, that is over 5 pounds a plant.
That's a truly spectacular yield -- indoor plants rarely yield more
than a few ounces. Something is missing here -- either there was a lot
more pot, or the cops are telling tall tales.

Dale Gieringer

San Francisco

(Gieringer is coordinator, California NORML (National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws)