You literally could quit your job today and in two or three months have at least one hundred grand.
There is, though, one catch: the process is 100% illegal.
But that doesn't stop tens of thousands of people from doing it.
I am talking about Grow Ops (Growing Operations), AKA growing marijuana in your home. It is highly likely that if you smoke weed, it came from someone's Grow Op in their basement.
Before we get into it though, we need a brief history of weed to fully grasp the baffling circumstances of this subculture.
30th Century BC - Uncovering ancient burial sites has revealed that even back during the Bronze Age, people were experimenting with recreational marijuana use. In case you are bad at math, that is approximately 5,000 years ago.
1619 - The first cannabis law passed in the United States was enacted. It ordered farmers to grow marijuana for its hemp. Hemp, being by far the most diverse and usable material known to man was used in paper, medicine and thousands of other things. Two of the first copies of the Declaration of Independence were printed on hemp paper.
1937 - A tax act was placed on marijuana due to the "yellow journalism" movement depicting weed as a "Black" drug that African-Americans would smoke. It was jumbled into the whole racism movement and was thus seen as a crutch on our society, saying that it would render people violent.
The marijuana tax act demanded that growers purchased a stamp to grow. The only problem was that the American government wouldn't give any out. The first convicted man possessed two joints and as punishment was imprisoned for 4 years. Though not constitutionally illegal, marijuana was pretty much banned due to this restriction of necessary stamps.
1948 - After having produced a pro-hemp propaganda film, Hemp for Victory, during WWII, the American government saw hemp and marijuana as bad again. This time though, after further studies showed that marijuana did not in fact make people violent, that it rather turned people to pacifism, congress deemed it illegal again, fearing that it would weaken our war-drunk social and business needs. It was banned for the exact opposite reason that it was banned in the first place.
Today - Though marijuana is legal for certain medicinal uses, it is still as illegal as it was fifty years ago.
And this creates amazing opportunities to make millions.
Since the ban of weed obviously does not shun the demand for it (hundreds of millions of Americans smoke it regularly), there is a high necessity for the product on the underground markets. Weed is one of America's highest grossing product, and as long as it is illegal, there are millions to be made.
So how do you get in on this?
Well first you need equipment. Cannabis is a summer crop, meaning that it needs pretty much constant sunlight. Since growing weed outside is probably one of the stupidest things you can do, you need to keep it indoors. This requires large lights. High Intensity Discharge lights are necessary for constant and high flow of the desired full spectrum light. These must also be timed since the growing process demands both light and dark periods.
Certain LEDs save power by only emitting the light waves necessary for plants. The lights also must be relatively close to the plants. Many growers use reflectors to double the light obtained.
The atmosphere is also very important. One of the largest problems is CO2 levels. Without sufficient CO2, plants will grow slower and possibly die. Ways of adding more CO2 to a room are canned carbon dioxide, CO2 emitters, etc. There are household methods of creating a CO2 rich environment that include dry ice, baking soda and vinegar or yeast in a milk jug.
Ventilation is necessary, especially if you grow in an area where marijuana is illegal (since it leaves a strong and very recognizable odor). This is usually fixed by the use of a carbon filter.
Once you have these things, all it takes is some tables, pots and seeds. Then, bingo, you have the potential to make hundreds of thousands from your home!
Of course, there are a few set backs. Say, for example, harvesting. Or, hell, selling the stuff.
Well you are in luck. There are millions of people willing to do these tedious tasks for you. In fact, marijuana is very very rarely vertically integrated. It actually unfolds to be a seemingly normal procedure.
Here is how the business behind getting people high works:
Growing - The first stage of the process starts with the creation of the product. There are many positions necessary to make this section go swimmingly:
Home/Land Owner - This is where it all begins. This man has basically nothing to do with the actual cannabis development. He just makes the space necessary available. He is paid for his service of "playing dumb," allowing the grow op to exist with out any nosey landlords. He makes a deal with a
Contractor - This man usually gets 50% of the owner's cut and provides necessary equipment and might even hire the residents directly. He and the owner get their money from "fall guys" or
Growers - These are the people who actually grow the weed. They are know as the fall guy because they are the ones who, as the name depicts, get caught if the operation is busted. They use all the provided equipment and space to grow weed for the next months. When the weed is fully grown, the first stage is complete.
Shipping - The second stage is getting the product to its demanders. Again, many people are necessary to make this happen:
Clippers - When the weed is grown to full capacity, these people are hired at around 20 bucks an hour and prep the marijuana for distribution by cutting the excess leaves (you do not smoke leaves, but rather the bud of the plant). Once done, the growers get in contact with a
Weed Broker - He is the middle man. He buys the weed from the grower then sells it himself. Just like any broker. If a broker is used, it usually means that the weed needs to cross a border (probably into America). He buys the weed for upwards of 2,500 a pound and gets in contact with a
Border Jumper - Probably the most dangerous job in the system. He must get huge quantities of weed across the border, through the police checks and all that. Very risky. Very good money, though. Now he gets the weed to a dealer and subsequently, it is made available to you.
And when you crop out, you reek the substantial benefits. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will pour into your wallet. More money than most people have ever seen at once. And morally, you are in the clear.
Ever hear the phrase "it isn't illegal till you get caught"? Well this falls under that category. The fact that Marijuana is illegal is idiotic. It is less harmful than Motrin and no one has ever overdosed on it. The only deaths that occur are from people driving whilst blazed and get in wrecks. But still, thousands more deaths occur from drunk driving (most people state that weed makes you a better driver--I disagree, but that is just me).
I mean, it used to be illegal for blacks and whites to share bathrooms while people were illegally pushing for integration (these people are now seen as heros). The government seems to always be a few steps behind the current generation (how many people under 40 work for it?), and this seems to be one of those instances.
Cops are getting paid millions to create task forces to focus solely on weed. More people are imprisoned for nonviolent crimes due to weed than any other drug. Fear is spread about it to schools to keep kids off of it (remember the whole Weed Profits Terrorists ads?).
For some reason, the government hates it. But hey, if they legalized it, there would be no way to make millions a year off it (unless you were a CEO). There is no way people will ever cease to demand the product, no matter how bad the economy gets. This is one of the benefits of this illegal market. Sure, people are no longer buying HD TVs, but they will always buy pot.
Cheers.
