100 Pot Plants Found At Grow House Near SI High School

So, this is pretty much around the corner from me. When the grow houses first appeared in the Sunset, it seemed to be a somewhat charming San Francisco quirk. You know, the neighborhood pot dealer who just got wise and moved out to the anonymous fog belt. But these days, it's really turned into something far more menacing. Although this latest bust appears to be a small operation, other grow houses are operated by organized crime. This isn't Cheech and Chong next door. These guys have guns, cash, and motivation to protect their assets. It's only a matter of time before a bust goes haywire or someone gets paranoid, and someone pulls out a gun. And you know if the SFPD has caught 36 houses this year, there are twice as many up and running.

While organized crime are most certainly running grow houses, it is unlikely that they're doing so in residential San Francisco housing. These are rank amateurs who are running low on cash or running out of unemployment or whatever who think they'll make a mint raising a few plants and selling to the clubs. They really don't know what they're doing, and so they're getting caught. For the startups who don't get caught, their output is usually trash that they can't sell anywhere.

When you make growing pot a crime, then only criminals will grow pot.