Russell Bust

**hamtown mike** · February-03-12, 02:47 PM

Anyone have any good info on the DEA bust at Russell Industrial today?

**Traxus** · February-03-12, 02:51 PM

No, but I will propose the mandatory rhetorical question that always surrounds this topic.

'Feds Raid Russell Industrial Center Warehouse in suspected pot bust'

http://www.freep.com/article/2012020...st?odyssey=tab

versus

'Detroit council wants more cuts as state deadline looms'

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...xt|FRONTPAGE|s

**Detroitnerd** · February-03-12, 02:52 PM

It's been common knowledge that people have been growing in spaces in the RIC.

It's also my understanding that the old manager was let go last year because the new owners wanted to stop accepting cash payment for rent, which would seem to go hand in hand with growing, IMHO.

Just freakin' legalize it already.

**rex** · February-03-12, 03:21 PM

Gosh darn pot smoking hippies.
Probably dont even work or pay taxes.
I bet they sit around watching cartoons all
day long eating sugary cereals.
They're the real reason we need the
deth penalty

**black gold man** · February-03-12, 03:48 PM

**downtown_racine** · February-03-12, 03:53 PM

Damn entrepreneurs and self employed small business owners.

**Detroitnerd** · February-03-12, 03:54 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1vBb4AAZQ

**black gold man** · February-03-12, 04:00 PM

**black gold man** · February-03-12, 04:08 PM

**Django** · February-03-12, 04:23 PM

What a waste of resources. Why should we be hiring DEA agents who can no more stop the flow and consumption of drugs than they coould stop the sun from shining. The DEA needs to be downsized. What we need is investigators going after the banking system.

heres something on todays bust.
http://www.freep.com/article/2012020...xt%7CFRONTPAGE

Now this bust wont do much if anything to stop the supply of pot but it does create a bigger market for the Mexican cartels.

11,000 dead last year alone in Mexico because of the drug war.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches...ead-12000-2011

Occurrence · February-04-12, 02:38 AM

How do people who bust pot farms take themselves or their life seriously? Do they actually feel like they are doing something productive or importan, or do they just like busting people? Wouldn't they feel better about themselves if they were out solving actual real crime?

Questions, questions.

**milesdriven** · February-04-12, 03:12 AM

Is it 2012 or 1992? I thought they'd have this shit figured out by now. They should sell tax stamps in different denominations based on weight that can be used to seal the bags. If you don't have a stamp, your product is confiscated and you are fined. Seems simple enough, no?

**DJ Tom T** · February-04-12, 04:14 AM

The USA is sooooooo backwards/stuck in the 19th century on so many things - even though we are in the 21st. The religious right has a hold on the moral lawmaking of this country and won't let go. It's nonsensical.

To wit - we are the largest consumer of legal and illegal drugs, and yet we still have this stupid "war on drugs" that does nothing but discourage tax revenue. Best irony here is that America is totally hooked on drugs - we have a distribution system already in place - there is a CVS/Walgreens on every corner in the US, and "prescriptions" abound. Last article I read states that 1 in 4 Americans are on some kind of prescription drug. Obviously the demand is there and can't be stopped. Legalize and tax this crap already - it would go a long way to solving budget problems.

You should be able to go into CVS & buy a 2 liter of Coke, some band aids, and an 8 ball. **Disclaimer - only drug I do is alcohol - but I still agree with legalization**. That's the issue with Michigan's medical marijuana law - the distribution is messed up. Put the weed in legit distribution points like CVS/Walgreens, etc and all problems will dry up. Most people I know that do this stuff would rather get quality product from legal sources rather than less than quality product from sketchy sources - no matter what the tax.

And really - who's going to complain?? Complainer: "the cocaine tax is too high!!" / Responder: "stop doing cocaine and you won't pay the tax"

It's really that simple.

There are many other things - liquor control, pornography regulations, prostitution, etc. It's time we legalize all this stuff and take it off the black market. Perhaps this will make things easier in Mexico as well - right now they are prisoners of the drug lords if what I read is to be believed.

bartock · February-04-12, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

How do people who bust pot farms take themselves or their life seriously? Do they actually feel like they are doing something productive or importan, or do they just like busting people? Wouldn't they feel better about themselves if they were out solving actual real crime?

Questions, questions.

How wonderful it must be to judge people and their lives with such reckless disregard. I am certain that whatever it is that you do must be quite productive and important. I mean, it must be; how else can you draw such a conclusion unless you were looking down from higher ground?

I suspect that these people of which you speak work, pay taxes, have family and loved ones, perhaps children or other people that they love, protect, and support. I suspect that those people who love them, depend on them and worry about them take their lives pretty fucking seriously.

We may run different races, but we are all rats in the end, Occurrence.

**313WX** · February-04-12, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by DJ Tom T

The USA is sooooooo backwards/stuck in the 19th century on so many things - even though we are in the 21st. The religious right has a hold on the moral lawmaking of this country and won't let go. It's nonsensical.

To wit - we are the largest consumer of legal and illegal drugs, and yet we still have this stupid "war on drugs" that does nothing but discourage tax revenue. Best irony here is that America is totally hooked on drugs - we have a distribution system already in place - there is a CVS/Walgreens on every corner in the US, and "prescriptions" abound. Last article I read states that 1 in 4 Americans are on some kind of prescription drug. Obviously the demand is there and can't be stopped. Legalize and tax this crap already - it would go a long way to solving budget problems.

You should be able to go into CVS & buy a 2 liter of Coke, some band aids, and an 8 ball. **Disclaimer - only drug I do is alcohol - but I still agree with legalization**. That's the issue with Michigan's medical marijuana law - the distribution is messed up. Put the weed in legit distribution points like CVS/Walgreens, etc and all problems will dry up. Most people I know that do this stuff would rather get quality product from legal sources rather than less than quality product from sketchy sources - no matter what the tax.

And really - who's going to complain?? Complainer: "the cocaine tax is too high!!" / Responder: "stop doing cocaine and you won't pay the tax"

It's really that simple.

There are many other things - liquor control, pornography regulations, prostitution, etc. It's time we legalize all this stuff and take it off the black market. Perhaps this will make things easier in Mexico as well - right now they are prisoners of the drug lords if what I read is to be believed.

Great post Tom.

Imagine what could be done in this country if we took all the money and energy we use punishing weed smoker, people who want to marry someone of their sex and people who don't want to have a child that they had no intention of conceiving in the first place and used it for something more valuable, like repairing Detroit or repairing our crumbling infrastructure...

**Jimaz** · February-04-12, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

... Imagine what could be done in this country if we took all the money and energy we [waste]....

Ditto for resources wasted on racism, sexism, etc.

Also we have too many houses without occupants and too many people without homes and we don't seem to be making any progress remedying that obvious problem.

Sometimes I think this country belongs on a psychiatrist's couch.

Was the marijuana involved intended to be used as legitimate medical marijuana? I must have missed that.

Occurrence · February-04-12, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by bartock

I suspect that these people of which you speak work, pay taxes, have family and loved ones, perhaps children or other people that they love, protect, and support. I suspect that those people who love them, depend on them and worry about them take their lives pretty fucking seriously.

We may run different races, but we are all rats in the end, Occurrence.

And these DEA people are busting people who work, pay taxes, have family and loved ones, perhaps children or other people that they love, protect, and support.

I'm just wondering how they can do this over something as miniscule as pot, a relatively harmless plant that grows naturally on this planet, and still manage to sleep at night. That's all. I'm guessing they probably feel that what they do it honorable in some way.

They did an excellent job at shutting down all those dispensaries though. That really made our communities much safer. The profits that were previously taxed by the state are now finally going into the hands of the right people......

bartock · February-04-12, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

And these DEA people are busting people who work, pay taxes, have family and loved ones, perhaps children or other people that they love, protect, and support.

I'm just wondering how they can do this over something as miniscule as pot, a relatively harmless plant that grows naturally on this planet, and still manage to sleep at night. That's all. I'm guessing they probably feel that what they do it honorable in some way.

They did an excellent job at shutting down all those dispensaries though. That really made our communities much safer. The profits that were previously taxed by the state are now finally going into the hands of the right people......

That is just missing the point. Forgetting possible motives, I get that there are some folks who are very dogmatic when it comes to the issue of making drugs legal. There are also folks who are very dogmatic when it comes to the issue of enforcing the Law. I was pointing out that you basically took a steaming shit on the lives of people that are simply doing what most of us are...making a living, taking care of loved ones, etc. You basically said their lives are worthless because [sometimes] they are "busting people" who grow pot.

...and it is pretty hard to become a DEA agent. I suspect that most if not all of them are fairly proud of it.

Occurrence · February-04-12, 03:33 PM

I'm sure they are proud. The world needs people out there to enforce morality. Makes things more interesting.

I'm sure they felt proud and justified in shutting down medical marijuana dispensaries as well. We can't have people getting safe legal access to medicine. It's better for everyone when they obtain it illegally.

bartock · February-04-12, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

I'm sure they are proud. The world needs people out there to enforce morality. Makes things more interesting.

I'm sure they felt proud and justified in shutting down medical marijuana dispensaries as well. We can't have people getting safe legal access to medicine. It's better for everyone when they obtain it illegally.

Let me indulge, then. These DEA agents just don't get it. Their lives have zero meaning and they should be ashamed of themselves for breathing the same air as others because they "busted" illegal operations that YOU feel should be legal. So clear now....

Ravine · February-05-12, 01:31 AM

This forum has conducted this same discussion at least 100 times.
There was never any chance that it would stay centered on the specific incident named in the thread-title.
I wish Lowell would just open up a catch-all thread for this perpetual, circular, fruitless quasi-debate.

Occurrence · February-05-12, 01:44 AM

Originally Posted by bartock

Let me indulge, then. These DEA agents just don't get it. Their lives have zero meaning and they should be ashamed of themselves for breathing the same air as others because they "busted" illegal operations that YOU feel should be legal. So clear now....

I wouldn't go that far. I just wish they would use their resources for more important things, that's all.

**RaumVogel** · February-05-12, 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by Ravine

This forum has conducted this same discussion at least 100 times.
There was never any chance that it would stay centered on the specific incident named in the thread-title.
I wish Lowell would just open up a catch-all thread for this perpetual, circular, fruitless quasi-debate.

We could throw it together with Global Warming.