The Union: The Business Behind Getting High Page #8

if the grow operation

is busted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Officer,

I didn't know they were

growing marijuana there."

Then you have his 50-50 partner,

the contractor,

who will provide the equipment

and hire the grower

or grow himself.

The grower

is known as the fall guy.

Why the name ?

Because that's exactly

what he is.

If the operation

is busted, he takes the fall.

Once the crop has matured,

clippers are then hired.

They prep the weed

for distribution

by cutting away the excess

leaves and stems.

What a lot of

people don't understand

is the part of the

marijuana plant

that people smoke is the bud,

which in essence

is the plant's flower.

It's not the leaves.

Clippers are generally

hired on an hourly wage

starting around $20,

tax-free, of course.

Once the marijuana is ready,

in steps the weed broker.

He's not always required,

but sometimes the partner

with the equipment needs

a broker to buy his product

and then sell it for him.

In the event that

a broker is required,

it usually means the weed

is headed south

to the United States.

In that case,

the broker will buy the pot

for somewhere between 1,800

and 2,000 a pound.

He'll then hire

a border jumper, a risk-taker,

someone who has the balls

and hopefully the wits

to get the product

over the border.

Some of the most common ways ?

The border jumper's fee varies

with each trip,

but they're always well-paid.

Once the product has reached

the broker's U.S. connection,

it will earn about

$3,000 a pound.

The farther south

it goes, the more it makes.

If it manages to make it

all the way out east

to areas like New York,

the price is driven even higher,

somewhere between 3,500

and $6,000 a pound.

Stricter laws

demand higher prices

and in turn provide

more profits.

In Miami, seven

to eight pounds of BC bud

will trade for one kilo

of pure yayo--

cocaine.

That in turn makes its way back

up to Canada-- eh ?--

and sells for anywhere

from 30 to $35,000 a key.

If the marijuana manages to stay

in the province,

it will usually sell for

around 1,800 to $2,000 a pound,

depending on how flooded

the market is.

This is just

the tip of the iceberg.

The union embodies a slew of

businesses and services,

generating profits both directly

and indirectly for the province.

Some know they are involved,

and others choose not to

acknowledge the benefits

they gain from it.

Carpenters build tables,

rooms, sheds,

and anything else

that's needed for a grow show.

Brand-new homes are being built

expressly for the purpose

of housing

a marijuana grow operation.

Electricians set up lights,

wire the electrical components,

divert power if necessary.

Hardware stores provide

construction materials

to build rooms

and grow-operation structures.

Hydroponics stores supply

lights, nutrients, soil,

and other equipment

needed to grow.

Seed sellers

provide, well, seeds.

Clone growers create clones

from other marijuana plants

to aid in

quicker growth cycles.

Real-estate agencies market

houses to growers, unknowingly,

but they profit all the same.

There are some Realtors,

though,

who are directly

involved in the union

and will actually cater

to growers' needs,

finding houses in secluded areas

with big basements

and power that

can be spliced and stolen.

Mortgage brokers

and lease brokers

who help growers with

poor credit

get the houses

they need to start up.

Banks who have

minimal security

to prevent illegal money

from being deposited.

The way it works now is deposits

over $3,000

are sometimes questioned

but are left up to the teller

to decide whether the deposit

is suspicious.

If they believe it is, they

may put a note on the account.

It isn't until

a $10,000 deposit

that a mandatory FCAC form

is filled out and sent away,

but it is possible for $9,999

deposits to go through

with little question.

"Oh, you sold some

motorbikes-- cool."

"Oh, you sold your boat, neat,

thanks for the business."

You get the point.

Lawyers and law firms

provide counseling

on how to make

grow money legit.

They help set up and incorporate

LTD companies

and holding companies

to launder money.

They also

provide legal counsel

to keep busted growers

out of jail.

The electric company

who makes money

off of enlarged electric bills

due to excess lights.

The only time

they seem to get involved

is when they think someone

is stealing the power.

Law enforcement receives budgets

to fight the cultivation.

They create

special task forces,

like the Green Team, to

specifically target marijuana.

Canadians spend 3 to

on law enforcement

and the justice system

to enforce marijuana laws.

Police also receive the benefits

of seizing

growers' and dealers' assets.

And last but definitely

not least,

everyday businesses--

bars, restaurants,

clothing stores,

boat dealerships,

car dealerships--

the money funneled indirectly

through various everyday

businesses.

Growers and dealers like

to spend money on everything.

These growers,

after they crop out,

it's like they won

the lottery.

You can tell the ones

who are selling it.

The more they sell, the more

bling-bling they have on them.

You think they just hold it

themselves

and tuck it away somewhere ?

No, they buy houses,

they buy cars, they buy boats.

They'll purchase restaurants,

they'll purchase--

you know, I mean,

whatever they're into.

Maybe that's why we got busted,

got too carried away.

You can tell yourself

you're not gonna

let it go to your head,

but I said the same thing.

But when the money

comes in so easy,

you get accustomed to

that lifestyle,

and before you know it,

you become a steamer,

you become a hot rod.

And that's what

it comes down to.

Yes, organized crime moves

a majority of the product

once it's available

on the market,

but there aren't a lot of bikers

out there watering plants.

It's ma-and-pa operations,

it's young guys

who see opportunity.

It's not easy to make that type

of money doing anything,

especially if you've

been going to school

for the past four years and you

see this random other guy,

you know, watering plants

in his basement,

coming out of it with

an extreme amount of money.

Interesting, you had

your degree.

Yeah.

And then you're in the--

Yeah, I made the choice

to put that aside

and start growing weed.

I could be making

which is a great wage,

but, really ?

Why would I wanna do

that when I have the knowledge

to make in a whole year,

in two months ?

What have we learned

so far ?

Well, one, the Prohibition

hasn't reduced the demand,

and it certainly hasn't reduced

the supply.

Two, it's a steady source of

revenue for organized crime,

which in turn attracts

young people

because the money is so easy.

And three,

being an underground market

actually creates crime

and violence.

And yet, the only one paying

the costs for all of this

are the taxpayers,

people like you and me.

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