Pay attention, kids--if you grow your own weed, don't install a burglar alarm...

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: Perhaps installing the burglar alarm was not a good idea...)

Berks couple won't lose house over growing pot

The lengthy legal nightmare for Steve and Karen Haver finally ended this week, when prosecutors formally withdrew a motion to seize their Berks County house.

But the repercussions are far from over.

Karen Haver, 38, spent time in jail, lost her job, and read criminal accusations about her on the front page of the local paper. Steve Haver, 47, is now a felon with a suspended driver's license, on leave from a job he doubts will be renewed.

His crime: Growing five marijuana plants in their Reading home.

The Haver case is a cautionary tale for anyone still flirting with recreational marijuana use - particularly those who grow pot in houses with burglar alarms.

The Havers' alarm went off in July 2006 while they were on vacation in the Poconos. The police found the pot, and Berks County authorities reacted as though they had nabbed big-time dealers.

Steve Haver, an avid gardener active in the local history society, admitted growing the plants in an interview yesterday. But he said that his wife didn't smoke marijuana, and that he had only occasionally.

"The true irony of this whole situation is that I really hadn't been a regular user for about 15 years," he said. "It's been quite an ordeal. I don't think your average citizen has any idea how destructive and Draconian our justice system has become."

<snip>

(Link: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080411_Berks_couple_won_t_lose_house_over_growing_pot.html)

[hobbit709]

1. Not the brightest move for sure.

[aikoaiko]

2. I stopped smoking pot when I started my career.

I liked smoking an occasional joint.

I think everyone should be able to.

But its just not worth the hassle as long as prohibition is the law.

I can't say that I don't break other societal rules, but I stopped doing things that could get me arrested. Some people say laws don't prevent behaviors -- maybe so in some cases but they work with me now that I have much more to lose (i.e., career, family).

[stellanoir]

3. Yeah

". . .I don't think your average citizen has any idea how destructive and Draconian our justice system has become."

That's for sure, an understatement.

I'll post this link AGAIN.

http://hightowerdownload.com/node/30

This story reminds me of an older hippie I once met who lived in the San Gabriel mountains and he grew pot. He kept geese around the plants so the local kids wouldn't steal them. They'd make a whole lot of noise whenever there were intruders.

I thought that was fairly clever.