dunno if this is the right forum to ask this question...

...but something is going on in a house down the street and I have little experience with this kind of thing.

For several months now, when I walk past a particular house down the street I've noticed the overwhelming skunky smell in the air. The house has every window covered. Many different people come and go in many different cars. This is an extremely quiet dead-end suburbanish street. Several travel trailers and an old railroad car are also on the property, all covered closly up and with power lines to them.

D'oh. I finally realized that they must be growing dope. I'm really naive.

But what is strange is that the house is situated this way: on one side lives a retired LAPD detective and his wife. On the other side lives a retired local sheriff's deputy. And directly across the street lives an active deputy sheriff. So this property, which pretty obviously is a drug operation, is surrounded by law enforcement.

How have the growers escaped notice? Or is something else likely to be going on?

The ex-cops are in on it or at least taking a cut of the profits.

...and that is a really scandalous idea, considering the chummy neighborhoody persona of these three LE types. I find that possibility way more frightening than having a pot farm and dealership in the neighborhood.

Otherwise, there's no way it would go down like that at all.

Nothing to see here. . .

In some places, including Colorado, you can obtain a legal license to grow.

I know of a county in the southwest where the sheriff lives in the most expensive house in the entire county and there's a whole car dealership full of used cars but none of them is suitable for a test drive. They're all loaded with weed and on their way to various cities around the country on the back of car haulers. The whole thing has been going on for decades. And it's pretty well done out in the open.

So you can pretty much bet that the placement of that house is intentional and that there are some people very actively turning a blind eye. A great illustration of the absurdity of the "war on drugs." It's about time we get away from these hypocritical, self-serving policies and start dealing with addiction and its root causes rather than enriching those who are supposed to serve the public good on the blood of our kids.

Just my perspective from my quaint little apartment in E. Garfield Park Chicago, surrounded by gangs that are fully funded by drugs. Can't let little Johny smoke a joint. But he may just get shot on his way to the school bus.

all have medical legalized as far as I know... If you are in one of those states, it is likely that someone is growing for pharmaceutical purposes and it is legal.

There is a medical marijuana store about two blocks from my home.

There is a chance that whoever is growing it might be a medical marijuana user or might be giving it to medical marijuana users. The chance of that being true is very low though. The cops are probably getting a cut.

Growing more then just a few plants in a residential neighborhood and not installing a air filtering system is just plain stupid.Iam sure they are making enough $ to cover the cost of a filtration system. A day will come when the police are for whatever reason out of their cars in that neighborhood and smell the skunky smell ! Then the police dogs come and lead them directly to the front door of this house and then the gig is up !