Secured, Outdoor Growing
All medical marijuana that is grown outdoors must comply with Michigan House bill 4851 that amended the MMMA.
According to the rules, all outdoor cultivation must not be "visible to the unaided eye from an adjacent property when viewed by an individual at ground level or from a permanent structure" and must be "grown within a stationary structure that is enclosed on all sides, except the base, by chain-link fencing, wooden slats, or a similar material that prevents access by the general public and that is anchored, attached or affixed to the ground, located on land that is owned, leased, or rented by the registered patient or caregiver and restricted to that grower's access.
Just as important, if someone robs a grow, a patients medicine is going on to the streets, which endangers everyone’s ability to cultivate their own medicine.
Here are some tips to stay in compliance when growing outside:
1. Always grow on your property, or property that you are renting. Currently there is a bill in the works that would allow landlords to prohibit tenants from growing their own medicine, so make sure that one has permission to avoid complications.
2. Make sure your grow is secured on all sides and cannot be seen from anyone unless they are on your property. Fencing around your green house or other grow structure is the best solution. Chain link fence will do but you may need to acquire translucent material to line the fences. Just one leaf that is popping out could make one out of compliance so make sure you give your plants room to grow. Fencing must be secured to the ground in such a fashion that one could not easily break in.
3. Secure your fencing to the ground. If one is growing on a concrete slab, secure it with high impact concrete screws. If one is on dirt use 4x4 posts every four to six feet around the grow structure. Using a post hole tool, dig two foot deep post holes and use quick setting concrete to secure the post in the ground. (if you need further instruction, look up do-it-yourself guilds to deck building) Then secure the post to the grow structure so nothing can lift it.
4. Put something on top of your grow structure, such as chick wire. This will keep you in compliance for both a structural security as well as preventing your plants from growing so high that the girls may be seen from a distance.
5. Use motion sensor floodlights, security cameras and watch dogs for additional security. If someone breaks in to a grow operation the security will be questioned and you will lose you medicine.
6. Finally, do not tell anyone that does not need to know. Seems like common sense but more grows are stolen from bragging to friends and family than anything else.
