The punishment doesn't fit the crime. 1st degree felony - I'm not sure what that means as I'm in the uk and we have the most abritrary sentences for drug dealing, but I would say if, as happens here, a whole house is devoted to growing it ie every room in the house and nobody lives there, then that is going to be making someone a large amount of money and they should have to do some kind of reparation, like confiscation of profits and community service. Devoting your attic space or cellar space or what ever, is a bit largish, but it's not going to be making anyone a living - they may sell it to their mates or a small number of people...BUT it's quite likely to be 100% organic and won't be turned into solid, mixed up with polythene bags etc. I think it's high (!) time the govts faced up to the truth, that very little harm is done by it, compared to the miseries of alcohol, crack, methamphetymine etc and that many perfectly well-behaved people use it as a very efficient painkiller and muscle relaxant when other prescription drugs make them feel even more ill.

 As long as it's illegal, people should be held accountable/prosecuted for breaking the law. If we disagree that the law is reasonable, we should work to change the law and/or policy makers.

If we agree people should be able to grow and smoke pot for their own use, then we make that law, and we delineate what that looks like, so we're not confused when someone begins to make pot a proliferate drug of distribution.

As far as first, second, third degree, etc., I cannot say. Admittedly, I'm still trying to reconcile that myself. First inclination: Under current law (Model Penal Code), I would say our consideration needs to be based on "What is the damage being done by openly disregarding the law on any account"? Perhaps we must consider the damage or potential damage, (implications overall) based on what we think we know about the crime and the consequences and intent (which is hard to prove). The second question is damage to whom? Do we care about how it damages families, individuals, overall-- or are we considering how it damages society as a whole? As to first degree - this is reserved for the most seriously damaging of all crimes (e.g., murder, rape, kidnapping, arson). Usually there is death or imminent threat of it involved. The matter of degree is really set in place so we have different lengths and degrees of punishment to impose. I don't think growing pot, even for distribution, falls into the same category as the crimes currently classified as such.

Personally, I think the Model Penal Code is far from perfect, and not necessarily preferable. I land on the side of saying I think it's damaging enough that we set an example of (intentionally) defying the laws we ourselves are responsible for putting in place, regardless of which law and to what 'degree' we break it. If the drug is illegal, then selling, using, growing pot is illegal--it's all intentionally illegal. Period. If we don't agree, we change the law to legalize it or forget that we ever cared. Why take into account whether pot is grown indoors/outdoors, for profit or for not? Something to think on.

I question the wisdom of using the Model Penal Code and its degree system overall, which speaks to state of mind and is only currently used by 22 of our 50 states in the US, anyway. Intentional acts should be separated from unintentional acts/negligence degree, and that should be the extent of degrees (accidents with consideration to negligence and then acts of intentional perpetration). Growing pot for distribution is obviously intentional defiance of the law that says pot is an unlawful substance to use, distribute, or grow. Again, if we don't like this law, we change the legal status of the drug or forget we ever cared to regulate it in the first place. Otherwise, we observe the law, regardless of location grown or for whom.

To prosecute otherwise is to say that we do not have confidence in the law/principle we ourselves have put in place and which governs us. If the law is broken does it matter to what degree? And by that logic, I suppose everything above/outside the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible, because if law isn't equal law, why have it at all? (wow what a concept; I myself am still thinking this one through to conclusion.)

On an additional topic, I'm not sure declaring a "law" against anything is necessarily the answer. In order to have conscience and awareness of the affect of our own actions on others, I think teaching and instilling critical thought in individuals is preferable and more effective overall than trying to apply a moral or legal statute to those who would disregard the legal imposition by breaking it, anyway.

 I don't think they should grow specifically for profit. Personal, private use should be allowed, like smoking a cigarette at your home, or having a beer after work, in our home. I would rather my tax money go to getting rid of meth labs and crack and drunk driving than a plant growing in soil, the cleanest thing they could possibly be criminalizing.

 I wonder what the American Indians would have thought of this question.

 Smoking pot is healthier than smoking cigarettes and much safer than alcohol. There are so many killed by drunk driving and over drinking. Have you ever heard of a case where the driver was just high or where a person overdosed on pot? No you have not, because there are none. If marijuana were legal, the majority of organized crime, which is supported by the sale of marijuana, would cease.

 It's better to just tax the over. Money talks... I, personally don't see anything wrong with cultivation. I think old uncle sam hasta get his chunk o the change- but is stacking men in cages for the wrong a good idea, hell no.

 Come on are you serious. I am not a weed smoker, but let me ask you a question how many people do you know smoke a lot of weed and commit heinous crimes behind it?? Did you know that an acre of pot grows quicker than an acre of trees??? Therefore if we used canibis for paper goods instead of trees our enviroment would be in better shape. Did you know our founding fore fathers wrote the Bill of Rights on Hemp paper??? Now my last question to you. If you get behind the wheel of a car and have an accident, that was your fault, and you killed somebody, should you be subjected to the death sentence??? How about re evaluting child molestation laws, and leave the freggin hippies alone they never hurt nobody.

 "Large Quantity" needs to be clearly defined. Growing for personal use, and that of a few other people? Twenty years to life? Get a sense of proportion.
Growing hundreds of plants to make a big profit ? OK, THAT should be treated like a drug kitchen. Still think life is excessive though, is it really equivalent to murder? Pot??

 Did you know that our founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew pot? But either way I don't think that it should be a first degree felony even if they are growing it for profit.

 Honestly, its a lot better than smoking cigarettes. To hars punishment

 Not only should it not be a First Degree Felony, it should be decriminalized entirely.

I do not see how any rational person, capable of rubbing two brain cells together to make a spark, could possibly place growing plants on an equal footing with torture murderers and rapists. As things stand NOW, I know of men who served less than 8 years for premeditated murder, while others are spending 15 years for selling a bag of pot. That is stupidity beyond description. A recent show on television about Alabama prisons profiled a number of inmates. They had guys in jail for murder, armed robbery, aggravated rape, child molestation... And the guy they profiled with the longest sentence, 20 years, was a guy who sold a bag of pot to a cop.

 Unless you cause a fire with your grow lights, I don't have a problem with it, whether there's profit or not involved.

 I am surprised it still isn't legal.

 I don't think we need a new law The problem is we are not enforcing the laws we already have.Most of these case are plea bargained to a lesser charge.They end up with a minimum sentence probation and a fine.We need to start prosecuting to the fullest extent of our current laws and stop playing this catch and release program.Sadly illegal drugs will always exist because of the lucrative money involved. Much like politicians.

 Not growing it, harvesting and selling it should be.

 I do not think that it should not be grown for personal profit. And as for making it a first degree felony I do not think it should be you have people who use it becouse they are sick and it helps them.

 I agree that it should not be grown for personal profit. However it should not be a first degree felony.