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Deputies make $2.5M pot bust in Calhoun County
Posted: 06.16.2011 at 9:45 AM
Updated: 06.16.2011 at 10:30 AM
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Deputies stand in front of marijuana plants seized during a raid June 15.  / Calhoun County Sheriff's Dept.
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ST. MATTHEWS (WACH, AP) -- Sheriff's deputies seized more than 1,200 marijuana plants Wednesday in what they say is one of the largest pot busts in Calhoun County history.

Authorities say they found the plants at a hidden camp site after a tip from an anonymous caller.

Sheriff Thomas Summers says the site had a pump station to water the plants and another system to ventilate the smell from authorities. Deputies also found a clothesline, food and shelter.

Summers says the plants would be worth about $2.5 million on the street. No arrests have been made.

The bust comes days after the top executive of Scotts, the maker of Miracle-Gro, said he is considering putting marijuana fertilizer on store shelves due to the increasing acceptance of marijuana across the nation.

The Wall Street Journal reports CEO Jim Hagedorn says the company is looking into targeting medical marijuana cultivators and other markets to help boost sales.

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Sixteen states have legalized marijuana and a recent report by the United Nations argues the global war on drugs has failed. That report urges nations to legalize drugs and focus on treating abusers instead of criminalizing drug use. 

Marijuana possession remains a crime in South Carolina without any exceptions under state law. According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Palmetto State has some of the nation's strongest penalties for marijuana users.

First-offensive possession of one ounce or less can land violators in jail for up to 30 days. Repeat offenders can be sentenced to a year in prison and fined up to $1,000.

Possession of more than one ounce of marijuana is considering trafficking under state law and is a felony offense punishable by a five-year prison sentence and $5,000 fine. Growing any number of plants is considered a felony under state law.

What do you think about the legalization of marijuana? Do you support law enforcement targeting drug crimes or do you think police resources would be better used elsewhere? Leave a comment and tell us.

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