As today is April 20, or "4/20," many advocates of the legalization of marijuana are using today to speak their platform. They often argue that the drug is less harmful than alcohol, has medicinal benefits, and could provide a significant source of revenue for state governments if regulated. It could also significantly dry up the black market on the item, which often leads to as much or more crime as using the substance does.

However, it appears that the majority of Americans still aren't on board with this idea, according to BusinessWeek. "Medical use only" seems to have the most support.

This has me thinking about how legalized pot would affect the self-storage industry. It would seem to me that if people wanted to grow this stuff -- especially grow a lot of it -- they would need to put it somewhere, meaning higher demand for storage. But would you want skids full of pot in your facility, even if it were legal?

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John Carlisle
Community Manager, Self-Storage Talk
Online Content Editor, Business Solutions Network
VIRGO
jcarlisle at vpico dot com
480-990-1101, x1214

Nope. Bug problem, and I'll leave it at that. I've got personal reasons too, but that's the biggest thing about weed that would PESTer me.

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

I don't believe marijuana should be across-the-board legal. Argue all you want, but it is more powerful than alcohol even when taken in moderation.

However, I do believe in the medical aspects of the drug. But how do you regulate it? That's the problem.

Yeah, bugs would be a serious issue, as would crime if anyone discovered it was being stored.

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Amy Campbell
Editor
Inside Self-Storage
acampbell@vpico.com

Amy, do you have data to support your statement re: marijuana is more powerful than alcohol?

Here in CA legalization will be on the ballot in November, and from all I have read in various news sources, it is expected to pass. Of course that is only in CA, not in the US as a whole.

I hope it will become legal. In my county there is quite a bit of pot growing, hence a lot of crime. Many of us believe that if pot were legal, then we would experience less crime, as the price for pot would go down. Some folks in the area are concerned that if pot were legal, our local economy would truly suffer.

Although I do not know what most of my tenants have in their units, I am fairly sure there is some pot stored here. Several recent auctions have uncovered indoor pot growing equipment; those units always get high bids. At least we do not have power to the units, so people cannot grow pot in units here, however I do know it is grown inside some of my competitors' climate control units.

No data, and a good point, Geraldine.

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Amy Campbell
Editor
Inside Self-Storage
acampbell@vpico.com

Marijuana has plenty of great uses. Nobody is denying that. The problem comes from the abuses. I've seen more BIG stupid stuff from weed than from booze. Now keep in mind that booze kills people too. My only real caveat is that it won't just impact the smoker. If that were the only impact, I'd have no qualms with it at all. It's important to note that at one point, the government was giving subsidies to grow the stuff! People will get high off whatever they can find.

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

I am also in California and I am undecided on the legalization part but I am perfectly clear on absolutely NO SMOKING of anything in my yard or facility! Too many careless folks and we have enough "crazies" without letting them get high on the premises! I don't care if they have "medical prescription" or not.
I say less headache if they do it in their own homes!

Same here, Jeannie, no smoking anything on the property. A couple months back I noticed/smelled a tenant smoking pot in the yard, and I reminded him of the rules. "But I have a 215 prescription," he replied. "Yes, I am sure you do," I said. "But you will have to go some place else to smoke your medicine." I offered to call the police if he needed help. He left right away.

I won't go near the stuff, but I hear what Geraldine is saying. There are so many beautiful areas where you can not just go hiking anymore for fear you'll run across a drug farm and be hurt or killed.

Legalized? Well, that just adds in another factor for DUI and how much is too much in terms of legal limit of pot v. alcohol and ... how much money does the state spend on those first test cases, the litigation involved in all of this over years is something this State can NOT afford. We're junk bond status, the highways which used to be the most beautiful we'd ever seen driving cross country are now the worst anywhere. Pot holes tearing up tires and alignments just commuting to work, jaw-rattling road surfaces, weeds, trash...

Anyway, there is no easy solution for this topic, but let's suffice it to say this; you all can thank California for being the most bizarre, having the first test cases of anything strange that can happen in storage, awarding all the outrageous monies in screwed up accounts and paving the way for you to get laws on the books quickly & cheaply. If there is a scam to be pulled, you can bet in the land of fruits & nuts it will happen first.

Oh, and "The Land of Fruits & Nuts" used to refer to the massive agricultural aspect of CA.

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
twitter.com/CochraneStorage

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
I am not an attorney, just an experienced manager who is willing to share what I have learned. Your thoughts, practices or opinions may vary and neither of us may be right.

Wow! I am looking forward to reading everyone's responses. I am currently working with others in our community to work with the city council to draft an ordinance for medical marijuana dispensaries in our city (ammendment 20 passed in CO a few years ago for mmj)....right now i am in the process of visiting business finding out how they think it would affect them economically if a dispensary opened up next door to them....where they can grow would be another ordinance......IF you allow grows in your facility be aware they sometimes use: co2, 02, herbicides, pesticicdes, etc could be being used on your property and you would be liable for their clean up and how could that affect your whole facility? what type of security system would be provided and does it follow your local/county/state guidelines or are they trying to skirt around that issue using your security system (i know under our proposed ordinance it wouldn't).."buds" sell for a substantial amount of money, does your insurance cover this or would having this invalidate your insurance coverage..many policies do not cover mmj since mj is still federally illegal at this point.....just a few points to consider that i have run across in my research