Beefing up your outdoor greenhouse and staying legal

In a previous article I touched upon the nuance in Az prop 207 that requires a locking greenhouse. The exact wordings from prop207 are:

36-2852. Possession and personal use of marijuana, marijuana products, and marijuana paraphernalia

(B)  CULTIVATION TAKES PLACE WITHIN A CLOSET, ROOM, GREENHOUSE OR OTHER ENCLOSED
AREA ON THE GROUNDS OF THE RESIDENCE EQUIPPED WITH A LOCK OR OTHER SECURITY DEVICE THAT
PREVENTS ACCESS BY MINORS.
(C) CULTIVATION TAKES PLACE IN AN AREA WHERE THE MARIJUANA PLANTS ARE NOT VISIBLE
FROM PUBLIC VIEW WITHOUT THE USE OF BINOCULARS, AIRCRAFT OR OTHER OPTICAL AIDS.

Greenhouses, by their very nature , are difficult to truly “secure” in a very strict sense. In order to utilize the sun they must be made out of translucent materials like glass or plastic. If the panels are glass, a thief can use a rock or tapping hammer. Poly sheeting can be cut with a carton knife and polycarbonate can be melted with a plumbers torch.  The law is only asking us to do reasonable due diligence to keep a minor from walking up and helping themselves unfettered.

For section B above I constructed a 3 sided enclosure with the ability to span the top & front openings with either poly sheeting for cold weather or shade cloth for the brutal summers like these shots below:

In either instance the Poly sheet or shade cloth is attached to boards via grommets and bolts. The top board along the back has the padlock & hasp to provide the lock specified in the law. I think we are in agreement that simply spanning the area with the covering and just a lock on top is a bit of a scoffing at the law and not putting much effort into security . Not only that but strong gusty winds will rip up the plastic if its not supported properly.

I made the build a bit beefier by making a framework of 1×3 boards backed with 1/2″ Hardware Cloth (galvanized metal mesh) to make it a bit more of a “shark cage”. Double hinged panels make for a sturdy flexible door. The hardware cloth not only provides a more secure barrier from theft but also gives support for the various plastic coverings used seasonally.

The Hardware cloth also helps you staying compliant with Part C in that it obscures visibility. Most of us tract home dwellers live on 1/4 acre lots and stuff is easily seen by neighbors etc.  Putting opaque polysheeting or shade cloth OVER the layer of mesh does a very good job of obscuring what’s inside.

Do I want to spend more money to dive through legal hoops? No–this stuff should just be legal. But that’s not our reality. The reality is, this is still a predominately “red” state with a history of rigorous marijuana prosecution & enforcement. Some cops are probably glad that they can now divert their attention & resources to more serious crimes. But, rest assured that there are “old school” cops dying to make a good bust like they could back in “the good old days”.  Don’t give them that satisfaction. I consider the $100 spent on wood, screen & hinges as cheap insurance and possibly my “get out of jail” card if a judge looks at me performing the due diligence.

And lets not kid ourselves –a couple of blows with a 5lb sledge hammer, 1 minute with wire cutters and any fence hopping thief is in. All this does is it forces them into an act of Burglary/Breaking & Entering felony acts that are more serious than the simple possession of stolen pot plants.  The cops can take them away and if you do it right you are not going with them.