This is pretty close to me, geographically, so it's getting lots of airtime here. Very few clues. Donations to the surviving family members have pretty much dried up once it came out they had grow operations at 3 of the murder sites. Funerals for 6 of the deceased were today under tight security; the remaining family members may still have hits out on them.

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I miss YaHey

There isn't a whole lot to discuss. If the cops know anything they aren't saying. About all they ahve said is the general public is not in danger but if you are a member of the Rhoden family you should probably be armed.

There is a lot going on with that family and clearly they aren't the good guys but somewhere out there are some really bad guys.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

The. Let the conspiracy theories fly.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

The cartel theory was running rampant based on some "leaked information" but the authorities squashed that by saying they won't be commenting. It's taking an awful long time for anything to come out which raises people's suspicions.

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~
"You lie!" The Prophet Joe Wilson

Cartels run the 'medical marijuana' industry in this country.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

No. I almost took a position for a medical marijuana dispensary company here in Arizona. They wouldn't pay me the career killing premium I asked for though.

We discussed all the various risk. The ones that get busted up by the DEA usually have ties to the cartels. Because that was a fear I had. Stories of dispensaries legally operating under state law randomly busted by the DEA. In nearly all cases, those enterprises had ties to cartels. This company was very legitimate, to the book and most importantly, transparent. Those are the ones that will survive. This industry is a political hot button. The powers that be would love to bust each an every one of them if they could prove cartel ties. Even if they follow letter of the law at a state level, the mere association with Cartel and the fact it is still illegal under federal law is all the feds need to vilify the industry and shut it down using any number of easy to apply federal laws (CSA, RICO, etc) if cartel association was pervasive. If you do your research, you will find that many of these dispensaries weren't even tied to cartels as much as going to them for product when it fell in short supply from local suppliers. That was enough to send people to prison. Not worth the risk to legal operations.

Because I was the selected candidate for the position, I had a lot of questions and learned a lot about the specifics. Here is how it works in Arizona.

1. A grower/distributer franchise/license is granted by the state to a limited number of individuals. This person cannot sell for a profit (various 501c and laws unrelated to marijuana comes to play at this point). For the enterprise to become profitable, the not for profit that holds the license becomes the central player. They can grow the marijuana, and they can distribute it but cannot profit or even carry over excess net assets. 2. So, you create a rental company to absorb expenses on rent. An administrative company that handles HR. A management company that administers compliance. A supply chain company to provide fertilizer and other goods to the original franchise that is the only entity that can legally grow the marijuana. 3. All of these companies take 10-15 percent fees. They have to be reasonable, all subject to audit. All items in the store must be traceable back to the grow operation. 4. Any deviation can be a lot of problems.

So no, I do not think cartels have a big hand in this, and evidence out of mexico supports this.

http://www.latimes.com/...-20151230-story.html

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden