For me, the biggest thrill, short of smoking great bud I grew myself, was the look on the faces of my wife and brother in-law when they sampled my 1st grow!! They went from eye rolling "yeah, sure, whatever" to eye glazing "Oh my God!!" Can't put a price on that ego boost!
That being said, joepro and I are not far apart. I started out to grow for my wife and I, 2 maybe 3 plants. I'm into my second grow now, and we no longer have a "guest room". I ran the economics of it and came up with a 10 to 15 plant grow to make it worth MY time and effort. Even tho the risk is minimal to almost nothing, it's a risk nonetheless. I enjoy it, but it's gotta at least pay for itself with a bit leftover.
Joe is right about the difference between possession and cultivation penalties. So IF I do get caught, it will have been worth it. I NEVER minimize the risks. I am hoping to get 15 girls thru harvest. If I can get around 3.5 to 4 lbs I'll be sTOKEd!!