Let's take a look here at what it would take to run a one patient grow for a year so we can average out the costs of supplies, as OMMP allows for reimbursement for supplies.
600 watt HPS - $200
exhaust/intake fans - $100
building supplies - $50+
pots - $30
So, we now have a room with air, lights, and pots. Now all we need are plants.
6 clones - $30+
Now we have to put them into the pots...
soil & perlite (batch 1) - $50
Clones need to be vegged out. We could do this in the flowering room, but it would add another month to grow time. In the end, it is cheaper to keep them vegging seperately.
400 watt MH -$120
intake/exhaust fans -$80
building supplies - $50+
So now our clones have been vegged out and ready to flower. Better make sure to clone them out first, keep the clones in the veg room, and use them once the first batch is done flowering.
Cloning materials - $40
We will still need a few things to make sure this goes well. At the very least, we need nutrients...
nutrients - $50
thermomemters - $20
Now we need to run the lights, a 400 watt and a 600 watt. 400 watts for 20 hours a day, so 8 kw hours per day for veg. 600 watt for 12 hours, so 7.2 kw hours per day for flower. Add on another 100+ watts for fans and whatnot at 24 hours a day, you get another 2.4 kw hours per day for ventilation.
18 kw hours per day at $0.10 per kw hour = $1.80 per day = $54 per month = $650 per year.
Portland gets cold in winter, between 35 - 45 degrees for months at a time. Plants don't grow with those temps, so we need another utility, heat. I can't even come up with a number for this, let's play it conservative again and say...
heat = $50 per month = $600 per year
I have never heard of a decent homeless grower, so let's add in another utility, rent to keep a roof over the plants. Let's be conservative...
rent = $500 per month = $6,000 per year
Now, we need to water these plants. Let's suppose we use tap water (not suggested) since it is cheapest. Within city limits, the least you will pay for water services is $65 per month.
$65 per month = $780 per year
Now, suppose we crop out six times a year, once every two months. We need to replace the soil each and every time.
soil = $50 per batch = $300 per year
I have ommitted an awful lot here and lowballed even more. Despite all this, the minimum cost to set up and run a single patient grow for one year is at least $9,000 per year. This is based on a 600 watt flower light with 1 month veg time. Plants like that will yield about 2-4 ounces per plant, approximately (you may be a better grower or you may not be that good...this is just for round estimates). Let's take an average of 2 ounces per plant, as ALL of my estimates have been ULTRA conservative
2 ounces per plant * 6 plants = 12 ounces per crop * 6 crops per year = 72 ounces per year.
$9000/72 ounces = $125 per ounce JUST to cover costs of supplies and utilities.
What did I NOT take into account? A LOT.
Ever get mites? Add another $50-$100 per year to take care of mite control/eradication
Ever get fungus, mold, PM? Add another $50-$100 per year to take care of these things
Want your finished product to look decent? Add $25 for a good pair of trimmers.
Got some good plants? You'll need to stake up branches. Add another $25 for stakes.
Did your lamp burn out? Add another $40 for a replacement lamp.
Is $50 realistic to build a grow space? Not on your life. Frame it out with 2x4's, buy some OSB for walls, some paint, some hinges for doors, chains to hang lights, hardware to screw it all together...you get the picture. The tools to build such a space are not free either.
So, to all the greedy patients who want 6 ounces a month (so you can sell the other 5 that you don't smoke)....go eff yourselves. Be happy with what your grower gives you, don't tell them how to run the show, and take what you are given. More than anything, shut the eff up. I am sick of your sense of entitlement.
