Marijuana, Boom and Bust

'By the end of the decade the cultivators were learning how to grow. There was an enormous variety of seeds--Afghan, Thai, Burmese. The price crept up to $400 a pound, and the grateful settlers, mostly dirt poor, rushed out to buy a washing machine, a propane fridge, a used VW, a solar panel, a 12-volt battery. Even a three-pound sale was a relatively big deal.'