The Intangible Rewards from Crime: The Case of Domestic Marijuana Cultivation

With revenues as high as $60 billion a year, domestic marijuana is easily America's largest cash crop. Economics alone, however, cannot explain why many growers adopt techniques and practices far more elaborate than necessary to only make money. This article uses interviews with commercial marijuana growers to examine the intangible rewards from growing marijuana. For many growers, the process of growing is rewarding in itself and provides pleasure beyond money or the intoxicating effects of marijuana. For these growers, policies designed to take the profit out of the drug business probably would not deter them from growing.