Having a cute little plant like this is illegal, even though marijuana possession isn’t.

Having a cute little plant like this is illegal, even though marijuana possession isn’t. Kelly O

A few years ago, my friends Monica and Nate got ahold of a few marijuana cuttings, also known as “clones,” and planted them in their backyards. Neither of their plants grew into the towering, gawky, bamboo-like stalks you see in stock news photos of professional marijuana grows. Monica pruned hers to grow smaller and bushier, less conspicuous, almost ornamental—the bonsai of marijuana. They were stupidly easy to grow, both said, no more difficult than tomatoes or basil. One year, the wind knocked over Monica’s pot planters, breaking one and crunching lots of the stems—but they hurtled back to life.

There were only two catches. The first: Their marijuana ended up being fairly mild…

Brend an Kiley has worked as a child actor in New Orleans, as a member of the junior press corps at the 1988 Republican National Convention, and, for one happy April, as a bootlegger’s assistant in Nicaragua....