That ship already left the port man. Sorry to tell you. If I was you and really wanted to grow Id be waiting and watching what happends next here in Cali and then make moves based on the outcome on whats about the happen or not happen here. The game will be defined by the Supreme Court in California.
Here is the reality right here right now for you. The market is saturated and growers that are set up with real grow rooms/buildings etc. and have roots here in SOCAL so to speak are waiting for the "SHOW TIME CHARLIES" to leave the game so the regular growers can get back to work so the prices can get back to where they belong and the cheap bastard collective owners low balling growers for their reinbursement either get back in the game correctly or drop off the map.
(My Feeling and Opinion Only) California is not going to overturn this state law that we all voted for. Its going to be a different game and regulated a bit differently.
(Reality Check) Starting out now in the game with no contacts, no collectives to work with and no grow room set up is way too risky now financially. Are you rich and have time to kill than c'mon on in the water is warm. Hope you got people/contractors/electricians lined up that will keep their big mouth shut when your doing your build out. There use to be over 700 dispensaries here and they are all but gone. Only a few left in the game that are holding out and waiting to see how the cards are done for them. Do yourself a favor and dream another dream for the time being. Plus 12 plants in my opionion is a waste of time and energy. Not enough weight for the Collectives. They dont reimburse for ounces they deal in pounds. Show up with your sample gram/nugget in hand and the elbow in your car ready to rock. No elbow to show the buyers then fuck off then. This is how they role. They know your showing your best nug man. They want to see what they are getting. They dont want to wait for you to come back tomorrow etc.
(REALITY) Growing is a full time fucking job and major committment by the person doing all the work thats gonna be YOU!. If your quiet and nobody knows what your doing? Guess what YOU are doing it by yourself solo like Vanilla Ice Son. Your wife will get sick of it after the first time trust me. It becomes YOUR whole life and your main priority. This is not a part time at all type gig and pass by the plants and feed them here and there type deal. I havent seen it if your doing it for real to work with collectives/dispensaries.
(MORE REALITY) Are you sick today, dont feel good whatever? Fuck it the plants are hungry get up and feed weather you like or not and your sick as shit. Hope you had your nutes pre done a day ahead otherwise your waiting for the PH to settle for a while while your sitting on the pot. Missed a day or two of feeding and your plants could be wilted and wont snap back and your fucked. Got a date to do need to do something or an appointment to see your doctor or dentist? Think again. Better schedule your days around your feeding program and do your feeding later when you get back because your clothes are gonna stink like holly hell and you cant be going into public after you hand feed your 12 plants and their in week 7 or 8 and are stinky. Got to change and shower up before you leave the warehouse.
(MORE REALITY) Had plans for the weekend and thought you could feed on Friday night before you left to escape for Vegas or some shit? Guess what you aint going because your air conditioning died and your in a panic to get the shit fixed without anybody knowing what your doing in your grow room. Better have an AC guy on call that you can trust in your grow room. Too much work, too much hassle, too much energy for 12 plants that might get maybe 2 pounds off of 12 plants maybe depending on what your growing and how your growing. (GENERAL STATEMENT and ASSUMPTION) 3.5 oz per plant dried and cured that cost you countless hundreds of hours, electricity, nutes, water if you get everything right. If you have 1 fuck up anywhere, mites, PM, Root Aphids, male plant sneak through, mold, whatever guess what your crop is fucked and you lost huge. You have to be on top of your grow enviroment DAILY in case something happends so you can catch it and save it and fix the error or problem. If not your fucked and so is your garden. There is no time off at all if your in this game to make quality meds for the collective your a member of. ZERO TIME OFF AT ALL. Remember this.
Im not trying to be a dick to you Im giving you a real reality check on whats about to come as far as the real work thats coming if you chose to ignore the real farmers advice here on this forum. Theres a wealth of information on this site alone and some hella cool cats here that grow bigtime quality meds that will swallow your buds up in glass jar. Dank ass buds that will blow you away when you see them. They make it look easy trust me on here. Its not easy at all. Its fucking hard work and determination and dedication beyond comprehension. But I guarantee to you that 90% of the honest farmers that are really in this game that make a living at it will say the same thing I just told you or warned you about. Because if your growing 12 as a hobby or just to get some simple cash here or there type deal the dispensaries/collectives can see it and they don't want it.
My last advice is to stay in school get a degree in something worth while.
Just my thoughs while I wait for my rez to settle.
:talking