Online Ads From Unlicensed Pot Shops Roil California Market
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MARIJUANA_ONLINE_ADVERTISING_CAOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
The California weed market is way overtaxed.
I think everyone who doesn't smoke pot but voted in favor (i.e. me), thought that by legalizing and growing at scale, you would undercut the black market and decriminalize the market. Better for communities, better for taxpayers, reduce prison load/cost, all that good stuff.
Then they went and put such onerous taxes on the legal pot, that it still isn't competitive with black market pot, which is asinine. There are proposals to rectify that, but what you're seeing on Weedmaps is just one more consequence.
From your article
QuoteIn other words, illegal shops can sell pot at cheaper prices, sometimes 30 percent to 50 percent less.
That is absurd. Of course the black market problem persists.
>overtaxed
I'd argue that so are cigarettes (and alcoholic beverages, put their physical volume makes them easier to police). And, yes, we do see some tax-dodging smuggling, but coming from a tobacco state I can tell you that the ATF and associated state & fed agencies do a good job of keep the tax dollars flowing properly. Expect to see more policing in CA, not less weed tax.
All true. And I suspect there will be a black market in sugary drinks in places with onerous taxes on sugary drinks.
However, there are actually proposals pending (last I heard) in the legislature to roll back the weed taxes for a certain period (I think three years) to help get the legal market off the ground and get people to move into the legal market, like they have for alcohol and tobacco.
Once you establish "legal" as the default choice, then it's easier to police, but in the weed market, illegal is the default choice and they are not giving people any good reason to switch and several reasons not to.
Another part of the problem must be the lack of coordinated policies between the state and the federal levels of law enforcement.
Prohibition sparks all kinds of 'innovative' business plans. Check out how Walgreen got its marketshare.
>coordinated policies between the state and the federal
Right. IMO, the real problem is that the feds and the states are currently at odds on allowing weed in the marketplace, sin tax or otherwise. That'll change. The ATF will play hardball.
You just don't f### with the ATF. (My ex-father-in-law was regional head. <added> In a tobacco and moonshine state, back when they switched from ATTD to ATF. They *HATED* getting firearms added to their department, btw.)
Yeah, that's a problem for us. Lots of visitors to Yosemite forget that they are under federal law and federal jurisdiction for most laws (a few exceptions - unless otherwise stated in the superintendant's compendium, CA traffic law applies as there generally are no applicable federal laws for non-commercial traffic)
>hardball
They can play for awhile, but the generational shift in attitude towards pot is coming in like the tide and Federal laws will be changed.
Besides, ATF, DEA, FBI, the whole darn alphabet hasn't stopped the stuff from being smuggled in, I don't think they have enough cops, courts or prisons to deal with a younger generation that wants a domestic pot market.
Quote from: Brad on March 28, 2018, 09:51:09 PM
They can play for awhile, but the generational shift in attitude towards pot is coming in like the tide and Federal laws will be changed.
That rings true
Someone pointed out on the news that three of the last four presidents have admitted to smoking pot (though one, apparently, didn't inhale and I would place money on it that an omniscient God would tell me that four out of the last four presidents have smoked pot).
Also, my experience with Millennials and Gen X is that they tend to have a strong Libertarian streak. There are whole huge swaths of things they think the government should keep their nose out of and that crosses the spectrum from liberal to conservative - that Libertarian streak seems to underlie it all.
>Federal laws will be changed.
Exactly. They will be changed to have the ATF enforce taxation --federal taxation, like the gasoline. The state control boards like my state's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board (we even have state-run liquor stores) will work in conjunction with them. It works out that the state nabs the small-to-midsize players and the feds get the big operations.
Heck, I hear the pot smoke is so thick over Denver that planes can't find the airport. Hhh.
But recreational use of the drug aside, we do need to start legally growing more non-drug hemp in the US. Farmers would benefit from having more crop options besides corn and soybeans, and fabric made from hemp is supposed to be good.
"Also, my experience with Millennials and Gen X is that they tend to have a strong Libertarian streak. There are whole huge swaths of things they think the government should keep their nose out of and that crosses the spectrum from liberal to conservative - that Libertarian streak seems to underlie it all."
YES and preBoomers also
Quote from: Brad on March 29, 2018, 10:20:15 AM
But recreational use of the drug aside, we do need to start legally growing more non-drug hemp in the US.
High in Omega-3. I threw a handful of seeds in the cereal I am eating as I type this. Hempseed is good food. Mostly comes in from Canada due to stupid US laws
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden Gains an Influential Ally in His Battle for Hemp
He may finally succeed in removing hemp from the list of federally controlled substances
http://www.wweek.com/news/2018/03/27/u-s-sen-ron-wyden-gains-an-influential-ally-in-his-battle-for-hemp/
Governor of Pennsylvania Asks Legislators To Legalize Recreational Cannabis
https://hightimes.com/news/governor-pennsylvania-asks-legislators-consider-legalizing-recreational-cannabis/
>2018: Then they went and put such onerous taxes on the legal pot, that it still isn't competitive with black market pot, which is asinine.
California legalized weed five years ago. Why is the illicit market still thriving? | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/02/california-legal-weed-cannabis-industry-economy
'On the brink of collapse,' California pot businesses call for tax overhaul
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/-brink-collapse-california-pot-businesses-call-tax-overhaul-rcna12175
As a non-smoker, I don't know what the cost of illegal pot is so it's hard for me to know whether $161/pound + 15% of retail cost is expensive or not.