Here in Maine we're still waiting 2 years post-referendum for legalized recreational marijuana sale.

Nothing like direct democracy being stymied.

What I love most is pot smokers wanting this so badly and then complaining about anything and everything involving what they wanted.

Did you really think that the governments would just make it legal and walk away? "Ok, do whatever you want. We don't care". Nuh uh, that ain't how it works.

Me personally? I don't smoke. I find all of this amusing.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

I thought they would do something to allow it to happen but regulated. So far they've drug their feet so there is no legal sale. It's effectively blocked it from occurring.

In ONTAR I OWE the legal price is about twice the street price. At least. So we have law abiding citizens seeing legal pot for medical reasons and some just tryin it at the gov't price. As for already users I have had a few pts get medical pot and the hassle and price is not worth it so they go back to the illegal market. . The former marketplace seems largely intact. On top of all this there is a stampede of people trying to capture the legal market. They are promoting pot as the cure all like opioids were 20 years ago.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Not a surprise. Tobacco and alcohol have lots of taxes imbedded in them. Gasoline and phones too.

States will need to size the tax correctly and reasonably.

Too high and the black market will get the demand and State will lose hundreds of millions of tax $$.

Supply and demand. One would think that they would right-size the tax in order to maximize their tax revenue on this.

Unless the real motivation is to block/hinder the actual legal sales of it due to politics.

.

What I'd like to know is how much money does the state save by not having to deal with stupid misdemeanor pot cases etc?

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"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

$42 / ounce is nothing. That's a buck fiddy / gram. You think that is a lot?

I don't have much problem with taxing it like crazy and cracking down on people who sell illegally.

THIS.

None of you other geniuses notice this!!!

BK - if you are this dumb, you really should shut up.
We are supposed to listen to your ridiculous, hypocritical political rants?
You can’t even do 5th grade math.

I remember when you could get it all day long for $15 an ounce or (lid) as they called it then.

I admit that my knowledge of DOPE, which you seem to have a lot of (for obvious reasons) isn't up-to-date past the 1970s, when dime bags were the rage, but you don't find the idea of a $42 PER FUCKING OUNCE tax on weed a bit too high? You really are the government-loving-ballwasher, aren't you? But go ahead, pay the taxes. I don't really give a flying fuck either way.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Being serious for a moment, it looks to me like the cost of weed is too damn high when it's "legalized and regulated" by the fucking state. What a shock.

Now, I don't smoke it, either, and I never in my life have, but I came of age in the 1970s and EVERYONE around me was toking and smoking (but they didn't ever bogart that joint, my friend heh) like there was no tomorrow, so I can't help but remember the relative inexpensiveness of something we're all assured is completely harmless and no big deal. I'm also fairly libertarian when it comes to stuff like this. You wanna smoke. Go ahead. No skin off my back as long as you're not hurting yourself or someone else.

But the state? It can't even run legalized dope sales in a competent manner. Yeesh.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

See? Now that's smart. I guess if you have to tax something, then tax it that way (not that I'm in favor of a tax in the first place, but it is what it is, I guess). But that per-ounce tax Jersey is proposing is just too damn high. And if it was a buck-fifty per gram of COKE, maybe I could see it. But dope?

I don't care how strong or high-quality that state-approved MJ is, it still seems exorbitant. But maybe the state is trying to put dope smokers off from buying that shit in the first place, if it's so expensive? You got me.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

You admit you know nothing.
Your post proves you cannot do basic math.
You lack common sense.
And this is “evidence” for some argument about government bureaucracy.

Honestly I don’t care either about weed or even government bureaucracy.

What I do care about is lying, hypocrisy and stupidity.
I care about the lack of integrity in American society.

You are a poster child for my concerns.

Ah, I forget. You're one of the self-appointed LR cops here. Well, Mr. Stasi, I give your opinion, and pedantic lecture, here all the weight it deserves.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

So I guess reducing taxes and regulations that are killing the legal pot sales industry is off the table, California? I figured that.

California is taking a slow and measured approach, so there is no Wild West of pot growing and sales going on, yet. Other early states went through it already, we are trying to avoid the pitfalls, and get to where it is organized and controlled. I bought some stuff in Oregon this summer, and they had just implemented a new law that said all stuff sold, had to be tested and labeled on what it was, exactly. I want that, figure everyone would want to know that what they were sold, was actually that thing. I think CA is looking at that and may skip right to it.


Once they figure out all the details, they will blow away that billion dollars, and in a way that doest have pot stores lined up next to every high school in the state. I'm glad they are taking their time, not sure what you are trying to prove once again, but it is a fail on this topic...

Well, I hope so. And thanks for the measured, reasonable, non-insult-filled response, big guy.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Seems to me, if you want your precious wall, this is a way to do it.

I believe this is the major issue in California, at least with regard to recreational marijuana. First, there's a per ounce product tax on growers. Then the state has a 15% excise tax on retail sales. Finally, local jurisdictions can add an additional sales tax, which is often another 10% or so more, at least in those jurisdictions that even allow recreational marijuana.

It's my understanding that other states started out with a lower tax that would increase over time, in order to allow the legal recreational market to take hold. California should have done that.

But I think the biggest impediment is that very few local jurisdictions have permitted dispensaries. In fact, most have zoned them out in their codes. Some have also significantly restricted or delivery delivery sales as well as how someone can get a permit to grow at home. (There's litigation pending over those restrictions.) I think most people would prefer to buy legally, even if the price is higher. But the time and effort to do that given that there's no dispensary nearby is a huge impediment. Why drive 30 or more minutes, or take longer time in public transportation, when you can just buy from your friend?

There's plenty of money out there to build the wall. A bunch of wussy politicians just lack a spine, is all. But what else is new?

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

It's not about the money, it's about having leverage in negotiation.

But why negotiate when you can just pout and call people names and insult them to get what you want.

Why do you think I give a shit what that moron does or doesn't do? I already said in another thread that I don't think it's a very good idea to declare a national emergency. I certainly don't want any presidents, no matter the political party, to have even more power than they've already snatched away from a wussy Congress . They need to be reined in very quickly.

Outside of that, though, if that wall gets built I'll be popping champagne. But that still doesn't mean I'll be voting for any of these retards and idiots, come 2020.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Oh, you thought I was talking about Trump...

Getting back to the marijuana tax. How much does pot cost. The NJ tax is $42 per what amount? How much does that amount cost? How much is illegal weed?

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Last I read, OR's pot tax revenue has easily exceeded official projections every quarter since it went legal. I keep thinking the market has to reach saturation at some point, but it still seems like there's another new dispensary popping up on every other street corner so evidently we haven't gotten there yet. It's basically just like heading down to the liquor store for a jug of your favorite booze ~ only there's gotta be at least 10X as many of them around and the retail cost isn't controlled by the state Liquor Control Commission, so the competition has driven prices down all over.

Even w/ the 20% state tax on rec sales (exempt if you have a medical card, which used to be the workaround before rec sales became legalized), the cost is on par w/ what the street price used to be, except now there's far more transparency in quality control testing & labeling so you have a much better idea what it is you're actually buying unless it was previously from a well-trusted dealer; but now you can walk into any half-decent shop for the first time and have the sales person help you pick just the right tool for the job (i.e., either smoked, edible, topical, tincture, etc; and what strength/ratio of THC and/or CBD ~ whether you're looking to take the edge of your PTSD, or manage chronic pain, nail that snowboard run, or just max out that bag of Doritos while watching Star Trek reruns). Unless your brother-in-law is a grower, that level of consistency/reliability is clearly worth the extra cut paid to the state for most casual users. It's really a win-win for both the consumers and the bureaucrats.

The bigger question in the news now, and where most of the official attention is going since the statewide program appears to be mostly working as intended, is how much of the legalized front is actually going out the back door to feed the illegal market in other states. That may well be the 'dark matter' answer to the question of how so many new businesses can appear to keep growing on the supply end, when the volume of customers on the demand side would have been expected to level off by now...

Oh, and gotta agree this is yet another example of BK not knowing shit about a topic (which even he will readily admit to here) and yet pontificating out his ass as if he did...