monty wrote:
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... 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...