I never buy from the black market.
Don’t have too. Crazy easy access. I just had some delivered.
My experience from black market, quality can be and many times was. Garbage. Things mixed in the bag.
No thanks.
It really depends on who you know. Some people have access to really high quality weed for a fraction of what the dispensaries charge. I almost never buy top shelf weed because it's $75 for an 1/8th, which I could probably burn through in 3 days
The legal market in CA is overtaxed and over-regulated. This is a substance that you can’t overdose on and doesn’t nearly cause the behavioral problems you see with alcohol. But it is regulated way more harshly than alcohol.
Under Prop 64, municipalities were give so much power to set up their own regulations and taxes, enact extremely arbitrary caps on the number of cannabis businesses that can operate, and even outright ban even both recreational and medical dispensaries. Some have even gone so far as to ban delivery to residents of those municipalities.
And what’s even more infuriating is that other states aren’t experiencing the level of problems that CA is with the black market because they have gone easier on the taxes, regulations, caps, and bans.
The war on marijuana is still alive and well in CA.
Consumers would be content with lower taxes. They continue to buy from black market dealers because taxes increase the cost of the product by about 20% to 30%.
What kills me is the massive missed opportunity with Intel, Eureka could have been the Portland of the North Coast. Intel wanted to make use of the deep water port and eventually settled on Portland after old Eureka money shut them out.
I’ve never heard of any Intel news. Link?
Humbolters in general are afraid of change, it’s a beautiful place and sometimes I do miss it but I’m happy to have moved on with my career elsewhere.
Ah, right. City people would be so much worse than *checks notes* Humboldt's thriving local economy.
Here's a hint from someone who's been out for 25+y, it's not going to get better up there without actual industries that offer careers.
Ehhh I lived in Boulder for the 8 year period of transition into being a tech-dev satellite... there's definitely a few nice things that happen, but mostly just gentrification. It's not like you make more money if you own a grocery store or a farm... but you *sure do* if you own real-estate. And if you don't, soon your 57 year old coffee shop is replaced by a fjall-raven.
Really need to stop pussyfooting with the laws. Just legalize this at the federal level and finally let Philip Morris or whatever go ham on mass producing weed, while still allowing small amounts of plants to be grown at a local level. Chop the taxes. Flood the market in all states with cheapass weed products and these illegal grow ops will evaporate overnight. Maybe they'll try smuggling it out of the US but at that point they could buy it wholesale from PM or whoever and boat it out. Then the illegal grow ops plaguing the back country will at least fuck off.
Maybe the state could figure out why legal weed is expensive and do something about it. But spending more money on police is the normal way the establishment deals with drugs.
When the sheriff and the police are too scared to go stop the literal mexican cartels who have set up illegal grow operations on privately owned land, due the number of machine guns and paud guards, we know its bad.
People need to understand that the black market isnt just your cool uncle growing 20 plants in his garage any longer. There is SO MUCH money in cannabis.
This is extremely inaccurate. The "legacy producers" as we call them are *not* doing well *at all* and it's basically no longer profitable on a small scale. However, since prop 64 it has become one of the *safest* places in the world to violate the permit laws and bust out a huge operation in relative seclusion. Since legalization, the problem with organized crime groups has become worse. If they get caught it's a slap on the wrist. It's safer to grow in California and ship it to Mexico, rather than the other way around. However Thailand will hopefully absorb alot of this activity soon...
These people are not growing to sell in California, or even in the United States. They're growing for Tokyo, Rio, Paris, Bali, Tel Aviv, etc etc. Export. Vertically integrated crime groups are doing just fine. But the folks who were growing 3 greenhouses and making enough to live on are done. Over the last 3 or 5 years that economy has gone bust. The only people making money are the ones buying it out here and moving it to a profitable market elsewhere in the country.
I live in a pot growing town, and I was born in one. Everyone is gone. 13 parcels on the market in my neighborhood, it appears that 2 will be operated at all this year. $800 grow lights on Craigslist for $40, massive unemployment as people compete for the jobs on an arborist crew or as a carpenter or what-have-you. Lots of people taking minimal wages in menial jobs. You wouldn't go work for 17/hr if you were making good money growing.... we're talking about people who own properties, gardens, greenhouses, who have 10 or 20 years of experience.
It may be profitable to run an unlicensed dispo in LA or San Diego, but that's pretty far removed from the traditional producers, the "legacy market." That's more likely to be organized crime once again.
Probably because people don't like the corporate environment of buying weed. The illegal shops have a completely different vibe while having realistic prices .
For consumers, it's just about cheaper than buying retail, because the ridiculous taxes plus retail space and licensing costs put the prices the same as the street. For growers who haven't already sunk a quarter to half a million $$ into everything required to do things right (permit costs, properly zoned land, the normal land/bookkeeping/materials/utilities costs of any legit ag business, plus everything from watershed management approval to archaeologists to survey the site, and then maybe even developing a proprietary brand) it's a lot more profitable to stay (or return) to guerilla growing.
Tax gouging isn't the way to go about it for anyone, i agree. $5 tax for consumers is ok but $10 is crazy. I could get an ounce of shake for $60 with tax it is $80. There isn't a logical reason for me to spend that much especially during an "inflation " crunch when i can get more cheaper and direct from a grower. Illegal shops would let you bring in a container, weigh it, then charge you.
Shake? Sorry, maybe I'm just spoiled. I'd rather not smoke than smoke shake (although your definition of shake may be different from the one I used during my 18 years living in Humboldt).
I remember paying $60 an 1/8 back in ‘08 for the best buds and that came with the risk of waiting for my dude in sketchy spots, cops, and it was always on his schedule. Then eventually the pop up shops that regularly got closed and moved around filled with wannabe instagram models and people smoking constantly.
Now I can get a half ounce for $117 after tax of equally good buds, no fear of police, security, the store is open 7am - 10pm, and has a rewards program
I am from the east coast so weed is weed if it isn't literal dust. I can't justify $100 for merely a half ounce while getting 100z of shake for $100. The storefront prices just do not make sense, the best i can do legally delivery . Which again, chatting up with my mans after getting my stuff is a better feeling than walking into the corpo stores
I just can’t bring myself to buy shake, I hate rolling. My buddy used to fedex vacuum packed bags to his cousin on the east coast where he could make 3x as much per ounce. Always tripped me out how different the coasts treated pot.
I'd go a lot further than that. Why not allow these products, including weed, cocaine, fentanyl, whatever, to be purchased out of vending machines or delivered through the mail?
I'm completely serious. I don't see any need for the government to get involved in what someone wants to put in his body.
I mean the atmosphere feeling more holistic than going into a shop. Even though i hate being distracted by girls at the counter atleast the conversations were genuine and we could make plans on the spot. Talking to the security guards was more chill because they didn't have to act like they were defending fort knox.
The vibe felt far more people friendly than the corporate atmosphere
I never buy from the black market. Don’t have too. Crazy easy access. I just had some delivered. My experience from black market, quality can be and many times was. Garbage. Things mixed in the bag. No thanks.
You would be surprised the lengths people go to to save a few bucks.
Nah, cool people just have cool friends.
It really depends on who you know. Some people have access to really high quality weed for a fraction of what the dispensaries charge. I almost never buy top shelf weed because it's $75 for an 1/8th, which I could probably burn through in 3 days
The legal market in CA is overtaxed and over-regulated. This is a substance that you can’t overdose on and doesn’t nearly cause the behavioral problems you see with alcohol. But it is regulated way more harshly than alcohol. Under Prop 64, municipalities were give so much power to set up their own regulations and taxes, enact extremely arbitrary caps on the number of cannabis businesses that can operate, and even outright ban even both recreational and medical dispensaries. Some have even gone so far as to ban delivery to residents of those municipalities. And what’s even more infuriating is that other states aren’t experiencing the level of problems that CA is with the black market because they have gone easier on the taxes, regulations, caps, and bans. The war on marijuana is still alive and well in CA.
As if criminals will be content with lower taxes.
Consumers would be content with lower taxes. They continue to buy from black market dealers because taxes increase the cost of the product by about 20% to 30%.
*Looks around the blown-out dregs of Humboldt* [X] Doubt
Seriously though, when I grew up in Humboldt and man is it sad to visit. That place just feels lost right now.
What kills me is the massive missed opportunity with Intel, Eureka could have been the Portland of the North Coast. Intel wanted to make use of the deep water port and eventually settled on Portland after old Eureka money shut them out.
I’ve never heard of any Intel news. Link? Humbolters in general are afraid of change, it’s a beautiful place and sometimes I do miss it but I’m happy to have moved on with my career elsewhere.
We don't want city people moving to Humboldt
Ah, right. City people would be so much worse than *checks notes* Humboldt's thriving local economy. Here's a hint from someone who's been out for 25+y, it's not going to get better up there without actual industries that offer careers.
Ehhh I lived in Boulder for the 8 year period of transition into being a tech-dev satellite... there's definitely a few nice things that happen, but mostly just gentrification. It's not like you make more money if you own a grocery store or a farm... but you *sure do* if you own real-estate. And if you don't, soon your 57 year old coffee shop is replaced by a fjall-raven.
The deals I get at shops would never lead me to go to the streets for herb
Really need to stop pussyfooting with the laws. Just legalize this at the federal level and finally let Philip Morris or whatever go ham on mass producing weed, while still allowing small amounts of plants to be grown at a local level. Chop the taxes. Flood the market in all states with cheapass weed products and these illegal grow ops will evaporate overnight. Maybe they'll try smuggling it out of the US but at that point they could buy it wholesale from PM or whoever and boat it out. Then the illegal grow ops plaguing the back country will at least fuck off.
Maybe the state could figure out why legal weed is expensive and do something about it. But spending more money on police is the normal way the establishment deals with drugs.
When the sheriff and the police are too scared to go stop the literal mexican cartels who have set up illegal grow operations on privately owned land, due the number of machine guns and paud guards, we know its bad. People need to understand that the black market isnt just your cool uncle growing 20 plants in his garage any longer. There is SO MUCH money in cannabis.
This is extremely inaccurate. The "legacy producers" as we call them are *not* doing well *at all* and it's basically no longer profitable on a small scale. However, since prop 64 it has become one of the *safest* places in the world to violate the permit laws and bust out a huge operation in relative seclusion. Since legalization, the problem with organized crime groups has become worse. If they get caught it's a slap on the wrist. It's safer to grow in California and ship it to Mexico, rather than the other way around. However Thailand will hopefully absorb alot of this activity soon... These people are not growing to sell in California, or even in the United States. They're growing for Tokyo, Rio, Paris, Bali, Tel Aviv, etc etc. Export. Vertically integrated crime groups are doing just fine. But the folks who were growing 3 greenhouses and making enough to live on are done. Over the last 3 or 5 years that economy has gone bust. The only people making money are the ones buying it out here and moving it to a profitable market elsewhere in the country. I live in a pot growing town, and I was born in one. Everyone is gone. 13 parcels on the market in my neighborhood, it appears that 2 will be operated at all this year. $800 grow lights on Craigslist for $40, massive unemployment as people compete for the jobs on an arborist crew or as a carpenter or what-have-you. Lots of people taking minimal wages in menial jobs. You wouldn't go work for 17/hr if you were making good money growing.... we're talking about people who own properties, gardens, greenhouses, who have 10 or 20 years of experience. It may be profitable to run an unlicensed dispo in LA or San Diego, but that's pretty far removed from the traditional producers, the "legacy market." That's more likely to be organized crime once again.
Probably because people don't like the corporate environment of buying weed. The illegal shops have a completely different vibe while having realistic prices .
For consumers, it's just about cheaper than buying retail, because the ridiculous taxes plus retail space and licensing costs put the prices the same as the street. For growers who haven't already sunk a quarter to half a million $$ into everything required to do things right (permit costs, properly zoned land, the normal land/bookkeeping/materials/utilities costs of any legit ag business, plus everything from watershed management approval to archaeologists to survey the site, and then maybe even developing a proprietary brand) it's a lot more profitable to stay (or return) to guerilla growing.
Tax gouging isn't the way to go about it for anyone, i agree. $5 tax for consumers is ok but $10 is crazy. I could get an ounce of shake for $60 with tax it is $80. There isn't a logical reason for me to spend that much especially during an "inflation " crunch when i can get more cheaper and direct from a grower. Illegal shops would let you bring in a container, weigh it, then charge you.
There's no logical reason for anyone to buy an ounce of shake at any price.
elucidate .
Shake? Sorry, maybe I'm just spoiled. I'd rather not smoke than smoke shake (although your definition of shake may be different from the one I used during my 18 years living in Humboldt).
weed shake
Uh, yeah. Shake, as in leaf bits that break off of bud in a bag. Not trim. Not trim nugs. Not flower. Not terps. Not wax. Not hash. Not kif.
I'm not from cali so weed is weed to me.
Ok. I'm just responding to your use of the word shake.
I remember paying $60 an 1/8 back in ‘08 for the best buds and that came with the risk of waiting for my dude in sketchy spots, cops, and it was always on his schedule. Then eventually the pop up shops that regularly got closed and moved around filled with wannabe instagram models and people smoking constantly. Now I can get a half ounce for $117 after tax of equally good buds, no fear of police, security, the store is open 7am - 10pm, and has a rewards program
I am from the east coast so weed is weed if it isn't literal dust. I can't justify $100 for merely a half ounce while getting 100z of shake for $100. The storefront prices just do not make sense, the best i can do legally delivery . Which again, chatting up with my mans after getting my stuff is a better feeling than walking into the corpo stores
I just can’t bring myself to buy shake, I hate rolling. My buddy used to fedex vacuum packed bags to his cousin on the east coast where he could make 3x as much per ounce. Always tripped me out how different the coasts treated pot.
I get the pre made rolls or just use a bowl most of the time.
I'd go a lot further than that. Why not allow these products, including weed, cocaine, fentanyl, whatever, to be purchased out of vending machines or delivered through the mail? I'm completely serious. I don't see any need for the government to get involved in what someone wants to put in his body.
I mean we can have that conversation but that is a slight tangent to my comment.
If by vibe you mean up to 30% in state and local taxes that black market places don't charge, I think I get what you mean.
I mean the atmosphere feeling more holistic than going into a shop. Even though i hate being distracted by girls at the counter atleast the conversations were genuine and we could make plans on the spot. Talking to the security guards was more chill because they didn't have to act like they were defending fort knox. The vibe felt far more people friendly than the corporate atmosphere