very true... im from BC too.
i use to pickup on the street but got annoyed with having to arrange a meetup with a dealer/supplier, the dispensary is much more convenient.
dont have to wait on anyone, the businesses are open at set times with a large variety.
definately paying more for the convenience and consistency.
i use to pay 160-200$ CAD an ounce on the street (5$-7$/gram).
at the dispensary i rarely pickup below $10/gram strains.
more recently i have been getting $12-13/gram strains, but thats where i draw the limit.
there are $15+/gram strains popping up at dispensaries that i dont think are worth it.
if you are a heavy consumer... it will hit you hard in the pocket book making the transition.
i was spending on average $1000+ a month (#1 customer at 4000+ member dispensary) till i made some life decisions.
i partake, but maybe as per the supply chain, most are illegal drug suppliers legitimatizing their business into legal/license distributors (using illegal funds to build multi-million dollar govt approved factories for growing and selling to licensed shops and USA).
as per the in-home growing or GrowOp houses... cant believe some people still make a mess with wiring, smell, mold etc.. this was common 10+ years ago... but nowadays its hard to have problems like this.
LED lights + smell proof rooms + good ventillation + air filters to mask smell, its very hard to get caught... and you dont have to do any damage (ran high pressure aeroponics setup that vented out of top of house, was in a enclosed smellproof 8x10 closet space).
you can run a very good "clean" setup for a few hundred dollars.
anyways, anything is good in moderation... overdoing it can lead to risks. from the amount i use to smoke compared to now, i feel i have less anxiety when not high in stressfull situations and able to cope better (giving me less reasons to smoke up)