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Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

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Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#41

Post by sandworm101 »

pmoriarty wrote: post #21
wils1245 wrote: post #3

Two things of interest that the article doesn’t go into: - Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales. - Online ordering through Eaze is popular, which might drive the familiar winner take all online commerce market dynamic. A lot of people don’t care for the dispensary experience. At the end of the day, this is an agricultural product, and a commodity. It was optimisticall…

"for most people weed is weed" Never underestimate the power of marketing. Everywhere I look in our world, marketing is king. It doesn't matter how crappy your product is, if it's marketed well, people will buy it.

>> if it's marketed well, people will buy it.

Budweiser. The people who like to talk about bear don't drink Bud. Nevertheless, by volume and market share, Bud is probably America's favorite beer. If you want to be the pot equivalent of a craft beer company then complain about the prices and taxation. But if you want to play in the big leagues, price and consistency are all that matters.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#42

Post by Animats »

jchook wrote: post #33

If you ask me, this "slow roll-out" of legal cannabis in the United States has been planned and directed entirely by big business the entire time.

Maybe it's a plot to make the lower classes more passive so they don't revolt. I've been amazed to see the GOP reverse course on this.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#43

Post by kyleblarson »

AndrewUnmuted wrote: post #18
wils1245 wrote: post #3

Two things of interest that the article doesn’t go into: - Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales. - Online ordering through Eaze is popular, which might drive the familiar winner take all online commerce market dynamic. A lot of people don’t care for the dispensary experience. At the end of the day, this is an agricultural product, and a commodity. It was optimisticall…

> Some heavy users care about certain strains and the like, but I have a feeling that for most people weed is weed. As recently as 5-6 years ago, I would have agreed with this sentiment. These days, however I think this mentality is no longer a responsible one to propagate. Today's cannabis is, in general, much more potent than it used to be. And now there are ways to consume very large amounts of this extremely pote…

Couldn't agree more. It's like saying that Boone's farm and Screaming Eagle Cab are both 'just wine'.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#44

Post by natecavanaugh »

wils1245 wrote: post #3

Two things of interest that the article doesn’t go into: - Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales. - Online ordering through Eaze is popular, which might drive the familiar winner take all online commerce market dynamic. A lot of people don’t care for the dispensary experience. At the end of the day, this is an agricultural product, and a commodity. It was optimisticall…

> Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales.

The last I heard was that those with a prescription wouldn't have to pay the tax, and since it's so easy to get a prescription, at least ATM, I would imagine that would be the first avenue before the black market (heck, I would even say that getting it from friends who grow their own would be a gray market angle that would probably happen before getting it from the black market suppliers).

But I don't know if there have been any changes in the law during this past year regarding taxation for medical patients.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#45

Post by adventured »

Animats wrote: post #42
jchook wrote: post #33

If you ask me, this "slow roll-out" of legal cannabis in the United States has been planned and directed entirely by big business the entire time.

Maybe it's a plot to make the lower classes more passive so they don't revolt. I've been amazed to see the GOP reverse course on this.

The GOP largely reversed course because of the obvious reason: their voters have changed their minds about marijuana over the last two decades. Opinion polls among GOP voters from the early 1990s to now, tell that story.

It's the same reason the GOP is gradually shifting its mindset on how to deal with opioid addiction (incarceration vs treatment, decriminalization, lessened criminalization, etc). GOP voting districts are getting hammered by it. It has become personal. It's likely everyone living in a GOP-dominated area, knows someone who is dealing with or has dealt with opioid addiction. There are now millions of opioid addicts in GOP voting districts in a given five year time span.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#46

Post by DrScump »

wils1245 wrote: post #3

Two things of interest that the article doesn’t go into: - Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales. - Online ordering through Eaze is popular, which might drive the familiar winner take all online commerce market dynamic. A lot of people don’t care for the dispensary experience. At the end of the day, this is an agricultural product, and a commodity. It was optimisticall…

  This may drive black market sales.
Given that only about 9-11% of CA's cannabis production currently goes into the legal intrastate market, I'd say "black market" sales already drive production... including a lot of production on public lands (and at great environmental cost).

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#47

Post by PhasmaFelis »

wils1245 wrote: post #3

Two things of interest that the article doesn’t go into: - Taxes on weed in CA are going to be very high, ~20%. This may drive black market sales. - Online ordering through Eaze is popular, which might drive the familiar winner take all online commerce market dynamic. A lot of people don’t care for the dispensary experience. At the end of the day, this is an agricultural product, and a commodity. It was optimisticall…

> It was optimistically compared with beer, but beer is made from a recipe, of which there are endless variations to try. Some heavy users care about certain strains and the like, but I have a feeling that for most people weed is weed.

Weed is weed when it's illegal--you take what the dealer's got or you get nothing. Same thing with booze, during Prohibition. When it's actually possible to comparison-shop, you see a lot more preferences developing.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#48

Post by mythrwy »

Animats wrote: post #42
jchook wrote: post #33

If you ask me, this "slow roll-out" of legal cannabis in the United States has been planned and directed entirely by big business the entire time.

Maybe it's a plot to make the lower classes more passive so they don't revolt. I've been amazed to see the GOP reverse course on this.

Plenty of Democrats have "reversed course" as well.

I think Hillary was against legalizing the herb wasn't she? Did she ever reverse position?

Politicians are just politicians for the most part. Whatever they think will get them in office.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#49

Post by PhasmaFelis »

nitwit005 wrote: post #13
wils1245 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a much more robust black market already in place for marijuana than for cigarettes. Washington has all the same products and is right next door, and taxes at 3% [1]. Also at least in CA municipalities are adding their own taxes, so the distance you need to travel to enable black market arbitrage might not be much. 1 - https://dor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Docs/Reports/2...

There seems to be no shortage of prosecutions for people smuggling cigarettes, or avoiding the taxes.

I've literally never heard of a cigarette-smuggling prosecution. I don't doubt that it happens, but it's small-time. Given the option, it seems that most people would rather pay a bit more than creep around like criminals to get their fix.

Re: Legal Marijuana Isn’t the Boon Small Businesses Thought It Would Be

#50

Post by iak8god »

rconti wrote: post #26
root_axis wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Today people need to be reasonably sure that what they're getting will meet their needs, because for some one hit may send them spiraling in the totally wrong direction. A user with anxiety issues may need to entirely steer clear of sativas because they are known to cause anxiety attacks. But someone who needs to be around other people may need to avoid indicas because they are known to cause delayed responses and…

I don't think it's folklore but am not sure about scientific "proof". I also just heard on the radio yesterday an explanation that high THC content can cause those anxiety effects and the CBDs can balance it out, so in the future they might be marketed in terms of THC:CBD ratios. Interesting.

> in the future they might be marketed in terms of THC:CBD ratios

I don't know about marketing per se, but I was at a dispensary in a recreational state a couple of years back and the THC:CBD ratio was prominently displayed as part of each strain's description, and the staff seemed very well-versed with helpful advice for noobs on the expected effects.

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