Why Consumers Are Staying Loyal To The Illicit Cannabis Market

Interesting article from High Times. What do you guys think about this?

Jacob

Jake Heraty, a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, had a liver transplant at only six-months-old and survived hepatoblastoma, a rare cancerous tumor that develops in the liver. Heraty uses cannabis to alleviate chronic pain resulting from his surgery. It’s extremely difficult for college students (or anyone not making $150,000 a year) to survive in San Francisco, and Heraty can barely afford the medicinal marijuana he needs.

“I don’t like purchasing from the streets,” Heraty tells High Times. “I’d prefer to go to a store and pick out just what I want. You know? But when you have to pay an extra 15 percent in taxes, there’s really no questions. I just can’t afford to throw down 20 extra dollars so the state can get their share of the cannabis market. That extra tax is my dinner.”

https://hightimes.com/news/legalization/back-black-why-consumers-staying-loyal-illicit-cannabis-market/

There will always be a black market for good marijuana, simply because a good grower will be able to provide a competitive or better product at a significantly better price.
I live in a state that is not legal and customers out of curiosity have traveled to that state to buy, and they alway's come back to me because I sell better herb (fresh) at a better price.

Economics 101

I thought Cali medical sales were exempt from most of the taxes.

I have been to quite a few dispensaries in wa, or, ca and now in ma. They all suck, not sure how their medical aspect works but for rec the lies they tell people just to make a buck is crazy. All of the weed that was purchased at those places was horrible. If I did not start growing again I would gladly support my local farmer still. I know exactly where it comes from and the best part is, he does not lie or pay money to falsify lab reports. They only thing I would think about purchasing at a despencery is co2 distillate. That's because no one makes it around here aside from them. The ones on the street I wont touch as I dont know who makes them. At least if I get sick from a despencery cart I can go back and tell them all about it. In Massachusetts if you have a medical card, you do not pay tax, but you're still paying around 400 a oz & that's highway robbery. I've never paid over 200 for an oz in all my years of smoking. I feel horrible that people in the medical community have to pay so much money just to have medication. I wish I had the space to grow it free for them. No loss on me, I would recover the cost from the rec side. I think everyone who needs access medically should have it no matter what. I really think everyone should have cannabis who wants it but I dont feel as much for rec users. They simply do not need it, it's a want and they will live without. Medical on the other hand is a whole other issue not to be warranted by want, need or money but rather necessity.

It must be state to state thing. I live in NYC and my flowers go for 400-800 a zip

Majority of the time they are sold before they finish

I know for a fact there are tons of people on this forum that can grow better them me. So I would assume that some of you cats could pull 800-1000 a ounce all day in the city

Brand name cigs go for 15-20$ per pack and 1 bedroom aprt go for 2k per month this city is where the money is

A good indoor grow space can cost 10k per month but the volume in the city is off the hook

Wooo 4-8 a zip! People are struggling to get a hundo round here for, in my honest opinion, some of the best weed in the world. I think we’re fucking it up by filling the dispensaries with overproduced mid grade chemmy shit but there are some good conscious farmers up here in the pnw. Yall need to set up something in ny, prolly too late but something to protect med growers and price gouges. Baseline buyer’s price for quality, no lower than the median of what it’s worth for the grower and the buyer. We fucked ourselves out here, hopefully we’re gonna see things turn around a bit sooner than later but I’m starting to doubt it.

Dawgfunk said:

Wooo 4-8 a zip! People are struggling to get a hundo round here for, in my honest opinion, some of the best weed in the world. I think we’re fucking it up by filling the dispensaries with overproduced mid grade chemmy shit but there are some good conscious farmers up here in the pnw. Yall need to set up something in ny, prolly too late but something to protect med growers and price gouges. Baseline buyer’s price for quality, no lower than the median of what it’s worth for the grower and the buyer. We fucked ourselves out here, hopefully we’re gonna see things turn around a bit sooner than later but I’m starting to doubt it.

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Yeah man NY is crazy especially the city

Dieseltech said:

It must be state to state thing. I live in NYC and my flowers go for 400-800 a zip

Majority of the time they are sold before they finish

I know for a fact there are tons of people on this forum that can grow better them me. So I would assume that some of you cats could pull 800-1000 a ounce all day in the city

Brand name cigs go for 15-20$ per pack and 1 bedroom aprt go for 2k per month this city is where the money is

A good indoor grow space can cost 10k per month but the volume in the city is off the hook

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things always cost more in the city, because you have a million people crammed into a shoe box...
i always hated paying stupid prices for weed, so i sell mine for 40 a quarter...people may turn around and sell it for twice that, i don't care, and i don't wanna know about it...i can sleep at night...both because i have a clear conscience, and i'm extremely fucked up....

now that we have legal rec here the black market is booming!better smoke for half the price.

thumper60 said:

now that we have legal rec here the black market is booming!better smoke for half the price.

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yeah, i hear all this shit from people who live in legal places...the dispensaries are out half the time, and when they do have stuff in, it's not that great, over priced, and probably couldn't pass a test for contaminants...
i'm not worried about going out of business any time soon

Roger A. Shrubber said:

yeah, i hear all this shit from people who live in legal places...the dispensaries are out half the time, and when they do have stuff in, it's not that great, over priced, and probably couldn't pass a test for contaminants...
i'm not worried about going out of business any time soon

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I was worried couple yrs ago, but now not so much now black market price is holding steady demand is up!! dispensary weed is a joke here I feel bad for truly sick that need to use them.

Dieseltech said:

It must be state to state thing. I live in NYC and my flowers go for 400-800 a zip

Majority of the time they are sold before they finish

I know for a fact there are tons of people on this forum that can grow better them me. So I would assume that some of you cats could pull 800-1000 a ounce all day in the city

Brand name cigs go for 15-20$ per pack and 1 bedroom aprt go for 2k per month this city is where the money is

A good indoor grow space can cost 10k per month but the volume in the city is off the hook

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State. Region. Locality. Over saturated market. Etc. In ME. The prices are moderate to the west coast, but they don't understand each strain should be a different price.

6 months ago I was paying 200+ for an Oz, now I bought my last Oz I’ll ever buy last week for $70 (harvested my first grow). Everything’s f’d up here in Canada right now prices are all over the place because of legalization in October. All I do know is that I’d never buy from a store or government owned entity!!!

Shit I’m only a few couple hours from NY wish I could get some across the border lol.

Jimdamick said:

There will always be a black market for good marijuana, simply because a good grower will be able to provide a competitive or better product at a significantly better price.
I live in a state that is not legal and customers out of curiosity have traveled to that state to buy, and they alway's come back to me because I sell better herb (fresh) at a better price.

Economics 101

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Fuck a black market!!! Eliminate a black market by allowing any Joe to grow his own and share/sell with friends and foe alike. Allow that average Joe to report pot sales on his taxes liKE any other small business. That simple. So no need for a black market...need for a legal market!!!

Dieseltech said:

It must be state to state thing. I live in NYC and my flowers go for 400-800 a zip

Majority of the time they are sold before they finish

I know for a fact there are tons of people on this forum that can grow better them me. So I would assume that some of you cats could pull 800-1000 a ounce all day in the city

Brand name cigs go for 15-20$ per pack and 1 bedroom aprt go for 2k per month this city is where the money is

A good indoor grow space can cost 10k per month but the volume in the city is off the hook

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These numbers are insane!!!! No other way to look at it. I'm sure NYC is a great place...but not that great lol...no offense.

This is the problem with a black market or any market for that matter where average people can not participate. As I said in my previous thread...fk a black market!!!

That article aside due to the guy’s health, it drives me nuts to see people complain about taxes in legal states. I would love to pay a tax, preferably to grow, rather than risk the clink for my garden every freakin year.

Deadhead13 said:

That article aside due to the guy’s health, it drives me nuts to see people complain about taxes in legal states. I would love to pay a tax, preferably to grow, rather than risk the clink for my garden every freakin year.

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Tax? fk that. I just want it decriminalized, fk the legal crap and the hoops and plant counts and licensing fees and and, and ,and.

Just a nice simple decriminalisation.

Lucky Luke said:

Tax? fk that. I just want it decriminalized, fk the legal crap and the hoops and plant counts and licensing fees and and, and ,and.

Just a nice simple decriminalisation.

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that would be great, but the government sees it as a revenue source, so they want their cut of the profits. i'd rather pay a tax than get molested in a prison shower.....

Lucky Luke said:

Tax? fk that. I just want it decriminalized, fk the legal crap and the hoops and plant counts and licensing fees and and, and ,and.

Just a nice simple decriminalisation.

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I agree 100% but I think what @Roger A. Shrubber wrote is more in line with reality. The govt never misses a chance to dip in for their cut.