Posted on 03/11/2018 9:59:04 AM PDT by rktman
California’s trademark high taxes and overwhelming, onerous, costly and confusing regulations are preventing the state from reaping the revenue benefits of legalizing the $7 billion marijuana market, a new study by the California Growers Association concludes.
As of Thursday, California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control has sent about 980 warning letters to unlicensed pot sellers and ordered a marketing company to stop advertising vendors who don’t have permits, Bureau Chief of Communications Alex Traverso told CNSNews.com.
Less than one percent (0.78%) of the state’s 68,150 marijuana growers have obtained licenses, and as little as 25 percent of the cannabis consumed in California is currently being purchased from licensed retailers, “An Emerging Crisis: Barriers to Entry in California Cannabis – California Growers Association,” finds.
The reason: government greed and overregulation have made it easier and more practical to remain illegal – the same reasons companies typically cite for relocating to another state
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Now the drug dealers are in trouble. The police may not care if you are dealing in drugs but they will go after you for evading taxes. Think Al Capone /s
The illegal market here in Washington State is collapsing. People were using the medical prescription home grow laws to produce weed for illegal street sales. That market has all but dried up. Now their trying to ship it out of state to the Midwest and Texas because there are no local buyers and if you can find one, the price is pennies on the dollar compared to 3 years ago.
This era new rules is going to confuse a whole lot of people.
Many will want it all quickly boiled down; Is it legal to possess/use/sell or is it NOT LEGAL to possess/use/sell?
Will this vary by county, by potency, by end use?
I wonder if alcohol also went through a similarly murky Hall of Mirrors time after prohibition was “officially” ended?
Of course, Moonshine is still illegal to this day, because the safety has not been regulated or proven.
I thought the main argument for legalizing drugs was to tax it and regulate it.
This story is crazy! I thought the state was supposed to make a ton of money in tax revenue off of this! Now we just have a bunch of criminals attracted to those rural areas.
You think there’s a “War on Drugs” now, just wait until they’re legal and taxable.
More government unintended consequences.... Surprise!
Liberals hiding from liberals. California should change its name to “The Comedy Club.”
We have legal pot shops here in CO.
Walk in and buy your marijuana.
“Calif. Pot Industry Staying Illegal to Escape State’s High Taxes, Onerous Regulations”
Forrest Gump could have predicted that.
Why Jerry Brown or the other political clowns elected in CA (e.g., Pelosi) think that people don’t responds to taxes and regulation simply means they aren’t looking at the facts. I believe it was the last census that showed CA’s population actually decreased. My guess is the next census will show that even more to be true.
Still, I guess as long as the Snowflakes believe in a free lunch, stupid economic policy will continue...
“Of course, Moonshine is still illegal to this day, because the safety has not been regulated or proven.”
Huh? Craft Distilleries are cranking out Moonshine by the gallons!
“Colin Blake is director of spirits education for Moonshine University, which teaches people how to found and operate a distillery. ‘We have seen an explosion of craft distilleries. From over 500 people who have taken our week-long course, some 140 distilleries have opened after the founder took our class,’ Blake said in an interview.”
Also:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/20/women-distillery-industry-alcohol
That was always the flaw in the argument that making it legal (and taxable) would dry up the illegal market. Why pay the tax? The black market for marijuana is sooo firmly established that it’s not necessarily going to go away.
A Tax Revolt in California? More Winning!
I stand (and slowly sip) corrected.
Apparently, there is a right way to do this.
We have plenty of legal shops in NV now as well.
The CA growers are smart enough to know where their bread is buttered.
But, with the provision that every adult can grow six plants of their own, keep the proceeds...even gift it one ounce at a time...ensure there will be NO POT INDUSTRY in 3 years.
It doesn’t take long for people to figure this out.
“Craft Distilleries are cranking out Moonshine by the gallons!”
Strictly speaking, if it’s not from an illegal distillery, its not moonshine.
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