Colorado puts 25% tax on marijuana

[TakeAStepBack]

I honestly lol'd at a some of the truly ignorant comments posted in this thread.

Apparently some retards believe that the cost structure and required returns of black market distribution channels are exactly the same as legal channels and that the only difference in cost is the 25% tax rate.

just. fucking. wow!

Fuckin' wow is right.

Who thinks that? The point is that in order to compete, black markets will have to lower their prices. Which isn't going to be that difficult considering it's now legal to have it and to grow it. There is going to be so much effort put into the regulation of the state over the counter version that enforcement of the dude ove rthe hill with a few pound harvest isn't going to need to look over his shoulder.

The cost structure will be affected by the legal market. And also the fact people can now grow their own.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

I honestly lol'd at a some of the truly ignorant comments posted in this thread.

Apparently some retards believe that the cost structure and required returns of black market distribution channels are exactly the same as legal channels and that the only difference in cost is the 25% tax rate.

just. fucking. wow!

Fuckin' wow is right.

Who thinks that? The point is that in order to compete, black markets will have to lower their prices. Which isn't going to be that difficult considering it's now legal to have it and to grow it. There is going to be so much effort put into the regulation of the state over the counter version that enforcement of the dude ove rthe hill with a few pound harvest isn't going to need to look over his shoulder.

The cost structure will be affected by the legal market. And also the fact people can now grow their own.

Why would the "dude on the hill" sell his crop on the "black market" if the prices are lower than what he'd get for selling it to a legal dispensary?

 

[TakeAStepBack]

You can't grow good weed outside without putting a significant effort into keeping your plants from being pollenated by floating wild pot pollen.

If the flowers are fertilized by male plant pollen, the THC content and yield drops by a factor of around 75%.

Wild pot pollen?

Thats a first. I'm not interested in giving too much away on my knowledge of the subject, but this si the first of this I've ever heard. Ever.

Well, it happens. Marijuana is a weed, as has been pointed out. It can grow anywhere, and the pollen can float pretty far.

Sort of like getting struck by lightening. Lets jst say I know a thing or two and have never even considered this a possiblity. Although, with everyone else out there trying to grow their own and avoid the 30% tax, it's possible this could become a problem for home gardeners in CO.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Wild pot pollen?

Thats a first. I'm not interested in giving too much away on my knowledge of the subject, but this si the first of this I've ever heard. Ever.

Well, it happens. Marijuana is a weed, as has been pointed out. It can grow anywhere, and the pollen can float pretty far.

Sort of like getting struck by lightening. Lets jst say I know a thing or twoand have never even considered this a possiblity. Although, with everyone else out there trying to grow their own adn avoid the 30% tax, it's possible this could become a problem for home gardeners in CO.

Anyone can say they "know a thing or two".

All of the large scale pot farmers I know don't grow outdoors for that exact reason.

 

[TakeAStepBack]

Wow, not sure where you are located, but it's news to me. I know guys in Cali, NY, PA, OH and CO who grow. All outdoor. The main reason, as I understand it, that people choose an indoor lab is to avoid heat detectors (cops), pouchers and wildlife.

usually the indoor is what today is known as "medical grade".

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Wow, not sure where you are located, but it's news to me. I know guys in Cali, NY, PA, OH and CO who grow. All outdoor. The main reason, as I understand it, that people choose an indoor lab is to avoid heat detectors (cops), pouchers and wildlife.

usually the indoor is what today is known as "medical grade".

I'm in the Bay, and the farmers I'm talking about all have their grow ops in Sonoma, Marin or Humboldt.

You've also got that flipped around - indoor grow ops are vulnerable to heat detectors, not outdoor. The heat in question is generated by the grow lights and climate controls, which are obviously not needed outdoors.

Outdoor grow ops are vulnerable to certain types of IR scans though, because the plants reflect IR light differently than other plants.

 

[Katzndogz]

This is actually quite amusing in a black humor sort of way.

Pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legalization - The Denver Post

GRAND JUNCTION — In two years of work as an undercover officer with a drug task force, Mike Dillon encountered plenty of drugs. But nothing has surprised him as much as what he has seen in schools lately.

Dillon, who is now a school resource officer with the Mesa County Sheriff's Department, said he is seeing more and younger kids bringing marijuana to schools, in sometimes-surprising quantities.

"When we have middle school kids show up with a half an ounce, that is shocking to me," Dillon said.

The same phenomenon is being reported around Colorado after the 2010 regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries and the 2012 vote to legalize recreational marijuana.

No one knew this was going to happen, right? This is coming as a complete surprise.

 

[TakeAStepBack]

Wow, not sure where you are located, but it's news to me. I know guys in Cali, NY, PA, OH and CO who grow. All outdoor. The main reason, as I understand it, that people choose an indoor lab is to avoid heat detectors (cops), pouchers and wildlife.

usually the indoor is what today is known as "medical grade".

I'm in the Bay, and the farmers I'm talking about all have their grow ops in Sonoma, Marin or Humboldt.

You've also got that flipped around - indoor grow ops are vulnerable to heat detectors, not outdoor. The heat in question is generated by the grow lights and climate controls, which are obviously not needed outdoors.

Outdoor grow ops are vulnerable to certain types of IR scans though, because the plants reflect IR light differently than other plants.

I forgot to mention, that in many cases the indoor growers are producing strains that are sensitive to climate and peak at produciton under rigorous climate controls. Again, the "medical grade".

And thanks for the correction. You're right about the heat and IR detection.

 

[The Rabbi]

This is actually quite amusing in a black humor sort of way.

Pot problems in Colorado schools increase with legalization - The Denver Post

GRAND JUNCTION — In two years of work as an undercover officer with a drug task force, Mike Dillon encountered plenty of drugs. But nothing has surprised him as much as what he has seen in schools lately.

Dillon, who is now a school resource officer with the Mesa County Sheriff's Department, said he is seeing more and younger kids bringing marijuana to schools, in sometimes-surprising quantities.

"When we have middle school kids show up with a half an ounce, that is shocking to me," Dillon said.

The same phenomenon is being reported around Colorado after the 2010 regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries and the 2012 vote to legalize recreational marijuana.

No one knew this was going to happen, right? This is coming as a complete surprise.

Lower the cost of doing drugs and you get more drug use. Like no one could have predicted this, right?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

Wow, not sure where you are located, but it's news to me. I know guys in Cali, NY, PA, OH and CO who grow. All outdoor. The main reason, as I understand it, that people choose an indoor lab is to avoid heat detectors (cops), pouchers and wildlife.

usually the indoor is what today is known as "medical grade".

I'm in the Bay, and the farmers I'm talking about all have their grow ops in Sonoma, Marin or Humboldt.

You've also got that flipped around - indoor grow ops are vulnerable to heat detectors, not outdoor. The heat in question is generated by the grow lights and climate controls, which are obviously not needed outdoors.

Outdoor grow ops are vulnerable to certain types of IR scans though, because the plants reflect IR light differently than other plants.

I forgot to mention, that in many cases the indoor growers are producing strains that are sensitive to climate and peak at produciton under rigorous climate controls. Again, the "medical grade".

And thanks for the correction. You're right about the heat and IR detection.

Since medical marijuana has gotten so big here in California, it's really not worth it to grow it unless you're growing "medical grade".

 

[TakeAStepBack]

Sounds like horrible parenting to me.

 

[TakeAStepBack]

I'm in the Bay, and the farmers I'm talking about all have their grow ops in Sonoma, Marin or Humboldt.

You've also got that flipped around - indoor grow ops are vulnerable to heat detectors, not outdoor. The heat in question is generated by the grow lights and climate controls, which are obviously not needed outdoors.

Outdoor grow ops are vulnerable to certain types of IR scans though, because the plants reflect IR light differently than other plants.

I forgot to mention, that in many cases the indoor growers are producing strains that are sensitive to climate and peak at produciton under rigorous climate controls. Again, the "medical grade".

And thanks for the correction. You're right about the heat and IR detection.

Since medical marijuana has gotten so big here in California, it's really not worth it to grow it unless you're growing "medical grade".

Good point.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

To sum up my point, which has gotten pretty muddled by now:

If I were to grow my own weed of a comparable quality to what I can buy "legally" for $25 an 1/8th, it would cost me hundreds of dollars to set up and countless man-hours to grow, train, and cure the flowers.

It wouldn't make any more financial sense for me to grow myself if the price went up to $30.

I don't smoke weed that isn't what you would call "medical grade".

 

[longknife]

Let's legalize ALL drugs such as grass, coke, morph, and so on and tax them all at a 25% rate!!!!!

 

[Harry Dresden]

The smokers still pay far less than when it was illegal, even with the new tax.

Disagree. I know the cannabis market first hand in California and can tell you that the legal market is priced HIGHER than the underground market. The reason people paid a bit more was due to the quality and selection of product that dispensaries offered. People also joined dispensaries in an effort to support legalization. However, many, many people that don't have the financial resources (or that don't want to end up on the Fed's radar) continue to buy in the black market.

A 25% tax will only ensure the underground market thrives. That's for sure.

Their state's budget is strengthened.

Strongly disagree. I suspect they will collect less revenue than they would with a normal sales tax rate. And even if they do collect more in revenue, they'll also pay more in policing and incarceration because I guarantee you the underground market will increase with a onerous tax.

It's all good news and I don't get why the Feds wouldn't follow suit.

Because we don't need a national sales tax on cannabis or anything for that matter. We need to spend less money and live within our means.

The reason people paid a bit more was due to the quality and selection of product that dispensaries offered.

so whats a "bit" more?....if i knew i could by some good quality pot for 20-30 dollars more an Oz...i would do it....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Annual deficit? What annual deficit? Won't be long before the other states follow suit, like they did with casinos and the lottery. Fed is going to have to soon too, because the rich would rather have stoners pay off the national debt.

Colorado voters approve 25 percent taxes on recreational marijuana

wrong. marijuana will just go underground as it was before.
Overtaxing results in the same activity as ban does - the contraband will flourish.

Especially since they are trying to turn pot from an illegal product into a legal product. The distribution lines for illegal sales are already well entrenched and established. It is the legal outlet trying to make a dent in illegal sales.

What is the penalty for having illegal and untaxed marijuana? Will there be federal stickers on pot sales like there are in cigarette sales? It is idiocy to think that people will pay more, significantly more, for pot just to get it legal when they've been getting it illegally for years.

that will all depend on how much one would be paying legally versus buying from an illegal source.....and the punishment if there is one....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Especially since they are trying to turn pot from an illegal product into a legal product. The distribution lines for illegal sales are already well entrenched and established. It is the legal outlet trying to make a dent in illegal sales.

What is the penalty for having illegal and untaxed marijuana? Will there be federal stickers on pot sales like there are in cigarette sales? It is idiocy to think that people will pay more, significantly more, for pot just to get it legal when they've been getting it illegally for years.

It is "idiocy" to think that taxed, legal weed will be more expensive than illegal, black market weed.

I guess we must be idiots.
What part of "if you add 25% to the price of something you make it radically more expensive than the untaxed item" do you not understand?

so what is the going price in Colorado for an Oz Rabbi?...

 

[The Rabbi]

It is "idiocy" to think that taxed, legal weed will be more expensive than illegal, black market weed.

I guess we must be idiots.
What part of "if you add 25% to the price of something you make it radically more expensive than the untaxed item" do you not understand?

so what is the going price in Colorado for an Oz Rabbi?...

I have no idea. Maybe you know.

 

[Harry Dresden]

The smokers still pay far less than when it was illegal, even with the new tax.

Disagree. I know the cannabis market first hand in California and can tell you that the legal market is priced HIGHER than the underground market. The reason people paid a bit more was due to the quality and selection of product that dispensaries offered. People also joined dispensaries in an effort to support legalization. However, many, many people that don't have the financial resources (or that don't want to end up on the Fed's radar) continue to buy in the black market.

A 25% tax will only ensure the underground market thrives. That's for sure.



Strongly disagree. I suspect they will collect less revenue than they would with a normal sales tax rate. And even if they do collect more in revenue, they'll also pay more in policing and incarceration because I guarantee you the underground market will increase with a onerous tax.

It's all good news and I don't get why the Feds wouldn't follow suit.

Because we don't need a national sales tax on cannabis or anything for that matter. We need to spend less money and live within our means.

I am a medical cannabis user living in San Francisco.

My very high-end legal weed is cheaper than any black market weed I've ever purchased in my life.

Where are you getting your information from?

yea i have seen the store bought stuff and its prices.....it wasnt as high as the non store bought stuff....i was surprised....

 

[Harry Dresden]

I guess we must be idiots.
What part of "if you add 25% to the price of something you make it radically more expensive than the untaxed item" do you not understand?

If you add a 25% tax to an 1/8th of an ounce of weed costing $30, it will still be less than the $65 it costs on the black market.

Why would the black market stuff cost so much when legal stuff is available for less? It is impossible. Ergo, you are making shit up.

if you ever bought pot you would know the answer to that....