Taxes on MJ: Still Cheaper to Buy Illegally?

420time

Well-Known Member
well if you know the grower that sells to dispensary's im sure you can get it cheap, like 200 a ounce. so as long as they legalize it'll be fine. just grow it yourself or buy from a the source.
 

Seek

Apprentice Daydreamer
If it got legalized here I would buy it legally ven if it was little overpriced (unless it was WAAAY too much extreme). That's supporting legalization and giving the state great tax revenue. Of course setting the prices lower could be even more profittable. I believe better prices are coming. They will eventually have to overpower the black market and there's no other rational way.

I want to help the country and support the legalization, not the black market. So who cares if its few more bucks, buying legally is the right thing to do if you support legalization!

Just don't expect they would let you grow your own with the state not getting a single cent from it. When we want this, you want too much sadly, and they would just keep the prohibition for the money. It's all about the money. If they wouldn't get drowned in money after legalizing they wouldn't legalize.
 
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Snake Plissken

Transcendentalist
If it got legalized here I would buy it legally ven if it was little overpriced (unless it was WAAAY too much extreme). That's supporting legalization and giving the state great tax revenue. Of course setting the prices lower could be even more profittable. I believe better prices are coming. They will eventually have to overpower the black market and there's no other rational way.

I want to help the country and support the legalization, not the black market. So who cares if its few more bucks, buying legally is the right thing to do if you support legalization!

Just don't expect they would let you grow your own with the state not getting a single cent from it. When we want this, you want too much sadly, and they would just keep the prohibition for the money. It's all about the money. If they wouldn't get drowned in money after legalizing they wouldn't legalize.

While probably true, pathetic. Exactly the type of system I'm not gung ho to support. In Oregon, the ommp made so much money it was ridiculous. They ended up taking the money away from the program and giving it to other agencies/departments while the ommp couldn't even afford regular business hours or a real office at the time.

I'm of a different mindset. I believe it is downright sleazy and evil to try to tax people for cultivating a natural plant that grows wild. Our gov profiteering off of people's needs. Not the system I endorse. Thankfully there will always be a black market for those who are priced out of their meds by our ruthless gov.

In 30 years of partaking, I have never scored mj from the Mexican mafia, hillbilly mafia, gangbangers or terrorists. It has always been 'the guy down the street'. People die from cancer and many other ailments every day because they can't afford their meds. Some of these same meds are sold to 3rd worlders and veterinarians at a fraction of the cost. It's not only the cost of the meds, but insurance, dr visits, etc just to get your meds (hopefully they don't amputate the wrong appendage or sexually assault you while you are anesthetized). W/O insurance for so many years, I have had to buy anti nausea meds on the street before - and am thankful it was an option.

'The guy down the street', unlike many drs, has also never told me: "the only thing we can do for you is give you pain and nausea meds, and we're not comfortable doing that".
 

tuk

Well-Known Member
Personally I would be happy to pay a bit more in tax to support the recent changes in the law, send the message that I approve via tax dollars paid.

I don't really understand why paying tax on marijuana is an issue, while paying tax on everything else is fine, sure it grows wild but so does every other animal, vegetable and mineral. Have you ever tried wild MJ, FYI its a very poor stone.

From what I hear a large chunk of the tax money collected in Collie will go towards building schools.

Marijuana builds schools! ...just repeat that back to yourself a few time, feels good huh?

You cannot buy that kind of Headline.
 
tuk,

Snake Plissken

Transcendentalist
I am not ok w/ the tax system as it is. Didn't lottery dollars, gas tax, cigarette tax, etc already rebuild our schools 10 x over? Oh that's right, it never happened. I can't even drive down the road w/o dodging potholes regardless of the (b)millions of tax dollars that have supposedly been aimed in that direction. Our infrastructure is falling apart. It also has to do w/ the level of taxation. People really seem to enjoy playing video games, maybe we should have a usage tax on that - think of all the whales we could save!

Can anybody think of a single gov institution that has not squandered and misappropriated the majority of funds given? That has not been so beholden to lobbyists and special interests that the original intentions are lost? That really holds Americans interests at heart? Best case situation, the money actually makes it to schools and per usual it never makes it to school books past the 6 figure beaurocrats in administration. Some years back when our schools were in trouble, we spent millions to get some magic working superintendent out of cal. She screwed the pooch so hard we had to spend over a million to buy her out and get her to go away. That would have been a few art or music classes. Throwing more $ at broken institutions and self serving politicians is not the answer.
 

macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
From the article...
According to NBC News, retailers in Colorado have been selling top-shelf marijuana at close to $400 an ounce.
I've paid as low as $130/ounce from a top shelf grower. It will be hard for me to justify a price that 208% higher. Hopefully I did the math right: I'm a Bozo at math.
 
macbill,

RUDE BOY

Space is the Place
The Colorado prices aren't that much higher then what I pay per oz here in Florida right now, so knowing what I'm getting strain/quality wise would make paying a few bucks more totally worth the cost for me. Its been $350-$400 an oz for a couple of years here.
 
RUDE BOY,
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Enchantre

Oil Painter
well if you know the grower that sells to dispensary's im sure you can get it cheap, like 200 a ounce. so as long as they legalize it'll be fine. just grow it yourself or buy from a the source.
In legal states, that cannot happen. All product is tracked, from grower to customer. A grower selling on the side would be busted.
 
Enchantre,

tuk

Well-Known Member
I am not ok w/ the tax system as it is. Didn't lottery dollars, gas tax, cigarette tax, etc already rebuild our schools 10 x over? Oh that's right, it never happened. I can't even drive down the road w/o dodging potholes regardless of the (b)millions of tax dollars that have supposedly been aimed in that direction. Our infrastructure is falling apart. It also has to do w/ the level of taxation. People really seem to enjoy playing video games, maybe we should have a usage tax on that - think of all the whales we could save!

Can anybody think of a single gov institution that has not squandered and misappropriated the majority of funds given? That has not been so beholden to lobbyists and special interests that the original intentions are lost? That really holds Americans interests at heart? Best case situation, the money actually makes it to schools and per usual it never makes it to school books past the 6 figure beaurocrats in administration. Some years back when our schools were in trouble, we spent millions to get some magic working superintendent out of cal. She screwed the pooch so hard we had to spend over a million to buy her out and get her to go away. That would have been a few art or music classes. Throwing more $ at broken institutions and self serving politicians is not the answer.

Sounds like the standard republican brochure.

The reality is your life would be very much worse without government taxation. Imagine a world where you die of hunger in the street because you've lost your job, while the 1% move between heavily guarded compounds in their Blackwater Bubble, everyone else left to fend for themselves in a kind of lawless desperate wasteland.

As it is, taxation means the worst thing you have to complain about is a few potholes on the government maintained road you drive on ...you know, the road that wouldn't be there at all without taxation.

But, all this by the by, in the real world there is taxation, one of the reasons why the authorities have shifted their stance on mj is because legalisation creates a new income stream during a time when the government and the country is flat broke. What would the incentive be for the authorities to create a mj free-for-all devoid of regulation & taxation? ....I don't see the attraction myself.
 

420time

Well-Known Member
you guys that are fine with paying the taxes on mj you guys are just crazy. somewhere in that article it says itll be like a good 10-15% taxes and an extra 10% state taxes.... in the article it says an eighth is 30 and the tax will be around 7-9$...... man gtfo thats way too much.
 
420time,
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macbill

Oh No! Mr macbill!!
Staff member
What would the incentive be for the authorities to create a mj free-for-all devoid of regulation & taxation?

Because prisons are filled with harmless MJ users? Incredible amount of tax resources no longer used to find & punish the user? Overcrowded courts? Because it is right?

I'm not saying it should not be taxed, but 200% ?

If tax money is the only reason, why not tax 5 cents tax/a roll for toilet paper? Let everyone pay. Why make a population segment pay more than their fair share?
 

smokum

I am who I am and your approval isn't needed!
In my cuntry, I've been deemed a criminal all my life (according to THEM), and I'll remain a criminal by those pompous standards to stay off 'any' type of tracking list.
 
smokum,

420time

Well-Known Member
In my cuntry, I've been deemed a criminal all my life (according to THEM), and I'll remain a criminal by those pompous standards to stay off 'any' type of tracking list.
thats pretty much everyone that smokes pot..... everyone looks down on pot smokers cuz they think its a "gateway drug"..... what a bunch of bs.
 
420time,

t-dub

Vapor Sloth
I'm still amazed that people actually pay so much $$$ for flowers. Free medicine rules, I couldn't exist without it, period. The government wants to take away patient's grow rights then price the meds out of reach for anyone who is sick and can't work. Fuck that.
 

Snake Plissken

Transcendentalist
I pay $200/oz right now for top shelf when I decide to visit my local disp for variety's sake - $25/g for concentrates. It must be way cheaper to grow in Oregon, eh? Actually indoor grows should be producing 4+ oz a plant at a cost of $50-$100 a plant on the high end for small grows - much cheaper for large operations or outdoors. I will admit Oregon is strictly medical, not recreational - but that shouldn't affect either the cost of the grow or the price to the consumer. If I really, really like advil should I pay 10x as much as the guy who just needs it for a headache?

Some can play semantics all they want and twist words, but I think most are smart enough not to buy into that. I never said no taxes, I very clearly said I am not happy w/ the tax system as it is. If that makes me a republican in your eyes, you have a pretty limited understanding of politics. I really can't be party to an imaginary argument about things I never said.

smokum - I am spelling country like you do from now on - love it!
 

t-dub

Vapor Sloth
I love my provider. In all the years we have been together, the strains and grow have been world class outdoor, we have NEVER used a scale and I have NEVER paid for top quality flowers, EVER. Now the trade off is I only get to go to the "dispensary" once a year, not sure how well many of you would deal with that, and it takes an incredible amount of planning and trust . . .

Edit: Patients helping patients, thats what medicine should be about, not $$$ . . .
 
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420time

Well-Known Member
if you guys dont want to pay so much then just find some seeds and grow it outdoors.
 
420time,

420time

Well-Known Member
That's bad news man! Especially if it's marijuana and strawberrys! Even if there are strawberries for sale it'll be like $5 a package and the marijuana will cost me at least 300-400 for an ounce which is regular NYC prices but I usually get them for 200 a ounce. Oh boy how much I love strawberries while enjoying mj.
 
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Snake Plissken

Transcendentalist
if you guys dont want to pay so much then just find some seeds and grow it outdoors.

Or have people show any awareness and intelligence when drafting bills. We will not be able to grow your own when they dissolve personal grower rights. The attempt to head in this direction to me is pretty self evident, besides many saying just that. We won't be trusted to grow our own or self medicate w/o gov/dr assistance. Many sick people can't grow for themselves and will be priced out of their meds. If you simply use mj to get baked and watch cartoons, it makes sense that you would have no empathy for sick and dying people.

btw, from my avatar one might get the impression that I don't even like the $200/oz price point.

The very severe drought in California may well cause a cannabis shortage and higher prices this summer. Ed Rosenthal has a blog post on it: http://edrosenthal.com/2014/02/the-looming-marijuana-shortage.html

Maybe it's all going to the east coast where prices are higher, but I haven't seen any Humboldt come this way in a decade. W/ disps, is there really still so much export from ca?
 
Snake Plissken,
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FlyingLow

Team NO SLEEP!
My take is "go ahead and tax it"
Sure it is not ideal, but it is a step towards accepting use as part of our culture.

Moreover, it is another way to currently incentivize non-medical states into changing their policies.
 
FlyingLow,

420time

Well-Known Member
Yes patients that are too sick can't grow, but that's how patients get to know the grower directly since they know it's for medical purposes and may e they will feel they are doing the right thing helping the sick. Patients usually get much better meds then disspensarys. Even if your sick I'm sure your friends,family's or people with the same kind of sickness will offer to help.

now im worried that if California will have less and more expensive mj in the summer. instead of purchasing a qp i feel itll be safer to hoard like hp or so just in case.
 
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420time,
From the article...
"According to NBC News, retailers in Colorado have been selling top-shelf marijuana at close to $400 an ounce."
I've paid as low as $130/ounce from a top shelf grower. It will be hard for me to justify a price that 208% higher. Hopefully I did the math right: I'm a Bozo at math.
The taxes are high in Colorado, but not that high! The hyper-inflated prices you are seeing in CO right now is because supply cannot keep up with demand. The natural result of an artificially scarce supply. As you guys may or may not know, CO rec shops were allowed a one-time transfer of medical material to stock their shelves. The next re-up doesn't come until the legal, legit & tracked seeds and clones (? not sure if clones were allowed) planted January 1 are matured and cured.
 
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