I’m happy for your current weed conditions in Oklahoma, however I can’t help but feel like it is an unmaintainable temporary condition. And something that will never take hold in the rest of the country.
The point I was trying to make is that the local market is stable after four years, with low prices. No one is complaining.
Cyberguy indicated a willingness to pay more for product quality. Simple regulations specify product quality, and random testing is a relatively simple inexpensive process. No reason to pay more than a few percent for that. It's the dispensary's responsibility to make sure they sell safe products, or face a penalty. A minor consideration compared to overreaching regulations forcing poor people onto an unregulated black market.
What's happening here isn't temporary. It has already become a way of life. The cat is out of the bag. Recreational should pass in 3 months. I'm guessing this will be phase II of the "weed boom". Dispensary sales should double. As I understand it, anyone 21 or older, from anywhere, will be able to buy 3 oz per visit, no limit on number of visits per day.
The OMMA is trying to reign in the criminal element with new regulations and a 2 year moratorium on grower's licenses. However, 7100+ licensed growers as of today. Many are very large operations. I've tried to estimate the amount of high quality maryjane being produced, maybe between 50-100M lbs annually. Right or wrong doesn't really matter at this point. Regardless of the way it should be, it's happening. You might be vaping Ok weed right now.....
I'm seeing a trend locally toward better weed at a lower cost. Also, "sungrown" and "outdoor" growers have an obvious advantage in this market. This is a result of competition, and it's likely to continue. Not only is sungrown less costly, it's potentially better in terms of quality, and it's much more sustainable.
I'm surprised state governments aren't up in arms. Oklahoma is doing okay with the state medicinal market, but is probably wreaking havoc nationally. Oh well. What are you gonna do?