Illinois and weed

Trogdor

Vapinating the peasants
That's a little surprising, considering the prices really haven't changed at all since they first rolled it out in January. I'm no economist but I feel like they'd make more money overall if they brought their prices more in line with reality. At this point dispensaries are only good as a last resort when everyone else is out.
 

C No Ego

Well-Known Member
That's a little surprising, considering the prices really haven't changed at all since they first rolled it out in January. I'm no economist but I feel like they'd make more money overall if they brought their prices more in line with reality. At this point dispensaries are only good as a last resort when everyone else is out.
it is balringly obvious the State only wants money and will replicate drug dealers @ those price points ... use black market priocing for legal sales = What could go wrong ? LOL the mutherfuckers and their GREED
 
C No Ego,

strech

Well-Known Member
Doesn't the grower set the wholesale price which in turn sets the retail price? Does the state impose that big of a tax on getting set up compared to other legal states to manufacture?

costs are going to be relatively the same state to state to grow and manufacturer. The local burdens are what will be different. How much more is Illinois then say michigan or colorado to open a legal grow op?
 
strech,

Rab42

Well-Known Member
not only are the costs for the start up license crazy but then you have to deal with the corrupt system they have setup for issuing a limited amount of imaginary licenses to grow, sell, infuse.
 
Rab42,

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I have tasted dispensary pot a few times now in Illinois, and I have to say the quality is WAY below the BM product. There is zero incentive to buy from dispensaries here so far. Lower quality pot at much higher prices. The only incentive is the potential testing, and after 50 years of BM purchases that is just not enough.
 

Gunky

Well-Known Member
I have tasted dispensary pot a few times now in Illinois, and I have to say the quality is WAY below the BM product. There is zero incentive to buy from dispensaries here so far. Lower quality pot at much higher prices. The only incentive is the potential testing, and after 50 years of BM purchases that is just not enough.
The University of Chicago is famed for economics. I don't understand why these Illinois political johnnies don't consult some economists about this. Clearly they are so focused on what they are going to do with these windfall proceeds that they have forgotten that if they employ a scientific strategy, the proceeds are maximized.

Like everywhere else "legalization" seems to be a process designed to push small growers out of the market but what it ends up doing is reinforcing the black market.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I'm sure as the numbers of growers and retail stores go up the price will eventually come down, but the covid delays have slowed the process down. I think for the near term they are likely happy with $100M/mo in sales and the completely new tax income that is bringing them. My BM guy (who I saw just today) is saying that business is up quite a bit for him, so the current situation seems to be growing the BM. I suspect that is from the permission many have gotten from legalization. Cannabis consumption doesn't need to hide out any more.
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal

Illinois pot shops are now rolling in bud, so why does an eighth of weed still cost $80?​


Even as the state’s supply shortage appears to be over, a cannabis consultant claimed the “obscene” prices being charged at dispensaries across Illinois are “artificially created” by the state’s few growers.

By Tom Schuba Oct 28, 2020, 5:30am CDT

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The supply of marijuana flower is no longer a problem at NuEra Cannabis, 1308 W. North Ave. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Customers waited in line for hours in January to buy legal pot for the first time, only to learn there were limits on purchases — and some stores weren’t even selling smokeable cannabis flower to recreational users.
But since persistent supply shortages marred the rollout of recreational sales, cultivators have scaled up their operations to meet Illinois’ growing demand for legal weed. Now, 10 months later, pot store shelves are consistently stocked with flower.
But another issue remains: prices are still sky high.
According to industry analysts, Illinois has the most expensive weed in the country. Budzu, a crowdsourcing site that tracks the price of cannabis, says the average cost for an eighth of an ounce is roughly $62. In Colorado, the same amount costs around $33.
“That is the number one complaint that we get on our reviews,” said Jonah Rapino, a spokesman for Wheaton-based NuEra, which operates three Illinois dispensaries and one of the state’s 21 cultivation centers. “They’re blaming us, like, ‘How could you do this to us? How could you charge us this much money? You’re evil capitalist monsters.’”
Though hefty taxes are tacked on, NuEra’s location in West Town is charging $80 for an eighth of an ounce of some flower varietals. Cannabis consultant Andy Seeger claimed the “obscene” prices at dispensaries across Illinois are being “artificially created” by the state’s few growers.
“Their willingness to drop prices is theirs alone,” added Seeger. “No one’s forcing them to. There’s almost no competition to this point.”
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Jon O’Rourke serves a customer at NuEra Cannabis, located at 1308 W. North Ave., Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27, 2020. Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Bryan Zises, owner of Dispensary 33 in Uptown, also placed the onus on the growers, saying that prices are merely “passed along.”
“Talk to Cresco [Labs] and PharmaCann about that,” said Zises, referencing two firms that grow and sell cannabis in Illinois. “Any cost savings that we get, we will pass to our customers.”
Related

Cresco spokesman Jason Erkes said he doesn’t know what it will take to bring prices down, though he claimed the company now has “more weed than there are stores to sell it.” But that’s only because the River North-based pot giant scaled up production at its three cultivation sites “to prepare for the next round of licenses to be issued,” Erkes noted.

Delay in new store openings​

However, the state’s plan to issue 130 new pot shop licenses has been foiled by the coronavirus outbreak and an ongoing licensing imbroglio.
While the operators of the state’s 55 existing medical dispensaries were allowed to start selling recreational weed in January and open another store for adult-use sales, state records show that only 18 have earned new licenses. What’s more, the next 75 recreational dispensary licenses are being held indefinitely after lawsuits were filed over the application process and the state allegedly failing to meet its lofty goal of creating a more diverse cannabis industry.
Jeremy Unruh, a spokesman for PharmaCann, painted a different picture of the output coming from his company’s grow center in Dwight, which is about 30 miles west of Kankakee. Though Unruh noted that the supply issues have started to stabilize, he said the state “is going to need more product on the market” for prices to drop.
“Because [cannabis] is scarce, there’s still a premium associated with it,” Unruh said. “Once we have more retail locations open and once there is a more robust supply, I definitely think you’re going to see prices come down.”
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Marijuana flower was originally hard to come by when Illinois legalized recreational weed, but store shelves are now better stocked, workers say.

Dusty Shroyer, who runs Revolution Enterprises’ greenhouse in Delavan, said the state’s cannabis supply is “much healthier” as he insisted that wholesale prices are “really fair and competitive.”
“We sell out of what we produce every single week. Pretty much as soon as we release it to dispensaries, it gets bought up right away,” noted Shroyer, who said Revolution is still actively working to increase its capacity.

Nevertheless, Shroyer said his operation is more focused on quality than quantity. That focus on growing primo pot paid off in September, when Revolution nearly swept the Illinois Cannabis Cup, a competition that allowed pot users to vote on which strain of weed they liked best.
And while Zises noted that his shop in Uptown prides itself on stocking the best cannabis the state has to offer, that’s proved to be a challenge because his team hasn’t seen the overall quality improve.

Still, the number of strains the store carries has jumped significantly.
A spokeswoman for the dispensary previously told the Sun-Times the store typically stocked about 15 types of cannabis flower for medical customers before recreational weed was legalized. Now, Dispensary 33 has nearly double that many varietals available, according to an online menu.
 
cybrguy,

Texus

Well-Known Member
I have tasted dispensary pot a few times now in Illinois, and I have to say the quality is WAY below the BM product. There is zero incentive to buy from dispensaries here so far. Lower quality pot at much higher prices. The only incentive is the potential testing, and after 50 years of BM purchases that is just not enough.
Lots of variation in the dispensary flower being sold tho. While a lot can be underwhelming, some is top notch. Revolution and Aeriz are putting out great flower, and Cresco has started to improve recently. Maybe find an IL Cannabis Cup winner and see how that stands up to your BM hookup.

Or try to grab one of these: Rev Gorlilla'd Cheeze, Rev Florida Orange, Rev Sun King OG, Aeriz MAC1, Aeriz Ice Cream Cake, Aeriz Jenny Kush. Or if Rev and Aeriz are tough to find, I've liked Cresco Slurricrasher and Jet Fuel Gelato.
 

Rab42

Well-Known Member
The prices for all of it are a joke and I really need to a grow going, but bedford grow doesnt get talked about enough they belong in that upper tier with aeriz and revolution. I can usually find 1/4s of popcorn for $100 at my dispensary, and their crumble waxes are easily my favorite without having to spend that extra 10-15 dollars for the revolution name.
 
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Texus

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The prices for all of it are a joke and I really need to a grow going, but bedford grow doesnt get talked about enough they belong in that upper tier with aeriz and revolution. I can usually find 1/4s of popcorn for $100 at my dispensary, and their crumble waxes are easily my favorite without having to spend that extra 10-15 dollars for the revolution name.
Bedford is a grower that I need to check out. Anything in particular you've loved from them? Would prefer to start with known 🔥🔥🔥 from them.

And not that other growers don't have some hits (Motorbreath smalls from Verano was great). But they can be more of a wildcard, and often risking dried out flower, crappy trim jobs etc, in addition to issues with flavor and effects. ILTrees on Reddit and Discord has helped with finding great strains and knowing what to stay away from.
 
Texus,

FlyingLow

Team NO SLEEP!
I have found some items I liked from Verano, but Cresco has been disappointment across the board.

I could not, in good conscious, ever recommend any of Cresco offerings, be it wax, flower or lives... they were all crap.
 
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Rab42

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@Texus Right now im vaping on lou's legacy a good balanced hybrid, with a strong lemon/citrus smell/taste. gti/rhythm bubba fett is probably my favorite strain ive had of any illinois medical bud. rise dispensary in mundeline has some great discounts for medical patients if you order online.

After months of getting verano'd I quit buying their stuff, its a shame they let the quality fall off like it did. Not sure if it got any better in the last 6 months, but before it went to shit the super glue was one of my favorites. cresco has always been the best at being mediocre they do that well.
 

strech

Well-Known Member
I picked up a few things today. First impressions of both bedford grow dubble rainbow crumble and rythm blueberry muffins live resin is leaps and bounds tastier then any cresco extract.
 
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Texus

Well-Known Member
I picked up a few things today. First impressions of both bedford grow dubble rainbow crumble and rythm blueberry muffins live resin is leaps and bounds tastier then any cresco extract.
NIce. Just got Dubble Rainbow and CCC wax. So good on the X-Max QOMO e-rig that also arrived today. Qomo packs a punch for a $67 e-rig with Black Friday discounts. Adorable, cute, portable and hits surprisingly hard.
 
Texus,

cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I have picked up a LLR from Cresco and a Cannabis Oil from Verano and while they both have done the job I wasn't highly impressed by either. I only use them in situations requiring stealth, like inside a theater (jeez, when was the last time I was inside a theater), but they do get the job done. I haven't yet finished off either one.

Speaking of which, how meaningful are the "Use By" and "Expiration" dates on oil carts? Does oil lose potency in that time period?
 

SomnusViduus

you want the wizard or the skull?
I have picked up a LLR from Cresco and a Cannabis Oil from Verano and while they both have done the job I wasn't highly impressed by either. I only use them in situations requiring stealth, like inside a theater (jeez, when was the last time I was inside a theater), but they do get the job done. I haven't yet finished off either one.

Speaking of which, how meaningful are the "Use By" and "Expiration" dates on oil carts? Does oil lose potency in that time period?
I like the live resin carts for the reason you listed, but that's about it. As far as shelf life, they are supposed to be good for a year, but i haven't kept one more than a week or two. My wife's aunt, however, uses a disposable pen and i think the last time i bought her a new one was like four months ago and she says it's still fine...
Totally agree about cresco and xerano, btw. Especially for these nosebleed prices. There is a RISE like a mile away, but 80 bucks can get you a lot more, much better stuff elsewhere. Illinois needs to tighten up. I will say that they picked a pretty damned unfortunate year for rollout...
 
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
I will say that they picked a pretty damned unfortunate year for rollout...
Still glad they did it tho. It is so nice after 50 years of being a second class citizen I can now come out in the light. In another year the prices should drop to more reasonable levels and I may be able to give up the black market, but for now they remain my source for flower.
 
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