This depends on how much margin there is to work with.
California is taxing marijuana so heavily, and the state and local municipalities are putting so many regulatory and code barriers in the way of legal pot operations, that the state has a massive and thriving black market that is responsible for the vast majority of weed sales in California. Legal shops are finding it hard to make ends meet, especially smaller, independent operations.
One study estimates that, of the state’s almost-$12 billion marijuana industry, almost three quarters is sold on the black market, and only just over a quarter in legal shops ($8.7B illegal v. $3.0B legal). Oregon, a state with about one-ninth the population of California, has more legal weed retailers than California because of how hard California (state and local) has made it to get into the business. This 60 Minutes story from a couple of months back talked to a guy with 45 plants who has tried to do it all legally, and is in the hole $50,000 in permits and application fees and consulting costs.
Fortunately, I was raised on ditch weed, have no expectations of quality, and live between two Rails to Trails bike paths that are lightly forested, so I expect some kindly Johnny Reefer Seed will broadcast seed on both sides of the paths, providing crappy shit for all and sundry.
Local place advertises $14.19 for 10 gummies, 100 mg (does that mean 10 per gummy, I don’t know how this works?). They don’t sell seeds, and growing yourself is stupidly only legal if you don’t live in X miles of a dispensary.
I didn’t buy any, but when I was in Boulder last June they were selling 40 count bags of 5mg gummies for $18 including all fees and taxes and such. If one needs 20mg that’s 10 highs for $18. I can’t get drunk 10 times for $18.
Most states where growing is legal have several well known seed distributors. In CA you can have 6 mature plants for personal use. Considering a well cared for indoor autoflower plant can do 1-2 oz of dry flower in 5-6 mo, you can have a pretty solid supply.
That post is nearly poetry. That Ron and Clint bit is beautiful.
Legal weed in WA is cheap! Cheaper than the illegal stuff in the late 80’ and early 90’s (I don’t know what the illegal stuff cost prior to legalization). If you are a lightweight like me, it’s very cost effective.
I live in Illinois too and am intrigued by all this. I haven’t smoked much since the 80’s. Do dispensaries only have gummies? I also hear about cookies and brownies, what’s the difference(besides the obvious). Do they also sell regular smoke a these places too?
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You probably can get drunk ten times for $18. At least where I live, a 1.75L handle of the cheapest vodka is about $8.50. You can get drunk ten times off two of those.
Regular old marijuana (“flower”), prerolled joints, edible gummies, chocolates, etc., vape juice, concentrates, oils and such, non-psychoactive CBD products. Probably a few more.
Like any other store, a dispensary is limited to whatever strains the growers are turning out at the moment and fashion is a big driver because weed smokers are huge novelty whores who are constantly wanting to try the newest thing so the growers are busily crossing strains to accomodate that desire. In Oregon dispensaries are required to post the THC percentage of any strain they sell and usually also post the CBD and terpene profile. Most people are beelining straight for the 30%+ strains although a lot of folks find milder strains that fit their personal body chemistry more attractive. It’s an interesting business–there are now two dispensaries on the way to the closest grocery store. I live in a food desert with more weed shops than food stores, go figure.
Alcohol wise that’s about 60 beers. At my weight and tolerance it takes about 10-12 beers over the course of the night to really get baked (I’m equating an alcohol drunk to a THC high, which I realize is apples and oranges). I’m talking a BAC of .2 or higher.
So, no, I couldn’t get drunk 10 times on that.
