Here in British Columbia my friends who smoke prefer going to the dispensaries that have opened over their old local drug dealer. It is more convenient to go to a store with regular hours than to arrange a meeting. They also get to choose exactly which strains they are buying instead of having to take what is available. I think it is going to be very difficult to earn a decent income only selling weed.

Edit; there was a house worth 1.5 million for sale nearby, a beautiful custom home on a big lot, for sale for 400,000 because it had a grow op which is the same as a meth lab in the eyes of the law. No bank will lend on the property, the occupancy permit for the house is revoked, and the soil is considered contaminated until proven otherwise. All for a bunch of plants! Many laws and regulations will have to catch up for people to be able to legally grow at home with no repercussions.

I was of the understanding that the problem with grow-op houses is they're often riddled with mould and have unsafe electrical modifications:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/12-signs-your-home-was-...

A friend wanted to buy the ex grow op house and he couldn't find a way to ever get a mortgage on it. And he works at a bank selling mortgages. So while some houses may be trashed by grow ops they are all assumed to be trashed and there is no way to remove the black mark from the property.

Shouldn't that drop the price until someone can buy it outright? You know, supply and demand? What's keeping the price up? Is the previous owner unwilling to sell so low?

the 1.5 million dollar house was for sale for 400,000. I'd say the price did drop. The bank had taken the house back from the owner because he was so far underwater on it and it was the bank selling it at 400,000.

very true... im from BC too.

i use to pickup on the street but got annoyed with having to arrange a meetup with a dealer/supplier, the dispensary is much more convenient. dont have to wait on anyone, the businesses are open at set times with a large variety.

definately paying more for the convenience and consistency. i use to pay 160-200$ CAD an ounce on the street (5$-7$/gram).

at the dispensary i rarely pickup below $10/gram strains. more recently i have been getting $12-13/gram strains, but thats where i draw the limit. there are $15+/gram strains popping up at dispensaries that i dont think are worth it.

if you are a heavy consumer... it will hit you hard in the pocket book making the transition. i was spending on average $1000+ a month (#1 customer at 4000+ member dispensary) till i made some life decisions.

i partake, but maybe <$100/month i spend now (i prefer it more than alcohol).

as per the supply chain, most are illegal drug suppliers legitimatizing their business into legal/license distributors (using illegal funds to build multi-million dollar govt approved factories for growing and selling to licensed shops and USA).

as per the in-home growing or GrowOp houses... cant believe some people still make a mess with wiring, smell, mold etc.. this was common 10+ years ago... but nowadays its hard to have problems like this.

LED lights + smell proof rooms + good ventillation + air filters to mask smell, its very hard to get caught... and you dont have to do any damage (ran high pressure aeroponics setup that vented out of top of house, was in a enclosed smellproof 8x10 closet space). you can run a very good "clean" setup for a few hundred dollars.

anyways, anything is good in moderation... overdoing it can lead to risks. from the amount i use to smoke compared to now, i feel i have less anxiety when not high in stressfull situations and able to cope better (giving me less reasons to smoke up)

> If officials think that your average daily consumers - not the new people who will toke once legal, but those who already consume daily - are going to tolerate an increase of any amount for the product... enjoy the black market that will continue to proliferate.

I'm sure most people will pay more for better quality, same way I buy wine from LCBO instead of fermenting it myself in plastic barrels (which I could totally do for 1/10 the price).

I live in Colorado, and thought it was going to be the same way for myself and for the general public.

However, over the past year or so I've found it more convenient to visit a store than my "guy". There's a store within walking distance to my home, predictable hours, regular sales and loyalty programs.

All in all, I'm happy to pay more for those things. Many feel the same.

Yes, the black market will still exist- but I think you'll see more local growers fueling the market than south of the border cartels.

> Here in Canada it is illegal to operate a spirits distillery in your home. I wouldn't be surprised if it is not legalized, as it opens up avenues for "criminal selling", ie: people growing at home and selling it - bypassing taxation.

Stills are also very dangerous which is a good enough reason to keep them out of homes. Your pot plant isn't going to explode as a high pressure fireball.

Personal wine production is also regulated. There are limits on quantities, you can't sell it, restrictions on serving it at functions, etc.