Well we dont really see illegal tobacco growing operations despite the significant tax burden. The significant price premium must be significantly above the cost of production.

The stigma against smoking tobacco is increasing more and more though, and there is an increasingly popular and cheaper nicotine alternative in vaping.

We do see black market tobacco sales, however.

But only smuggled. We also dont see commercially viable Heroin production and poppy cultivation in the destination countries, despite the favorable climate. Growing and producing some drugs inland is just not a viable option, despite an significant price premium caused by smuggling.

Counter point: I can probably brew alcohol for cheaper than I can buy it. But the convenience, availability, and legality makes up for the cost.

It's not illegal to brew your own alcohol, and it's easy to get started, it's just difficult and time-consuming to do well.

(Although it is illegal to distill without a licence).

It's not illegal to grow marijuana in my state, and while I know quite a few people that use marijuana recreationally or medically, I only know of a few that grow it themselves even though it's not particularly difficult.

It’s actually laughably easy. I did it once. I had zero gardening experience but did this indoors in a walk-in closet. It probably took a total of a regular work week of actual work and a few days of research beforehand, and I got over 1/4 lb. and was very high quality. But the main thing I got from it was a love of gardening haha.

alcohol is a bit different than other drugs in that people also appreciate it as a culinary experience. most users of other drugs are not willing to pay 2-10x as much for the same drug in a better tasting form.

Having been to a legal marijuana shop and having had several pothead friends growing up I can confirm that marijuana users have all kinds of appreciation for culinary aspects of their drug. That's obviously different with pharma drugs, but for plants I think there's a comparison.

honestly I would believe this, but in my experience people are spending the extra money to get strains that are either more potent or have different subjective effects. I've never known anyone who would pay $100 for a gram just for it to taste good.

Lots and lots of stoners would disagree with you. Maybe this isn’t true for some things, but I remembers when ecstasy was really popular hearing people talk about different kinds.

Counter Counter Point: The supply chain has been a place for a long time and is pretty convenient, I'd say even more so.

As far as I know making alcohol is much more work than growing weed though.

Alcohol is really easy to brew and relatively easy to distill. Now, making good alcohol is another story.

But for that matter, growing good weed is another story and properly dry-curing it is too (it's not as simple as dehydrating the crap out of it to get good pot for smoking).

Exactly. Growing extremely high quality weed is a piece of cake. The plant does all the work, and all you have to pay it is light and water (a large amount). Those things are mostly invincible.

leave juice out in an area with yeast (so... almost anywhere) and the juice will ferment. You'll get more alcohol faster if you dump in some yeast (even the stuff for making bread would work, if we are trying to do this without anything designed to make alcohol)

It probably will be super gross at this point, but will get you drunk.

Search amazon for 'countertop water distiller' for under a hundred bucks, they'll ship you a "countertop water distiller" - run your spoilt juice through that thing a few times, and i'm not saying it will be good vodka; it won't... but it will be mostly alcohol, and it will be something you could probably choke down when mixed with something that tastes strong enough.

I mean, making booze that tastes good, that's an art. but if you just wanna get drunk? Probably easier than making decent bread.

I doubt you can, considering your opportunity cost.

Well, illegal growing in a state where marijuana is legal seems strange but if you read the article, the grows described here are primarily targeting the illegal markets in other states.

That isn't entirely true. There's a thriving black and grey market around THC oil today, in particular, in California. Counterfeits are a well-known problem. It's not improbable to think that the oil for those counterfeits could come from illegal grow ops.