Sale of Recreational Marijuana Begins in Washington State.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/08/washington-marijuana-sales_n_5545187.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-08/washingtons-high-hopes-for-legal-pot-sales-start-small#r=hp-lst

From the second link:

Washington voters approved legalization in 2012. One reason it has taken so long for sales to begin is that unlike Colorado, which used existing sellers of medical marijuana, Washington built its recreational business from scratch. An effective pot tax rateof 44 percent is keeping prices high.At $20 a gram, the price at Cannabis City is about double that in the black market.

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That won't work, twice the price? I would simply keep buying on the black market if that were the case. 44% tax rate? And that is why they fail.

But overall, I'm glad of course. This is the future.

@Master_Live: Pfft. It took them this long and it's -that- much? We've got em licked in this department (we being Colorado). $50 per 1/8 is the norm for both inside and outside of dispensaries in CO. $20 a gram means 1/8 is $70 in WA, which while I'm sure that's more expensive than normal I doubt it's "double" like the article claims.

-Byshop

I know it's the future and all, but something about openly flaunting Marijuana sales just bothers me.

People didn't actually think it was going to be cheap, did they?

I'm glad I don't smoke. Alcohol seems like a better means to waste my money :)

20$ per gram? You better get some good shit from them or you are getting scammed. Also, even 10$ per gram is expensive.

What's with the siggy? BluRay going somewhere or something?

Something recently happened that makes me detest Marijuana. I'm glad they're selling it at such a high price.

He quitted a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/offtopic-discussion-314159273/should-mark-whalberg-s-films-be-boycotted-31310290/?page=1/

Come on, tell us.

Gross, I hate the smell of the stuff it gives me a headache. However, the amount of money we currently spend on law enforcement because it's labeled a schedule 1 drug, for some dumb reason considering meth is schedule 2, gives me a bigger headache so I guess it's for the better.

So far, the idea is a complete failure. If people are already using dealers and getting their weed through dispensaries at $8-$12 gram, who the **** would even consider buying weed retail? It costs $75 to get a medical marijuana card and anyone can get one.

I suspect that when there's more competition between these retail dispensaries, prices should drop...a lot. The absence of competition lets them charge anything they really want.

I'd really rather not. It's one of those things where it's most likely not really justified and I'm probably being really petty but that doesn't change the way I feel about it.

And before you say that there's no reason to hate on pot, I never really said there was and I admitted to being petty, unlike a lot of people who hold pointless beliefs.

$20 a gram is double than normal price in WA, sounds like CO isn't the place to be if you enjoy weed, $50 for 1/8 is insanely steep.

I'm still on the fence about legal weed. However, there is only one way to find out if it should be legal so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Me too. The idea that so many folks want it legalized is also a little disturbing to me. It definitely has its medical uses, but it still unsettles me.

$20 a gram. 44% tax. Yeah that's a pretty outrageous tax on cannabis. I imagine people are just going to start growing their own, or buy on the black market. Medical marijuana shops don't even charge that much in the state, from what I've heard many medical shops offer quality product marginally cheaper than illegal sales prices.

This isn't a first for Washington State, they really fucked up liquor sales in the state when they moved from state run stores only to privatized sales. They taxed bottles then they had a liquor sales tax in addition. It did nearly nothing to make alcohol cheaper. Many that tried making a go at having a mom and pop private liquor stores in my area bellied up as a result.

Who fucking cares.

I am not impressed.

A lot of people, I assume.

@xdude85: Just because it isn't a big deal to you doesn't mean it isn't a big deal to others. It is a big deal to those who use weed, to those who want weed illegal, to the state, and to the government.

Interested because I have the exact opposite view. I would much rather smoke weed over drinking. A lot more healthier with less bad side effects.

What rock did you just crawl out from under that you are so out of touch with reality?

Inhaling smoke of any kind isn't good for you.

There are always cheaper options, but $50 an eight is for high quality KB. In Colorado, the medical and recreational prices are pretty inline with the old prices, but the quality is very consistently high. This is in part because there is so much competition.

-Byshop

Who the hell says you have to smoke it? Smoking is archaic. Marijuana enthusiasts vaporize now. You can also eat it, drink it, etc.

Here in WA it's $25 an 1/8 of some of the best MJ you can find. You can spend more if you want, but here it's $25 for an 1/8 of extremely high quality stuff. $50 for 1/8 is nuts to me. If I paid $50 for 1/8 I'd expect the nugs to be gold and dipped in kief.

You don't have to smoke it. There are other ways of consuming it. Either way, it is still better than alcohol.

$20 a gram is not ridiculous in a lot of parts of the country

At $10 some might question the quality of the product

Besides buying just a gram is a waste of money regardless

SO I HEAR

I don't engage in illegal activities so I wouldn't know.

To each his own. But I don't crave weed like I do a nice cold beer on a hot day. Alcohol is so much more versatile and satisfying than a plant.

Who cares if it's not ridiculous in other parts of the country? It's not being sold in other parts of the country, it's being sold here - where you can get better product and more of it for less than half the price. The article expresses that they expect a line, but I'm hard pressed to believe it because dealers would get to them before they even make it to the cash register. Buying just a gram is a waste indeed - the place that just opened up is only selling 2g per customer it appears...

Drinking is much less versatile, you couldn't have it any more backwards. You can't even operate vehicles or do anything worthwhile under the influence of alcohol.

...you're not supposed to do any of that while high either

That's not what I meant. I was referring to the plethora of different kinds of alcohol and the endless possibility of drink mixes. In that respect, it's much more versatile.

Given the option to buy something legally for $20 compared to buying it illegally for $10, many would go the legal route. Buying from drug dealers is a hassle, especially from the low-level dealers one would have to go through to purchase a gram.

Some people don't want to deal with dealers. When the recreational dispensaries opened in Colorado, lines were hours long in the early days but that has normalized significantly. While it may be cheaper in WA, $50 per eighth is closer to the national average (with some states/cities with more draconian laws ranging up to almost double that). Cities like NYC are known for very high prices and low quality.

"It's not being sold in other parts of the country, it's being sold here..."

Obviously that's not true, since Colorado has already been doing recreational sales since the beginning of the year.

Besides that, I guess you're right... provided you completely forget about the 23 states that allow medical cannabis sales. In most of these states, getting a card is basically a formality and some of these states (like California) don't even require registration. It's estimated that there are at least 500k registered card carriers in CA alone. When Colorado "legalized" weed, it was really more of a lateral step because tons of people were already buying legal weed through medical dispensaries.

-Byshop

You're forgetting there already is a legal route and has been for a long ass time - medical dispensaries. Most people who buy a lot of weed already have medical cards - as I just said, anyone can get them.

"It's not being sold in other parts of the country, it's being sold here..."

Obviously that's not true, since Colorado has already been doing recreational sales since the beginning of the year.

-Byshop

You're taking my statement completely out of context - you can get weed in lots of other parts of the country, my point that you missed is that the weed being sold here isn't in line with the price of other weed in the area. What the retail price is compared to other parts of the country is completely irrelevant, if you're in Seattle, you're not driving to another state to buy weed.

I'm still not following you. Your point was that people aren't leaving WA to go elsewhere to buy more expensive weed? Was somebody arguing that and I missed it?

Back on topic, the other advantage you get from dispensaries is variety of product. Most carry a wide array of edibles and commonly around a dozen different strains. In Colorado, the medical dispensaries also carry tincture and oils which can be used with vapes.

Not that I partake, but I lived in Boulder for 15 years so it's hard to not know about this stuff.

-Byshop

$20 a gram? Lol, good job being sensible about it and undercutting the illegal market. And amazingly I hear, people are consciously (or maybe not) buying it.

I know some people where I live that sell an ounce for $150.

I can't wait for it to be legalized entirely and can just grow my own.

$20 a gram is not ridiculous in a lot of parts of the country

and

While it may be cheaper in WA, $50 per eighth is closer to the national average (with some states/cities with more draconian laws ranging up to almost double that). Cities like NYC are known for very high prices and low quality.

Hell, you just wrote what's above lol. The point that you so clearly missed (twice, I bolded where you missed it the 2nd time) is that these preceding statements are irrelevant because yes - people in WA state aren't driving to places where weed is double the price to buy it. Who cares if $50 isn't for an 1/8 isn't that expensive elsewhere? It's not relevant. In Seattle, people are used to paying $40 or less for 1/8, so they aren't going to spring at the opportunity to pay $40 for a couple grams.

I don't see what the problem is then.

So I read some other stuff which said that the retailer would like to keep it down to maybe $12/gram, which is decent if that does include the 44% tax calculated into it. It said it can range as high as $25/gram. I imagine initially due to lower supply and not enough growers that prices will be higher due to a supply and demand concerns. Hopefully over time the price goes down once more supply is available in the long run. Anyhow, I'm curious with it being legal for recreational use if that allows for people to grow their own much like people who get medicinal licenses can grow their own or have someone else grow it for them.

Not necessarily a problem, I'm just saying that the recreational dispensaries can be a good idea but the execution right now is really poor and not enticing for people who live in Seattle. The black market will never disappear if it's a lot cheaper than recreational dispensaries, and I think the aim of recreational dispensaries are to squash out the black market.

I see. You misunderstood -my- point and you were arguing against a point I didn't make. You had said:

"sounds like CO isn't the place to be if you enjoy weed"

...which is a statement I was politely calling bullshit on with counterpoints (I was going a bit OT from the discussion of the merits of recreational dispensaries in WA). That's like saying California is a bad state for weed. Colorado has been known for weed since long before the advent of dispensaries, medical or otherwise. Boulder (and often Denver) consistently show up on most "top 10 weed cities" lists. Denver hosted the first US based Cannabis Cup, CU Campus in Boulder has an annual 4/20 celebration and the variety and quality available in this state is pretty well known. Even if WA is cheaper that hardly makes CO a bad state for weed (to my point that the prices here are actually pretty average).

-Byshop

God bless America.

I doubt most really into it even care about price. Their medical program passed 16 years ago and allows users to grow 15 plants and have 24 oz :P

In Colorado it's like four plants and up to at least an ounce for "personal use". Granted, that's still a shitton of weed if it's just for one person.

-Byshop

What's the quality of weed that the dispensaries offer? Is it better than what you can get on the street?

I don't crave weed, but thinking beer is good for you on a hot day is a fool's way of thinking.

You mean beer isn't the go-to drink after working on the lawn in the hot sun in the middle of July for 4 hours? lol

What kind of weed do they sell? Just one kind that costs 20$ per gram?

Dispensaries are the apex of pot. Compared to the black market, they're extremely self regulated and typically only sell high-quality product. They're much cheaper than going to dealers - most dispensaries will give you a few grams of weed simply for walking in and checking them out. If you just picked up your medical MJ card and live in Seattle, you could easily scoop up 20+ grams of free pot just by checking various dispensaries in the area. Also, unlike the majority of dealers, they have large selections of pot, concentrates (hash), edibles, etc.

I grouped you in with Sun Tzu's argument because my point and response is the same. Regardless of what the price is for the region, it sounds like you're paying roughly double compared to CA/WA simply because of where you live. I don't care if CO has a history of being a pot frontier, $50 for a quality 1/8 in dispensaries is too much. I wouldn't even touch the stuff if it were nearly that expensive here, that's getting up to Cocaine-like prices. If you enjoy using marijuana on a regular basis, CO isn't where you're going to want to be, because by simply living there the already potentially expensive habit gets twice as expensive. If you're rich, then obviously it isn't an issue, but the majority of people aren't. Similarly, if I moved somewhere and gas cost twice as much, I probably wouldn't drive either - you need to understand once things hit a certain price, they lose the majority of their value and appeal. Another example and metaphor of what I mean is that I wouldn't be able to justify spending $20 on a single potato, even if all potatoes in the area cost $20, because once I enjoy that one potato, eventually I'm going to want to make french fries...

Relative to other Bible-belt states, CO is a marijuana sanctuary, but not necessarily one I'd ever want to visit.