legal weed continues to confuse CA politicos/other weed news

[dead0man]

Link-LA Times

Two years after California began licensing pot shops, the industry remains so outmatched by the black market that a state panel recently joined some legalization supporters in calling for significant changes — perhaps turning again to voters to address the problems.
In its annual draft report, the Cannabis Advisory Committee warned Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators that high taxes, overly burdensome regulations and local control issues posed debilitating obstacles to the legal marijuana market.

no sh**t?

“Despite the state’s committed efforts to bring cannabis businesses fully into the regulated commercial market,” the report said, “as much as 80% of the cannabis market in California remains illicit.”

<snip>

Proposition 64 legalized growing, selling and using marijuana for recreational purposes in November 2016, and the state began issuing licenses on Jan. 1, 2018. Officials originally estimated the state would take in $1 billion annually in tax revenue from cannabis, but the fiscal year that ended in June saw just $288 million collected. The current state budget projects $359 million in tax collections.

Before passage of Proposition 64, almost 1,800 dispensaries were selling marijuana for medical purposes, which was legalized by California voters in 1996. So far, 568 retail stores have received licenses, as have 230 delivery firms. By comparison, Colorado — with some 15% of California’s population — has more than 1,000 pot shops.

the left leaning dummies in Washington state did the same thing and their weed tax income (37% excise tax, plus state and local sales tax) has been low as well.  Also the same in all of Canada, except Alberta which has more than HALF the pot stores in all of Canada.  Good job Ontario politicos!  Michigan and Illinois are both starting legal weed soon.  The tax burden in IL will be:7% tax on growers, various excise taxes (25% on products with high THC percent, 20% on "infused" producst and 10% on buds) in addition to a sales tax of 6.25% and local taxes as high as 4.75%.  Michigan on the other hand has a 10% excise tax added to the sales tax of 6% and they're done.  And Chicago plans to add an "occupation tax" of 3% of gross receipts.  IL isn't quite as high as WA and nowhere close to CA whose taxes can be as high as 45%.

[brucejoel99]

In Riverside County, the 5 Supervisors voted for commercial cannabis grown only in land zoned "Industrial," & only in warehouses. In other words, only for the rich. Thousands with "Agriculture" zoned land were outlawed from commercial cannabis operations. People wanted mom-&-pop commercial cannabis operations; legal permits; to pay taxes; outdoor, seasonal commercial cannabis operations & tasting rooms like Napa Valley. And they wonder why there's a huge black market for cannabis? It exists because Mom-&-Pops were told to go get f**ked.

[dead0man]

Imagine how bad they would have screwed it up if it was entirely a govt operation.  Like Kindergartens.

[The Mamdani Virus]

Oh wow, legalizing marijuana didn’t actually solve the black market people

It just resulted in more people using it


Yet another argument to keep marijuana illegal

[HillGoose]

why do there have to be all this big gov regulation crap why not just let people open a business without all that stuff see this is what is wrong with our country also every other drug should be legal too if someone wants to turn their house into a crack cocaine store i don't understand why the gov should care

[dead0man]

Oh wow, legalizing marijuana didn’t actually solve the black market people

It just resulted in more people using it


Yet another argument to keep marijuana illegal

more people using it is evidence it should have remained illegal?  How does that make any sense to you?  Did you think fewer people would use it when it was legalized?  That would be a stupid assumption to make.

[Virginiá]

The changes will be aimed at streamlining the permit process and “pushing local jurisdictions to understand the benefits of regulation versus continued prohibition,” Elliott said.

Seems counter-productive to legalize cannabis consumption but then let localities continue to prohibit sales of it, particularly when the voters themselves approved it and the only people holding out are the politicians. Simple solution here would be to only allow a locality to prohibit sales if the voters themselves approve such a ban.

[Senator Sirius]

Its rather ridiculous to have fewer restrictions on selling tobacco than weed. Any store should be able to sell it, as it is not a dangerous product. There's no reason at all to be so  restrictive about it. When we prohibited alcohol, all it did was make people put themselves into more danger. Can't we learn?

[dead0man]

meanwhile, in Colorado

The act authorizes marijuana hospitality spaces in which both medical and retail marijuana may be consumed on site — and retail marijuana hospitality and sales establishments in which retail marijuana, retail marijuana concentrate, and retail marijuana products may be sold and consumed on site

Those establishments could include added-on rooms to medical and recreational pot stores already in business, places where marijuana is sold and consumed socially, or businesses that aren’t allowed to sell product, but allow customers to bring marijuana they purchase there for use.