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39
AmericaFloats 39 points ago +39 / -0

Dealers want decriminalization so you don’t worry about getting caught coming from their place.

Dealers don’t want legalization because their business will naturally go elsewhere.

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ramcolt1 26 points ago +26 / -0

"Dealers don’t want legalization because their business will naturally go elsewhere."

True, up to a point where the government taxes the newly-legalized drugs so much, that there becomes a parallel black market for said drugs. Its happening here in California with marijuana

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Girthquakes 2 points ago +2 / -0

Can confirm. The taxes they slap onto recreational cannabis is crazy, the only way to avoid the outrageous taxes is to get a "hard" medical card that shows a recommendation from a physician. You can no longer use a paper recommendation from any old Joe Shmoe clinic like you used to. It has to be from an actual doctor. Black market prices are much better for the same quality and quantity.

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Nerdrem 2 points ago +2 / -0

Yeah I lived in Washington when it was legalized and I just kept going through the same dude I always did. In fact, I didn't even set foot in a dispensary until I went to Colorado on vacation.

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Dracomax 2 points ago +2 / -0

That depends on the amount of taxation weighed against the quality of the product. if government licensed product is safer and more pure(i.e. not cut with filler) then it will tend to accept taxation, provided said taxation isn't democrat level taxation.

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SuddenlyClintoned 1 point ago +1 / -0

Same here in Canada. You effectively pay 6-12x more when buying legally, in comparison.

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bidensmissingbrain 14 points ago +16 / -2

Dealers don’t want legalization because their business will naturally go elsewhere.

Not necessarily. If you operated in an "illegal" industry (ie: drugs) and it suddenly became legalized, you wouldn't immediately see a drop in sales. In fact, you'd still have a leg up in the market because you're already a known quantity in the space. That leg up wouldn't last forever without some sort of innovation of course but you'd definitely have a head start while other places try to catch up to you.

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zooty 3 points ago +3 / -0

The other places will be large corporations and they'll either buy you out or create their own market share from scratch.

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bidensmissingbrain 1 point ago +1 / -0

The other places will be large corporations and they'll either buy you out...

Okay so you get an instant payday and retire early. Sounds good to me (and probably a lot of other people).

...or create their own market share from scratch.

Which will take time, giving you the opportunity to stay one or more steps ahead of them.

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BillBarrsLastBucket 3 points ago +3 / -0

Not how it worked anywhere legalization has happened. All the growers in Humboldt lost money. Legalization dramatically lowered prices. With lower profit margins small independent farms can't compete. Larger corporations (cartel) take over and the weed industry becomes just like any other ag industry. Eventually Monsanto will run it. Not saying it is wrong because I would bet violence related to illegal grows has dropped. What it boils down to is our government needs to enforce anti-monopaly laws. Probably need to return patent laws to what they were intended to be as well.

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zooty 2 points ago +2 / -0

Not if they throw enough money at it. They'll have a huge advertising campaign and you'll be scratching around banks looking for a loan. Plus they'll probably be having a word with their pet politicians about making life hard for you.

And the buyout thing? Sure, it can be a sweet enough deal for the person being bought out but we were looking at the bigger picture.

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DiscoverAFire 2 points ago +2 / -0

Legalization usually comes with regulation though. Ma and Pa's bud shop can't afford to do FDA testing and compliance for their backyard worth of weed. You need a warehouse-sized greenhouse to make the economics work, and several warehouses to ameliorate those costs down to a minimal level.