This fascinating AP story really nails a dimension of the legalization discussion that is rarely understood or acknowledged in the press:
Funny how the "threat of legalization" means such different things to different people. If anyone still doesn't understand how legalization will impact the black market, well, try asking the black market what it thinks. These people are freaking out and you really shouldn’t need an advanced degree in economics to understand why that is.
This is the reality that legalization's opponents are incapable of addressing. The marijuana economy already exists and the debate over taxation and regulation is merely a question of how the industry will be structured. This is not a matter of whether or not California should have marijuana. California already has more marijuana than it knows what to do with.
A vote against legalization is a vote for illegal growers and dealers. And they thank you for your support, as always.
If California legalizes marijuana, they say, it will drive down the price of their crop and damage not just their livelihoods but the entire economy along the state's rugged northern coast.
Local residents are so worried that pot farmers came together with officials in Humboldt County for a standing-room-only meeting Tuesday night where civic leaders, activists and growers brainstormed ideas for dealing with the threat.
Funny how the "threat of legalization" means such different things to different people. If anyone still doesn't understand how legalization will impact the black market, well, try asking the black market what it thinks. These people are freaking out and you really shouldn’t need an advanced degree in economics to understand why that is.
This is the reality that legalization's opponents are incapable of addressing. The marijuana economy already exists and the debate over taxation and regulation is merely a question of how the industry will be structured. This is not a matter of whether or not California should have marijuana. California already has more marijuana than it knows what to do with.
A vote against legalization is a vote for illegal growers and dealers. And they thank you for your support, as always.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
Pot Prices to Rise?
The Humboldt growers are a pessimistic group. Why not be positive and anticipate a tourist boom in one or more of the states that legalize marijuana in November?
It’s easy to panic in the face of uncertainty. In the event of uncertainty, make plans.
California could become the next tyranny-free-zone for cannabis aficionados who flock there in the thousands to breathe in the new freedoms. More tourist dollars for marijuana might drive up the price for marijuana if there isn’t already a pot surplus or something else that offsets the market.
Marijuana legalization will give entrepreneurs opportunities to create new businesses and new service-industry jobs. If marijuana legalization passes in California, hemp legalization can’t be that far behind. California is already the world's fifth largest supplier of food and agriculture commodities. The State can easily get its foot in the door and corner the U.S. hemp market over the next few years until other states wise up.
It’s a win-win situation for those who can adapt quickly to a changing market in California’s oncoming green rush. The only thing anyone has to fear is being legal for a change.
Giordano
Well said
Well said and so true. These people are running on the same mind set as the Mexican cartels minus the violence. They of all people should not be blinded to new oppurtunities. I guess greed rules.
I disagree with the post and
I disagree with the post and agree with Giordano.
Have you seen the prices of marijuana in Amsterdam? They're comparable to prices in New York City. And marijuana makes a lot of money for a lot of people in Amsterdam, including the government which taxes it.
Cannabis now is in a grey area. If it is legalized the growers won't have to worry about random raids and seizures. And it also means a lot more new customers. Legalization would definitely be a boon to the industry.
Not that it's very
Not that it's very important, but that reporter--whom I talked with at the forum, which I helped to put on--had written his story before he got to town. It's a shame, because the real story is very interesting: the country's most successful price-support program in history is finally dying of its own success, creating uncertainties in boom-and-bust counties that have never had it so good so long. Uncertainty is scary. All the points made here and everywhere by thoughtful people were also made at the forum that idiot attended without covering. They're obvious to people in pot country too.
What probably contributed to the reporter's failure was a "The sky is falling!" presentation aimed at Garberville's business community, to scare them into cooperating with a community they've never quite cottoned to, except at the cash register. He was misled by piffling local culture wars to miss the salient fact: 200 people gathering together with the elephant in the room, to talk about it! Rotarian worthies finally worrying that the ugly elephant may leave their room! He could have written the story even without a brain, just with a sense of humor. Potheads, where are you when we need you?
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