Legal marijuana sales in US 'bigger than dot-com boom'

Things like this make you realize how dumb governments are. They'll tax you for everything under the sun, but could make a kajillion more dollars by legalizing gambling (like, Nevada-level of gambling) and marijuana.
 
Like I said before, cool that a few less people gonna have their loves destroyed, cool that some schools like get a cash injection, but I am not that enthusiastic over the industry that much.
 
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Like I said before, cool that a few less people gonna have their loves destroyed, cool that some schools like get a cash injection, but I am not that enthusiastic over the industry that much.

Sucka. You prolly skerred to take an advil and chase it with a beer.
 
im just waiting for this to be legalized in NJ... then i will come back to smoking... just to much of hassle right now to cop some budd
 
im just waiting for this to be legalized in NJ... then i will come back to smoking... just to much of hassle right now to cop some budd

I remember every single one of my friends talking about how recreational weed wasn't going to work because it was so expensive, and they'd just keep buying from their dealer. Literally all of them shop at rec stores now lol. It's really convenient, there's a ton of good stuff, and you can buy so much stuff pre-rolled. You're paying for convenience (don't have to get a card) and peace of mind knowing what you're getting.
 
Because they don't have standards. It's like beef. Yeah it's cool but Kobe raised >

They do have standards and have lab testing. What do you think they do with the shake? = prerolls.
Then sale it for cheap. Working in a hospital for the last 5 yrs and have never seen a POT detox or withdraws. But alcohol withdraw and other illicit drugs. OMG and it's the same ones over and over in for detox. For the last 5 yrs, yes i'm saying it's the worst for you and the deadliest.
 
They do have standards and have lab testing. What do you think they do with the shake? = prerolls.
Then sale it for cheap. Working in a hospital for the last 5 yrs and have never seen a POT detox or withdraws. But alcohol withdraw and other illicit drugs. OMG and it's the same ones over and over in for detox. For the last 5 yrs, yes i'm saying it's the worst for you and the deadliest.

We were talking about smokers and not suppliers. There are some people who settle for shake. There are people who prefer concentrates is all I'm saying. Standard of what people ingest.

And for the record marijuana withdrawal is very real.
 
We were talking about smokers and not suppliers. There are some people who settle for shake. There are people who prefer concentrates is all I'm saying. Standard of what people ingest.

And for the record marijuana withdrawal is very real.

Anything has a withdraw. Show me in the medical field where people are detoxing from POT?
MR.KNOW IT ALL
Like i said i have yet to see it in the hospitals..
 
Anything has a withdraw. Show me in the medical field where people are detoxing from POT?
MR.KNOW IT ALL
Like i said i have yet to see it in the hospitals..

Man somethings wrong with you I think. You might want to speak to a professional. But the list of symptoms your body experiences when expelling THC from your fat, intestines, is just one physical with drawel.

Let's not even discuss the psychological and physiological withdrawals that occur.

Cool that you work in a hospital but you do know janitors and cooks work in medical environments too as well?

People detox and do rehabilitation for marijuana all the time. I'm not showing you nothing you can google on your own.
 
This is an article about an interview with Grover Norquist regarding the 280(e) situation for MJ businesses. It's positive, check it out.

Marijuana’s taxing situation: Q&A with political activist Grover Norquist

By John Schroyer

Grover-Norquist-cropped-e1489436256559.jpg


Politics can indeed make for strange bedfellows.

Case in point: Grover Norquist, the clean-cut, conservative keeper of the anti-tax pledge signed by nearly half the sitting members of Congress, defies pretty much every stereotype of marijuana supporter there is.

But he has been a vocal ally of the cannabis industry for more than a decade.

The reason is simple: Norquist is nothing if not philosophically consistent. Americans for Tax Reform – the nonprofit advocacy group Norquist runs – is a major proponent of repealing the 280E provision of the U.S. tax code because the organization advocates for a fair national tax policy and federalism, where power is divided among the federal government, states and municipalities.

Federalism and a fair tax policy are currently at odds, Norquist told Marijuana Business Daily, a nod to the fact marijuana is illegal on the federal level while more than half the states have legalized cannabis in some form.

But he believes there’s a solid chance the new Republican Congress will fix the situation within a few years. And as a longtime conservative politico, few would know the minds of Congressional Republican leaders better than Norquist.

What’s Americans for Tax Reform’s position on marijuana?

ATR’s position is that we should have tax equity and that federalism is a very good idea, (which means) that debating questions such as whether marijuana should be legal for medicinal or recreational purposes (should be a state issue). The best way to have that conversation is to have the 50 states experiment and demonstrate.

If it turns out everybody runs into each other with cars, then probably other states won’t do it. If that’s not what happens, then they may well.

Spring 2017 MJBizConThe 280E section of the tax code is used to strip all normal business deductions away from somebody who sells marijuana. Instead of having a 35% tax on your profits, it’s a 35% tax on sales, which can be more than your profits, or it can be 70% of your profits. It’s devastating.

So we have been supportive from the beginning of getting rid of that particular tax policy. We ought to strip out that discrimination against marijuana production, sale and use, and allow states to have a conversation about what works and what doesn’t and what they want to do.

What would you like to see Republicans in Congress, and the Trump administration, do with regard to federal marijuana policy?

What I would urge is that we work through Congress. We’ve got enough states now to be able to say, “You should be able to bank – that should not be a problem. You should be able to take normal business deductions in states where this is treated as a normal product.”

If a state says no (to MJ legalization), then a state says no. But when they do say yes, then it should be respected that way. On a principled matter, (Congress) shouldn’t have federal tax law gutting the ability of states to experiment with different efforts, and that’s true on school choice and home schooling and gun laws as well as marijuana.

There’s a big tax bill this year – the tax reform package that takes corporate rates to 20% – which solves some of the problem for marijuana producers because now you’re paying 20% on all your sales instead of 35%. But we still need to get normal and reasonable and legal deductions made legal and normal for the marijuana industry, as well as for all other industries. Marijuana could get into that package if some of the libertarian Republicans made that a condition of voting for the whole package.

Or, there’ll be an annual tax cut during this presidency. They won’t all be as big as this first one, but it’ll happen every year.

So, as we build support for a fix, we need to build support state by state, where we say, “Look, you don’t want federal tax law used to gut the effectiveness of federalism. Because you could say something can be legal at the state level, but if the federal government is going to tax it into oblivion, you really haven’t allowed federalism at all.”

That’s the situation we have here.

Have you spoken with any GOP congressional leaders about fixing 280E?

It’s going to be fixed in the next few years. I’d rather have it fixed in the next year. And I’ve brought it up with leadership. They understand the argument. I just need to get more congressmen weighing in and saying, “Hey, leadership, this is an issue that a number of us have.”

So, as we get that number up and as we get more structures from around the country weighing in, I think it becomes more doable.

Do you think any other federal marijuana reforms could get more traction this year?

The biggest one is getting the Justice Department to agree to stick with the approach that largely the Obama administration had. I think that’s easier because of California’s heft.

I do think we will have a good discussion and progress and not impossibly a victory on 280E.

And we will keep moving to reduce the other debt discrimination against the marijuana industry, which is the ability to bank, because people are afraid they’re going to be accused of being money launderers or drug smugglers or something.

People need to be able to bank in local banks and not have a cash business but a business at which you can use credit cards and checks – for safety reasons, for security reasons.

All of those are small steps forward, and you don’t have to have decided that marijuana prohibition was completely wrong at all times and in all places to recognize there’s no reason to have these additional impediments on a legal business in a state.
http://mjbizdaily.com/marijuanas-taxing-situation-qa-with-political-activist-grover-norquist/
 
Will be interesting to see how this plays out...

Black Caucus calls for special session on medical marijuana

Del. Cheryl Glenn, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, along with Sen. Joan Carter Conway and other members of the Legislative Black Caucus, issued a demand to Gov. Hogan and other State leaders to hold a one-day special session to pass a bill they say was intentionally left to expire as the session ended. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)
Erin CoxErin CoxContact ReporterThe Baltimore Sun

The head of the Legislative Black Caucus said Tuesday her organization wants Gov. Larry Hogan to recall the General Assembly to Annapolis for a one-day special session to pass a law expanding the medical marijuana industry.

That legislation failed in the waning minutes of the annual 90-day session on Monday night, ending a months-long fight to grant lucrative medical cannabis growing licenses to companies owned by minorities.


Despite a state law requiring regulators to seek racial diversity, none of the 15 firms to win preliminary licenses last year was led by African-Americans.

Baltimore Democratic Del. Cheryl Glenn, chair of the 51-member caucus, said the last-minute failure of the group's top priority left black lawmakers "feeling rejected, dejected and taken for granted" by the Democrats who lead the General Assembly. The caucus sought to issue another five licenses and reinvent the commission that had awarded the initial ones.

"Nothing changes, and most importantly, that means African-Americans are left out of this billion-dollar industry in Maryland, and that is not acceptable," Glenn said Tuesday.

Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer declined to comment on the request. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Democrat, referred the topic to House Speaker Michael E. Busch, also a Democrat. Busch said that the caucus needed to raise it with the governor.
Maryland General Assembly 2017

Glenn planned a morning press conference Wednesday to continue to press the issue. She'll be joined by African-American prospective business owners, Baltimore defense attorney Billy Murphy, and representatives from GTI Maryland, a company suing the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission over how it awarded the initial round of licenses.

GTI and another firm, Maryland Cultivation and Processing, filed lawsuits against the commission after they were removed from the pool of winning applicants as the commission sought geographic diversity among growers. Negotiations broke down in the General Assembly over whether to write into state law that the two companies are entitled to a new license.
Bill signing at Annapolis State House
Caption Bill signing at Annapolis State House
Signing bills after General Assembly session ends
Caption Signing bills after General Assembly session ends

Miller insisted that any legislation contain that provision. Busch refused to consider it until late Monday, when it appeared no legislation would pass without the provision. The final vote on the House floor did not take place before the midnight deadline to adjourn.

Glenn said this has caused a rift between the caucus and Democratic leaders who rely on its members to help pass legislation.

"They failed us, and it stings," she said. "And the way that we resolve it is the one-day special session. Let's pick up where we left off."

The Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Trade Association, which represents companies that received initial permission to grow and process the drug, said the legislation's failure allows it to continue to "focus on the primary goal: getting medical cannabis to Maryland patients," hundreds of whom turned up in Annapolis to make their voices heard.

Dr. Paul Davies, chairman of the cannabis commission, said he was "very relieved" the commission would not be reconstituted and that it could continue work to issue final licenses that would put the drug in patients' hands by summer. The commission has hired a diversity consultant, and by law will re-evaluate in 2018 whether the market for medical marijuana can support more growers, processors or dispensaries.

"The commission gets the message that racial and ethnic diversity is important," Davies said. "We plan to aggressively pursue a policy of diversity."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...-medical-cannabis-session-20170411-story.html
 
Legal marijuana industry is not intended for black people to be able to benefit and thrive off of, period. One of the most honorable things that could be done would be for white folks to simply stay out of the industry or open the business and simply give it to black folks. 100% of it. The disproportionate levels in which black people have been oppressed, terrorized, ruined, disenfranchised, etc due to clearly discriminatory and predatory laws, policies, and daily enforcement/entrapment. That's if there where white people that cared. But I know it's unrealistic. Too much individualism to actually feel responsible and complicit hence no thoughts whatsoever in banking off a plant that destroyed so many lives while in that very same time period, whites were in colleges, hippies, weekend tokers etc with no one bothering them in the slightest. The "good" life lol.
 
Legal marijuana industry is not intended for black people to be able to benefit and thrive off of, period. One of the most honorable things that could be done would be for white folks to simply stay out of the industry or open the business and simply give it to black folks. 100% of it. The disproportionate levels in which black people have been oppressed, terrorized, ruined, disenfranchised, etc due to clearly discriminatory and predatory laws, policies, and daily enforcement/entrapment. That's if there where white people that cared. But I know it's unrealistic. Too much individualism to actually feel responsible and complicit hence no thoughts whatsoever in banking off a plant that destroyed so many lives while in that very same time period, whites were in colleges, hippies, weekend tokers etc with no one bothering them in the slightest. The "good" life lol.
I know dozens of white folk who were and still are locked up for either "intending to distribute" or "trafficking" class D.

I get where you're coming from, but you should be preaching for big corporations and government to keep their hands off, not mom and pop white hippies. That's just ridiculous.
 
Legal marijuana industry is not intended for black people to be able to benefit and thrive off of, period. One of the most honorable things that could be done would be for white folks to simply stay out of the industry or open the business and simply give it to black folks. 100% of it. The disproportionate levels in which black people have been oppressed, terrorized, ruined, disenfranchised, etc due to clearly discriminatory and predatory laws, policies, and daily enforcement/entrapment. That's if there where white people that cared. But I know it's unrealistic. Too much individualism to actually feel responsible and complicit hence no thoughts whatsoever in banking off a plant that destroyed so many lives while in that very same time period, whites were in colleges, hippies, weekend tokers etc with no one bothering them in the slightest. The "good" life lol.

Not sure where to start with this post :lol:

I get what you're saying but this is an NT extreme if I've ever seen one.

One of the most honorable things that could be done would be for white folks to simply stay out of the industry or open the business and simply give it to black folks. 100% of it.

So I should just stay out of the industry that involves the one thing that I've loved and has been a part of my life everyday for the past 10 years? I should just give away my business that I've spent the past year building, almost losing my gf and alienating my family in the process, not to mention spending over $140k on? Just give that away, 100% of it, after I've already resigned from my prior job?

:rofl: ok buddy.

I agree with the rest of your post. BUT, the industry in DC in 75% black. The smaller companies, I'm talking about vendors, delivery companies, people hosting events, etc... They are majority black. But that market is saturated with everyone trying to do the same thing. A lot of them lack the adequate planning needed for longevity and there's just too much competition that some of them are going to fizzle out due to lack of success. This market segment is a small part of the pie. The more unique companies like head shops, dispensaries, cultivation centers, testing companies, extraction labs, etc... that have lawyers and employees on W-4s and everything legit paying taxes, the demographic is DEFINITELY white. Those businesses have higher start up costs and require lawyers as well (which just adds even more costs). You have to have a business background and be very careful navigating the grey areas, you'll probably have to hire a few more professionals. It's just not something you can do without knowledge/resources, which some of the aspiring black entrepreneurs lack, partially due to past injustices and systematic racism.

I'm not sure the answer but it's not white exclusion. The plant is for everyone. In DC I definitely work with more black people than white and have never experienced any racial tension. We are all in it together, help each other, and recognize how hard we are working. The bud tenders in my dispensary are all minorities, I think they are minority owned.

I tried to bank with Industrial Bank, local black-owned bank, and they denied me an account because I "send/receive wages from marijuana related entities." :smh:
 
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I really want to get a job at leafly or weedmaps. I don't want to relocate yet though.

Can;t wait for more tech companies in this space. 
 
roll.gif
at you trying to imply that it's even remotely close.
 Close to what? I'd never imply that white folks have been more afflicted than black folks by any type of drug legislation. I hope that's not how you interpreted. Dude simply made it seem like MJ was an unpunishable offense for white ppl up until now, which is ludicrous.
 
 Close to what? I'd never imply that white folks have been more afflicted than black folks by any type of drug legislation. I hope that's not how you interpreted. Dude simply made it seem like MJ was an unpunishable offense for white ppl up until now, which is ludicrous.

Let me couch myself, b/c I think we're both doing #NTextremes.

It's a legal greenery thread.

:pimp:
 
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