Eat a peppercorn… You’re too high.

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As usual, it all started with the best of intentions, but over time has been exploited and perverted in multiple fashions like application and permit fees. A once promising industry has been simply priced out of the common mans grasp.  Most people can’t even grow their own.

Since 1996 when Medical Cannabis Laws dropped, they have evolved quickly; 30 states and Washington DC have medical cannabis laws in place.  Over time there has been an array of  gluttonous figures released along with inane expectations for production and dispensary facilities. In some cases full business entities need to be created before application processing.

What does that mean? That means you need a building, zoning, and staff before an application can be completely processed. Oh and by the way, the applications are being reported anywhere from $2,000 and up. And that’s non-refundable. Wait a minute… You want to grow the medicine? In some areas it has been reported that producers of Cannabis had to put $2,000,000.00 into escrow for an “X” amount of time.  It was recently reported that Ohio has set some of the highest fees of any Medical Cannabis State. A $20,000 application fee and $180,000 license fee for larger growers, and a $2,000 application fee and $18,000 license fee for smaller growers. (These are deranged numbers considering that in 2010 one could have their own production and delivery service for just over $10,000.00 in Oakland CA, while being both city and state compliant). Along with the gross fees, one can witness the slow removal of patient rights to grow their own. As new states come on-line, grow rights are being cut out. But hey, this corners markets and helps build monopolies with products that can be priced however they’d like.

Some Food For Thought:
Any party or person looking to present legislation for Medical and/or Recreational Cannabis need to include grow rights. It becomes very complex to change or undo something that has been done through legislation. Especially if there is opposition with skin in the game, they fear that they will loose a market share. If new legislation is being presented, stick grow rights in there.

Try and look at it this way… I grow tomatoes. Lots and LOTS of of them. There is the time when they have to grow, but I still eat tomatos. I get them from the store. When my plants have ripe fruit, I eat them. I like them, they taste different, and I don’t have to buy tomatos. But while I’m eating MY tomatos, I am certainly not killing the tomato market. And… Not everyone can grow tomatos. Plain and simple.

An insane person recently told me “If you don’t wear Armani now, you won’t be wearing it when Walmart takes over the fashion industry.”  He was dead on.

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