What if you could buy a pack of 20 joints at the liquor store?

[Philosoraptor]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-21-oakland-pot-farms_N.htm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Oakland has moved closer to becoming the first city in the United States to authorize wholesale pot cultivation.
The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 with one abstention late Tuesday in favor of a plan to license four production plants where marijuana would be grown, packaged and processed.

The vote came after more than two hours of public comment, with speakers divided between those who opposed the measure — largely on the grounds that it would put small medical marijuana growers out of business — and those who said it would generate millions of dollars for the California city in taxes and sales and create hundreds of jobs.

The plants would not be limited in size — one potential applicant for a license wants to open a plant that would produce over 21,000 pounds of pot a year — but they would be heavily taxed and regulated.


---------------------------------

Something I've dreamed of for decades, I wonder if I'll ever actually see it? What do you think of selling joints just like they sell cigarettes? Tax it, restrict it to adults, control the quality, etc.? What would a pack of joints cost? Would the taxes on it help our national debt? Would you even give a fuck after you smoked a joint?

[madokie]

1. I've had to quit smoking due to a lung condition

nothing says I couldn't make pot butter and use it in my cooking though :-)

[piratefish08]

2. vaporize!

[madokie]

8. I do have a vaporizer

but its not a temperature controlled one and I seem to wind up with letting it go until the pot starts to smoke so I don't use it. I'm so far removed from the in crowd that the ole shit weed I get around here isn't much good anyway so I'm not missing it too much. I used to grow my own but I haven't done that in years now, in fact since I got married and settled down, too risky.

After I find out for sure if they are going to remove this tumor in my lung I may buy a good vaporizer though.

[trayfoot]

15. I think the poster is referring to the Electronic Cigs

when they say "vaporize" - I use them and they are, indeed, great!

[eShirl]

48. actually, probably not

but those vaporizers do work on the same principal

[Greyskye]

80. Technology has improved a lot...

http://magic-flight.com/

A personal, portable vaporizer (really close to actual size):

About the size of a matchbox car, and powered with a rechargeable battery.

Good luck with your tumor. :(

[madinmaryland]

3. Probably get a case of nacho chips, also!

[Lint Head]

4. It would compliment my Southern Comfort.

[madokie]

9. Good picture

but the thought of southern comfort makes me ill. My first real drunk was on southern comfort and I can't stand the smell of it since.

[mikelgb]

25. Hey I'm in that club

[Morning Dew]

42. Poor you. Southern Comfort is at least drinkable.

I got lucky with my first "sick" drunk - it was sloe gin, thank God.

I woke up with most of my body in a bathtub and my head halfway in the toilet bowl.

I'll never touch that stuff again - but what adult does?

[mdmc]

5. It would be called the jay store in a week

the booze would have a hard time competing.

I can see this in the future - and I can see pro-business, chamber of commerce type republicans leading the charge.

I have developed a system to get us from Prohibition to freedom. It involves allowing states to decide what drugs they would like to sell. Then within the states, each country would have the option to choose what to sell. The county sheriff would decide how the drugs (including alcohol) would be allowed to be sold. The profits would go to reducing violent crime and addiction and would be split between the county, state, and nation.

[customerserviceguy]

12. The states wouldn't be making the decisions

the people within each state would be, when they travelled to a state that allowed free sales of pot. Since no one is stopped and searched at the California border, the legal pot sellers would do a LOT of business with out of staters. Eventually, the states that still have prohibition will realize that their citizens are subsidizing the CA economy, and will relent.

It's my contention that many in Congress never want that to happen, and will do everything they can to prevent even one place in the Lower 48 from being able to sell marijuana.

[loudsue]

28. Now THAT would be nice.

I can see that happening.

[customerserviceguy]

84. Do you mean

people from other states being able to buy California pot, or Congress clamping down on any place that would sell pot to anybody who walks in the door?

Don't forget, about 35 years ago, we had some states that lowered the drinking age down to 18 or 19 years of age, under the radical idea that if you were old enough to die in Vietnam, you were old enough to be able to buy a legal drink. Congress used withholding of Federal highway tax money to get those states "in line", I would expect the same tactic to be used on California should they make marijuana available for anything other than prescription medical use.

[Bluenorthwest]

45. I'm calling it the Circle-Jay

Starting here, starting now.

[Greyskye]

81. Nah, I think "J-Mart" has a ring to it.

:evilgrin:

[Ganja Ninja]

6. I would probably buy by the carton.

:smoke:

[Soylent Brice]

23. +1

[Ian David]

7. Once it's legal, many people would just grow their own. n/t

[zipplewrath]

11. Nah

No more than they grow food. Heck, look at the folks that can't be bothered to cut their own yards, or clean their own pools. Most areas of the country aren't well suited to growing good stuff, and people aren't going to bother growing their own any more than they'll distill their own whiskey, or make their own beer.

[Ian David]

13. I'd guess it depends on how much it ends up costing to buy, how hard it is to grow, how much you use

[zipplewrath]

17. Sorta

We live in a society where people rent to own, where they pay too much for cell phone plans because they get the cell phone for "free". They "rent" DVR's that they could own for less. We pay people to clean pools we rarely swim in. We pay people to mow lawns upon which we never step. We buy bad tomatoes instead of growing our own. Heck, we buy preprepared food that we could make ourselves for a fraction of the cost.

[Ian David]

18. Yes, but none of those things get you stoned.

If pot were legal, I might grow a plant in my yard for occasional use.

Or just to exercise my right to have it.

I might not be out there watering it every day. I probably wouldn't buy fertilizer for it.

But if I could plant a few seeds and forget them, I might pluck a few leaves off a plant every now and then.

[zipplewrath]

44. Which is different than "many"

Going back to your original assertion. "Many" people wouldn't particularly grow their own, especially considering that with the minimal effort you describe, in alot of climates, you wouldn't get much of anything of any quality.

Around here chives, and rosemary both literally grown like weeds. I have to trim them back most of the year to keep them from taking over other parts of the garden. So it isn't hard. But "many" people don't grow their own. In fact it is quite frightening how few do, considering what they charge at the store for mediocre spices.

[Statistical]

14. +1. Exactly.

Initially I am sure a lot of people would try. "Free pot" until they realize the cost of the plants, the supplies, and the labor makes it slightly less than free.

Personally I hope states legalize it. Wouldn't help me any. Need clearance for most jobs in my field and area and I think drug use will remain a disqualifier on the SF-86 for a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long time.

[Nordmadr]

27. I make beer and grow food.

[zipplewrath]

43. And you don't qualify as "many"

Folks build their own houses too. But it is rare to the point of insignficance within the market. No one would suggest that "many" folks build their own.

[Nordmadr]

46. That is true, but if I greatly considered what many people

do, I wouldn't be who I am...and I wouldn't make beer and grow food. :)

[zipplewrath]

49. And you wouldn't make the original statement

You also wouldn't make the original statement, that many people would grow their own pot. Which, of course is what I was responding to.

[Nordmadr]

73. you seem to be looking for an argument, or to win, I concede. N/T

[zipplewrath]

76. A discussion

It is a discussion forum after all.

[slackmaster]

30. I don't grow all of my food, but I do grow all of my tomatoes and garlic

Growing a pot plant takes exactly the same culture as growing a tomato plant, and the value of the crop is much higher.

[eShirl]

50. making your own beer is easy

it is a fun and rewarding hobby

http://www.mrbeer.com/category-exec/category_id/181


In fact, I can easily imagine a niche market for grow-your-own-weed kits.

[uncommon]

63. Agreed - laziness will overwhelm.

[Occulus]

75. Everyone I know who uses it has stated emphatically to me that they would grow it if they could

It's exactly as hard as a pot, soil, sun, and Miracle-Grow.

I think you are seriously overestimating how difficult it really is, and that assertion is bolstered by your false equivalency to distilling alcohol or brewing beer, both of which take a great deal more time and equipment to do than growing cannabis.

[zipplewrath]

78. We'll see

I can rattle off an awful lot of basic products and services for which people pay that they could EASILY handle on their own. Spices, lawns, pools, fruits, vegetables, oil changes, and on and on for which there is a huge market. It may be as easy as "pot, soil, sun, and miracle grow" but there are places where the sun shines very little for months, and where alot of folks don't have much room for agricultural pots. Rosemary, chives, and tomatoes come to mind. They are all very easy to grow, and I don't really see many folks doing so. And in the case of those three, the quality of the commercial product tends to suck bad. I'd suspect that commercially grown pot could generate very good quality levels. Heck, you just watch, they'll even come "pre-rolled".

[Arkansas Granny]

66. I certainly would and a lot of people I know would do the same.

[proteus_lives]

87. Probably not.

[BlueJazz]

10. In other news: "A spokesperson for Nabisco and Frito-Lay plan to build..

...3 new plants in California to keep up with the expected explosion of sales" :)

[geckosfeet]

16. would pot get stale and lose potency if left unwrapped for a while?

[Webster Green]

21. Joints could easily get very dried out if sold in packs of twenty.

They will need some really creative packaging. It seems counter intuitive to sell packs of joints. People want to see the buds.

[Romulox]

41. Have you ever purchased a cigar?

We have the technology to get this done. :hi:

[Webster Green]

54. I know, but it's nice to play with the buds.

It's a big part of the experience. Ogling the way they look and smell.

[Romulox]

56. Plenty of room in the marketplace for pre-rolled and loose product

I will say that even among regular smokers, I've met maybe one in 10 people who could roll a credible J. Pre-rolled will be sheepishly purchased by more than would admit it to your face! Of course, many prefer glass these days, but sometimes you need a J and nothing else will do.

"It's a big part of the experience."

You don't say? I'll have to look into it! :smoke:

[WhiteTara]

26. put it in the freezer. It will stay nice for a very

long time. I'd use an airtight container to keep other smells, etc from ruining the taste.

[Ganja Ninja]

34. I find that smoking the same pot all the time tends to make the buzz less intense.

The first joint out of a bag seems to get you higher than one smoked a week later. That's of course if you smoke it daily. I attribute this to the smokers body getting use to the pot. If you didn't smoke it for a few days it would seem like better weed when you pick it up again. So it's not less potent, it just seems that way if you smoke it all the time.

[Deep13]

19. I would hope they would come in smaller packages.

:7

[ozone_man]

37. With slimmer joints.

Don't want to waste any.

[Webster Green]

20. Most of my friends prefer to smoke in a bong.

They would want buds, not joints. I'm the only one I know who always smokes joints. I gave up pipes in 1966 because the cops would bust us for a pipe, but you could easily swallow a couple of joints before the mutherfuckers got to you.

Lots of folks like to see what they're smoking. They like to look at the color of the buds, how much resin is on them etc. Processing it into joints is actually kind of corny. I love the ritual of breaking up the buds, and smelling the amazing aroma, and rolling the joints myself. :hippie:

[Philosoraptor]

39. Buy it by the can, like pipe tobacco, roll em or bong em

[Webster Green]

55. That's a good idea.

:thumbsup:

[valerief]

22. They'd call it the Joint Store instead. nt

[elocs]

24. First of all, what is a liquor store? None exist in my city of 50,000.

You can buy beer, wine, or liquor at any convenience store or supermarket. Hell, you can even buy some at Walmart or Target.

Since I am content not to alter my state of consciousness I have no need to use any drug, even the DU god.

[Nordmadr]

33. Varies state to state. In some places you can get booze practically

anywhere, and in others it is split out. In NY, you can buy beer at just about any gas station but not the retail stores like Target. You have to go to a liquor store for hard alcohol or wine.

In Pennsylvania they sell beer only in warehouses. You can also stop in a bar and buy a 6 pack to go kind of thing.

[slampoet]

82. Before prohibition my Great Uncle had a Beer Cart he would wheel up to factories and sell beer to

the workers on the NIGHT shift.

[JonLP24]

58. Store that sells liquor

Every convenient store here does sell beer and wine but not every one of them sells liquor. Also some supermarkets do too. Besides I got one up the street from me and the store is named "Liquor".

Though this goes on much more in Washington state. You can only sell liquor in certain stores (or at the bar) so they have liquor stores because that is the only place you can buy liquor. It is different on bases like Fort Lewis. You can buy liquor at the convenient store on base.

[elocs]

61. I actually know what a liquor store is, there just haven't been any in my city for years.

Mostly because you can buy liquor here all over the place. Many years ago I could recall there being maybe 4 distinct liquor stores here whose purpose was to sell primarily booze.

[slackmaster]

29. I'd grow the stuff in my own back yard to avoid being "heavily taxed"

Keep government OUT of private, personal discretionary behavior.

:nuke:

[badgerpup]

31. Think there'd be a lot fewer cop calls...

...for domestic disturbance, noisy neighbors, and people just plain pissed off at each other.

Just going by the experiences of my (quite profitably) misspent youth...people who didn't particularly care for each other while straight got along just fine under the influence of a joint or a bowl...:shrug:

I dunno...that's just my $.02 (two cents)

[spanone]

32. why would you buy them at a liquor store?

[Ganja Ninja]

35. Most people assume that pot will be controlled, restricted by age and taxed

similar to liquor. So it's only natural to assume that it will be sold through those same outlets.

[slackmaster]

40. It needs to be legalized at the federal level. California is headed for a train wreck on this.

Imagine the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Cannabis.

[zipplewrath]

52. Well, for a conflict anyway

It is not unheard of for the states to push the feds. A progressive president, in cooperation with a progressive congress, could decide to deal with the conflict by passing laws "respecting the states right to deal with this issue locally". Of course we'd need a progressive president and congress to do such a thing.

[slackmaster]

57. The core issue is how far the federal gov. has stretched its power to regulate interstate commerce

Federal laws now regulate many activities that take place solely withing the boundaries of a single state.

A progressive president, in cooperation with a progressive congress, could decide to deal with the conflict by passing laws "respecting the states right to deal with this issue locally".

I find it endlessly amusing how widely peoples' opinions on the subservience of state power to federal power fluctuate depending on the specific issue we are talking about.

If it's "medical marijuana", people who claim to be progressive eagerly embrace exactly the thing that conservatives call "states' rights" when they are talking about manufacturing firearms. (The state of Montana recently passed a law declaring that all firearms manufactured in the state and not intended for sale out of state are exempt from federal gun laws.)

[zipplewrath]

60. It's more of a strategy thing

A progressive president would tend to be favorable to laws which reduce prohibition. As such, he could use the political cover of allowing the states to "experiment" on a local level, based upon local needs. Framing it as a state level choice should normally be favorable to some who otherwise might be opposed.

[truedelphi]

85. Sounds like Monatana will beknown for its

Gun manufacturing and gun laws, and California (hopefully) will be known for its growing of the green.

[uncommon]

64. As it should be.

[anarch]

36. I'm betting on the five-pack as the most ideal packaging

but what do I know? I'm no marketing expert.

[Tailormyst]

38. If that were the case I would be having a great weekend!

[killbotfactory]

47. But think of the children!!!

It would drive pot sales into legal and restricted avenues and kids wouldn't have such easy access to pot!

[leftyladyfrommo]

51. I actually hope that doesn't happen here in KC

I'm afraid I would just stay stoned most of the time.

[MrScorpio]

53. I don't smoke marijuana, I never have and I don't think that I ever will...

But frankly, I'd be happy if it was legalized and treated like tobacco and alcohol.

That would strike a blow for sanity against this insane "War on Drugs"

[TheKentuckian]

59. Then I reckon that I'd be on my way to the liquor store

[Sebastian Doyle]

62. The downside of legal weed

Would be if either Phillip Morris or MonSatan got involved. In which case the resulting crop would be so toxic you might as well be smoking tobacco. Those idiots would probably go for the lowest THC possible too, just so they could sell more.

[Cal Carpenter]

65. Then the man who owns the liquor store I frequent

Will set aside special small batches of it for me like he does for scotch :smoke:

[Philosoraptor]

67. I used to get it at the local drive thru liquor store, even Dunkin' Do-nuts

[guitar man]

68. could I save money

If I could just buy a sack and roll my own? That's what I'd like to see...I have all the skill I need :evilgrin:

[uncle ray]

69. dispensaries are a better retail outlet.

as is being demonstrated in med states, there is no need to piggyback off other businesses. you can go in now and get a gram of this, a gram of that, a 1/4 of the cheap stuff and a free mixed joint to top it off. maybe an edible for dessert later.

[Iggo]

70. Once joints are mass-produced like tobacco cigs...

...the people who mass produce them will start putting the same shit in them that they put in tobacco cigs.

Or do you think they won't?

[flamingdem]

71. What are some brand names for this product? "Kyte High" "Green Giant"? nt

[Viva_La_Revolution]

72. as long as it's certified 100% organic

Otherwise I would get it somewhere else. :)

[Recursion]

74. Imagine what RJR and Phillip Morris would do to marijuana

And if you need help imagining, look at what they did to tobacco.

[Iggo]

79. Exactly. (n/t)

[Xenotime]

77. PARTY!!!

[Posteritatis]

83. Meh, the DEA will raid any plants the day they start production. (nt)

[proteus_lives]

86. It's going to happen.

Probably varies on the cost, state-to-state.