California to legalize, how will that impact pharmers?

February 8th, 2010 | By Reverend

How will legalization effect the pharmers in California?

Since I have been in Humboldt County this week, I have interviewed several pharmers who are worried about the direction of the law reform movement which is about to take prohibition down, at least in California.

A few of the pharmers that I have spoken with here have raised these concerns.

• Legalized marijuana will drive the price down
• Legalized marijuana will limit who can sell it
• Legalized marijuana will flood the market
• Legalized marijuana could ultimately hurt their livelihood and potentially take food off their child[rens] plates

I can see where this concern comes in.  It does look like pot will be legalized.  It also looks like all of those points above could become true.

My response to them is that if they take precautions now, and work on starting their own dispensary then when Prop19 passes they can potentially get grandfathered in with their legitimate medical marijuana business to then serve all adults (not just patients).
I recommend starting a dispensary, or at very least get a business license now and keep it renewed.

Lets say that a legal market has no potential of helping pharmers out, and may potentially ruin their business as it is.
That is horrible, and I don’t wish for that to happen as a lot of people depend on this crop.

Then lets compare the current effects of prohibition.

• Prohibition doesn’t stop people from using marijuana
• Prohibition has hurt or destroyed the lives of almost 20 million Americans
• Prohibition is now claiming almost one million victims each year
• Prohibition allows police to violate the privacy and security of a person’s home or person
• Prohibition fuels the crime in the black market (including violent crime, etc)

When I got arrested for possessing a few grams of weed when I was a kid growing up in Utah, those charges disqualified me from military service and many college and job related benefits.   Having a “drug” charge on your record disqualifies you from many benefits that most Americans take for granite.

My hope is that California will make cannabis a viable and profitable resource and put a lot of people to work.  I hate to be taxed, and I think that the tax should be no more than retail sales tax.  But there is a lot of potential for pharmers, distributors and related jobs with legalization.

Not everyone will be growing weed  It’s difficult, and it takes a lot of patience and investment to get started.  Not just anyone can grow weed.  Similar to tobacco and alcohol, they are not widely produced by individuals. 
About the price being effected.  I believe it will be similar to how it is now.
There will be “work” (commercial bud) and kind icky sticky bud.  Similar to a fine cigar compared to a swisher sweet.

I say if you don’t like the law that is getting passed then start working on some modifications and propose them via ballot initiative.

BTW-  PLEASE do not ever vote for a law that will forbid individuals from growing their own!   It’s a weed, it should be allowed to grow like one.  Like God intended!