Iowa kops whine about Colorado weed

[tod evans]

Want to get your knickers in a twist?

Watch the video...


From Drudge;






Marijuana black market still thrives in Colorado, where pot is legal

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...colorado-wher/


Just because marijuana is legal in Colorado doesn’t mean the black market for the drug has disappeared. Rather, the opposite, police officials said.
“[Legalization] has done nothing more than enhance the opportunity for the black market,” said Lt. Mark Comte of the Colorado Springs police vice and narcotics unit, in The Associated Press. “If you can get it tax-free on the corner, you’re going to get it on the corner.”
Police are concerned that recent escalations in violence are tied to the legal recreational pot sales market. But their fears are only based on anecdotal evidence; nobody in state or federal government agencies is tracking the numbers of violent crimes that are tied to the marijuana market, AP reported.
Still others outside of the police community say concerns are unfounded, and that any black market residual will disappear once more stores open and the supply-demand curve is more balanced.
“It’s just a transition period,” said pro-pot activist Brian Vicente, in the AP report. “Marijuana was illegal for the last 80 years in our state, and there are some remnants of that still around. Certainly, much like alcohol, over time these underground dealers will fade away.”
Yet Washington police say they’re prepping for similar black market impacts in their state,
“There’s going to be a black market here,” said Cmdr. Pat Slack of the Snohomish Regional Drug/Gang Task Force, outside Seattle, in the AP report. “There will be drug rip-offs and the drug debts that haven’t been paid. All of that is going to stay.”

[Origanalist]

The boogy man can not be allowed to die.

[surf]

Yet Washington police say they’re prepping for similar black market impacts in their state,

“There’s going to be a black market here,” said Cmdr. Pat Slack of the Snohomish Regional Drug/Gang Task Force, outside Seattle, in the AP report. “There will be drug rip-offs and the drug debts that haven’t been paid. All of that is going to stay.”

the Washington State Liquor Control Board (yes, the Liquor Control Board is in charge of the pot in my state) has proven so inept that they say the earliest pot store will be open in July (over 20 months after initiative passed), and they are only allowing 300+ in the state: 4 in Bellevue, a city of 120,000+ folks that voted overwhelmingly for the initiative. meanwhile the Bellevue city council, led by a republican, are considering banning sales in the city.

and with the multiple taxes (25% tacked on at 3 different levels - production, distribution, retail) Washington will continue to see a much larger black market than Colorado.

i'm beginning to reconsider whether or not this was a step in the right direction, but walking out of a recent Sounders game with 40,000 friends and smelling some fine aroma and seeing the cops ignore it actually made me feel a bit more free.

[dannno]

The issues with the black market, in the more long term if not already, will be related to inter-state commerce.

More states need to legalize.

A few states can keep it illegal, although I don't know why they would, but if there were only a few states where it was illegal the black market would be very miniscule.

[Thor]

and with the multiple taxes (25% tacked on at 3 different levels - production, distribution, retail) Washington will continue to see a much larger black market than Colorado.

Colorado has got some pretty step taxes too I think. When you're around 25%-30% in taxes @ retail alone, the black market will thrive.

i'm beginning to reconsider whether or not this was a step in the right direction, but walking out of a recent Sounders game with 40,000 friends and smelling some fine aroma and seeing the cops ignore it actually made me feel a bit more free.

Look over here at this nice shiny thing while we steal some more of your REAL freedoms...

[belian78]

Colorado has got some pretty step taxes too I think. When you're around 25%-30% in taxes @ retail alone, the black market will thrive.




Look over here at this nice shiny thing while we steal some more of your REAL freedoms...

Exactly.

[Snew]

Black market = free market

Quit taxing it and the ooga booga black market will go away.

[DamianTV]

They need to look at it from the Free Market perspective. Black Market is competition. Make a better product, for a competitive price and it is possible to crush the Black Market. However if that is true, then the opposite must also be true. If the Black Market has the better products and prices and overall more incentives, the it is the Legal market that will get crushed.

Its a lot like NY complaining that so many cigarettes are "illegal" becaues they were bought out of state. Theyve taxed the legal market right out of existence, and by doing so, created the "Black Market", where people still buy tobacco legally, just in another state.

[tod evans]

A few states can keep it illegal, although I don't know why they would, but if there were only a few states where it was illegal the black market would be very miniscule.

So long as the tax-ticks insist on getting rich off of a crop that even the most inept can grow there'll be a black market...

Just look at the various levels of tax-ticks that hope to remain employed due to "legalization"...

No farmer, even a good weed farmer, can support 4-5 tax-tick families as well as his own....