412 is the new 420

April 12, 2021 9:30 PM

New Mexico becomes the 16th state to legalize pot.

Today, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Special Session HB 2, legalizing adult use cannabis in the State. A second bill, Senate Bill 2; sets up automatic review and expungement of low level marijuana convictions.

Adults over 21 can legally purchase/possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana (or 16 grams of extract) and home cultivate up to 6 mature plants. Any “personal possession” is officially depenalized June 29, 2021

posted by jabo (59 comments total)

♥️
posted by clavdivs at 10:04 PM on April 12, 2021 [6 favorites]

Schumer is saying he wants a Senate vote this year. Not sure if he has the votes or if Biden will sign a legalization bill, but as long as there is a provision to expunge low level possession, it has a good chance.
posted by AugustWest at 10:36 PM on April 12, 2021 [7 favorites]

Another increasingly regular reminder to congratulate drugs for winning the War on Drugs.
posted by riverlife at 12:18 AM on April 13, 2021 [59 favorites]

all the other drugs (except alcohol) are still illegal
posted by kokaku at 12:46 AM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

all the other drugs (except alcohol) are still illegal

Did they ban nicotine and caffeine when I wasn't looking?
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:00 AM on April 13, 2021 [17 favorites]

Our state (NY) just legalized. After 44 years of being basically a fugitive I awoke recently to learn that it is now okay to have up to five pounds in one’s house. Five pounds. I have never seen that much weed in my life and would love to have been present at that legislative session. “Um, how much cannabis should folks be allowed to keep around?” “Aw, hey, I dunno... five pounds?”

I’m amused by the number of old friends who’ve dissed me for years popping up lately to ask if I’m “still a hobbyist.”
posted by kinnakeet at 4:03 AM on April 13, 2021 [48 favorites]

I awoke recently to learn that it is now okay to have up to five pounds in one’s house.

Technically that doesn’t go into effect until the regulations for homegrow are written (222.15 subsection 5 allows it, but subsection 9 says it doesn’t go into effect yet). Right now, possession of more than a pound is a misdemeanor, and charges rise with weight.

(But yeah, nobody is weighing the cannabis in your house, and possession of cannabis in proximity to money, etc. is no longer a problem. New York’s law is pretty good, actually.)
posted by uncleozzy at 4:26 AM on April 13, 2021 [4 favorites]

At first on the title I was really excited that pittsburgh somehow legalized since I go there often for work but, good for New Mexico! More states need to follow.
posted by glaucon at 4:47 AM on April 13, 2021 [3 favorites]

Keeping with the theme, 804 will be the new 420 in July.
posted by emelenjr at 4:54 AM on April 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'm 50 years old and in Chicago, Illinois where (some) weed is legal and has been for a while now. I never thought I'd see the day. I'm even more surprised at the lack of breathless media stories about some kid eating too many chocolate bars and ending up in the ER or a psych ward. Once legalization hit, I was certain there'd be a backlash. Or at least a large amount of crazy stories about irresponsible people doing irresponsible things while irresponsibly high for whatever reasons. But that has yet to happen. I'm stunned by the general quietness of the entire legalization process.

But having been to a couple of these dispensaries (and a very occasional user these days) my takeaway is that a large enough number of wealthy white people figured out a way to make a lot of money off of cannabis and now it's just another banal fact of life.
posted by SoberHighland at 4:57 AM on April 13, 2021 [17 favorites]

I texted with my mom in Santa Fe yesterday, congratulating NM in their wisdom. Apparently, there's a land rush to secure dispensary locations near the Texas border, because weed tourism.

Meanwhile, here in my bright-red-never-gonna-legalize-it state, my wife's employer, a small home healthcare service, has quietly stopped testing for THC when they do their drug screen for new hires. They were having to reject too many well-qualified people due to THC popping-up in the screens.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:10 AM on April 13, 2021 [10 favorites]

Am I correct, it remains a Federal offense? So we are in this twisted space between enforcement agencies.
posted by fluffycreature at 5:30 AM on April 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

Yes, weed is still a Federally-banned, Schedule-1 substance. Right there with opiates, coke, and meth.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:33 AM on April 13, 2021 [3 favorites]

However, you’ll soon become like us in California and forget it’s illegal at the Federal level.

I’m about to jump in my car and drive from the City of Orange to my work out thing in Santa Ana, and I’m going to pass 4 giant billboards for just cannabis delivery, 1 for a dispensary, and 2 actual dispensaries. And that’s just along a 10ish mile stretch of a freeway in Orange County.
posted by sideshow at 5:39 AM on April 13, 2021 [6 favorites]

Schumer is saying he wants a Senate vote this year.

I'm not particularly optimistic, but more than 43% of Americans now live in places with legal cannabis, and if you include medical use, it's well north of 70%. The biggest stumbling block for cannabis businesses right now is that banks mostly can't do business with them. So there's a lot of cash, and having a lot of cash around is, first, extremely unsafe, and second, helpful for evading taxes and laundering money.

If we don't get federal decriminalization in this Congress, I think we'll at least see the SAFE Banking Act.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:46 AM on April 13, 2021 [4 favorites]

The biggest stumbling block for cannabis businesses right now is that banks mostly can't do business with them.

I'm guessing, then, that credit card companies can't work with weed businesses, either? Thus, all the cash laying around?
posted by Thorzdad at 5:49 AM on April 13, 2021

But having been to a couple of these dispensaries (and a very occasional user these days) my takeaway is that a large enough number of wealthy white people figured out a way to make a lot of money off of cannabis and now it's just another banal fact of life.

IKR?? A majority of dispensaries where I live in Ontario are very white, very lifestyle, and it's interesting to see that what was once illegal has now been co-opted by white folks with money. Meanwhile, black people are still jailed disproportionately for cannabis offenses. I would love to see more black-owned and black-run dispensaries, tbh.
posted by Kitteh at 5:57 AM on April 13, 2021 [14 favorites]

Meanwhile, black people are still jailed disproportionately for cannabis offenses. I would love to see more black-owned and black-run dispensaries, tbh.

Yeah, NY's law (and I think NJ's as well) puts in a lot of stipulations about favoring people who've been victims of the drug war for licenses, but I'm skeptical. It takes a ton of money to run a cannabis business -- doubly-so because of the banking issues I mentioned above, making it difficult or impossible to get a loan -- and the big multi-state operators like MedMen, CuraLeaf, etc., already have fat pipelines and the ability to squeeze out the small operators pretty quickly.

Unless some really smart regulations are written, once again, it's going to be wealthy white people getting wealthier off of legal cannabis.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:07 AM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Unless some really smart regulations are written, once again, it's going to be wealthy white people getting wealthier off of legal cannabis.

I assure you the regulations will be written by really smart people for the exact purpose of ensuring that capital wins this game, same as all the others.
posted by atrazine at 6:09 AM on April 13, 2021 [5 favorites]

Keeping with the theme, 804 will be the new 420 in July.

Just to be clear, the "412" in the title refers to the date. New Mexico's area codes are 505 and 575.
posted by hippybear at 6:19 AM on April 13, 2021 [9 favorites]

I would love to see more black-owned and black-run dispensaries, tbh.

From what I am reading Vermont is trying to help facilitate this. Emphasis mine.

The board must establish a system of prioritization, including for applicants, that: are medical cannabis dispensaries; have environmentally sustainable plans; are owned by minorities or women; have plans to recruit and promote minorities, women, and those disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition; or have plans to pay living wages and offer benefits. It must also promote a fair geographic distribution.

posted by Hey, Zeus! at 6:21 AM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

... surprised at the lack of breathless media stories about some kid eating too many chocolate bars and ending up in the ER or a psych ward

You weren't paying attention to the first wave of legalization States. That shit is so 2012-14. Trust me, there was more than enough of that kind of thing for the whole country when WA and CO legalized.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:30 AM on April 13, 2021 [5 favorites]

Trust me, there was more than enough of that kind of thing for the whole country when WA and CO legalized.

Remember when Maureen Dowd went to Colorado to try some marijuana and did basically the most dangerous thing you can do, i.e. take a large but unknown amount of an unfamiliar drug all by yourself with no one even knowing where you are and then she was...fine? Like it wasn't a good experience, but she was totally fine despite exhibiting terrifyingly irresponsible behavior and her takeaway from this was "weed is dangerous" rather than "I should not be allowed to make drug related decisions for myself or anyone else as I have demonstrated that I am terrifyingly irresponsible".
posted by an octopus IRL at 6:49 AM on April 13, 2021 [23 favorites]

Contrast with if she had done the same with alcohol. Say a 26er of everclear.
posted by Mitheral at 6:56 AM on April 13, 2021 [6 favorites]

I think we're going to see a the dominoes really start to fall this year or next; CT is likely to move forward, either with legislation or referendum, which will probably prod RI into action. PA has its problems, but again, you're sharing a huge border with NJ and NY, and are in spitting distance of VA, so the impetus is there. SD voted to legalize but is being blocked, and I think you can expect it to go through eventually.

At that point you're teetering on 50% of the US population living in legal states and our neighbors to both the north and south having legalized (assuming Mexico doesn't keep putting it off indefinitely). It's only through the promulgation of a bullshit culture war over cannabis that Congress still might not act to regulate or even decriminalize federally.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:10 AM on April 13, 2021

I’m about to jump in my car and drive from the City of Orange to my work out thing in Santa Ana, and I’m going to pass 4 giant billboards for just cannabis delivery, 1 for a dispensary, and 2 actual dispensaries. And that’s just along a 10ish mile stretch of a freeway in Orange County.

For me, the billboards were the most unexpected part of legalization. They are huge and in your face (there are several within a few blocks of where I am sitting right now). I had naively expected that the newly-legalized industry would stay low-key to avoid additional backlash, but that has not been how things worked out at all. And as far as I can see, there has been almost zero backlash, and instead there are lots and lots of people who have discovered that they appreciate being able to get legal and regulated edibles and ointments and other products, but who would never have dealt with a sketchy dude selling weed in the 7-11 parking lot.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:20 AM on April 13, 2021 [4 favorites]

I texted with my mom in Santa Fe yesterday, congratulating NM in their wisdom. Apparently, there's a land rush to secure dispensary locations near the Texas border, because weed tourism.

JFC that's so utterly irresponsible. The tenth amendment seems to be keeping the DEA out of the business of weed wholly within states but over state lines? The DEA and Texas DPS are gonna have a fucking field day.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 7:21 AM on April 13, 2021

The dominoes will definitely fall at the federal level, and quickly at this point--there is simply too much money on the table, and no state wants to be left behind on this industry. The cash-only thing is hugely problematic, I hope that's fixed really soon (seriously, big dispensaries in California have to contract trucks to move literal tons of cash daily, and have to employ full-time money counters to handle the amount of cash that moves through a busy storefront hourly).

I'm most heartened to see the senseless incarceration and other penalties erased and expunged for cannabis "offenders"; my most sincere hope following that, is that legal cannabis will help the U.S. become a less angry, aggro culture, and provide some countermeasure to the corrosive influence that legal alcohol has had.
posted by LooseFilter at 7:24 AM on April 13, 2021 [10 favorites]

Am I correct, it remains a Federal offense?
The Border Patrol has authority to operate within 100 miles of the border and, in my experience, they and their sniffer dogs are very interested in any pot smells in your car. They have roadblocks on all roads around the border.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:27 AM on April 13, 2021

The tenth amendment seems to be keeping the DEA out of the business of weed wholly within states but over state lines? The DEA and Texas DPS are gonna have a fucking field day.

Obviously Texas is not New York, but the MA dispensaries closest to the NY border serve a loooooot of out-of-state customers. And at least a portion of the street weed (concentrates especially) in NYC comes from Maine's medical dispensaries.

But no, I would not travel into Texas with even a stray crumb in my car.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:28 AM on April 13, 2021

They have roadblocks on all roads around the border

Well, I’ve driven though the checkpoint on the 5 just north of Oceanside probably 100 times since California allowed even medical cannabis, and I’ve yet to see it even staffed let alone had to deal with dogs finding anything in my car.
posted by sideshow at 7:33 AM on April 13, 2021

The checkpoints are pretty much always going in Arizona. My brother in law had a dog get very interested in his car at the one on AZ 90. If I go south to go hike or kayak, I have to go through one either on I-19 or AZ 83. If we go to Bisbee we have to go through one on AZ 80. And these checkpoints are all within 40 miles of each other. I hate them. I’ve always wondered what the implications are for the checkpoints and state laws legalizing weed. I suppose a lot of it comes down to the whims of the Border Patrol officers at the checkpoint.
posted by azpenguin at 7:52 AM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

> And as far as I can see, there has been almost zero backlash, and instead there are lots and lots of people who have discovered that they appreciate being able to get legal and regulated edibles and ointments and other products, but who would never have dealt with a sketchy dude selling weed in the 7-11 parking lot.

That's how it's played out up here in Canada; in Toronto at least, virtually all of the cannabis shops look like well-lit combinations of Whole Foods and Apple Stores, respectable businesses where respectable people would shop.

Of course, I'm typing this from beyond the grave because the prohibitionists were right and we all died, from weed.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:01 AM on April 13, 2021 [16 favorites]

That's how it's played out up here in Canada; in Toronto at least, virtually all of the cannabis shops look like well-lit combinations of Whole Foods and Apple Stores, respectable businesses where respectable people would shop.

Oh yeah, that's how it is here in Ontario, isn't it? There are two new shops here in Kingston that aren't like that. One is very much stoner stereotype, and the other is a smaller business run by a Middle Eastern family, but it's pretty bare bones. I am glad they exist in response to the Spiritleafs of the province.
posted by Kitteh at 8:06 AM on April 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

~For me, the billboards were the most unexpected part of legalization.

I live in a never-gonna-legalize-it state. A couple of years go, we flew out to Colorado to visit my sister. We flew into Denver, rented a car, and drove to Gunnison. Along the way, we'd tune the radio to whatever community radio stations we could find. It completely weirded me out to start hearing ads for local cannabis shops, blithely describing the various strains in-stock, etc. etc. It literally was like entering a different reality.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:28 AM on April 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

What’s interesting about this is that a majority Democratic state legislature has failed to pass a bill legalizing recreational cannabis for a few years now here in New Mexico. I believe that passage of the bill was only possible with the support of a few more progressive members who were elected last November, and even then the bill didn’t pass in the regular session. It took our governor calling a special session go get it over the finish line.

I should add that the medical cannabis lobby had thrown up a few road blocks as well.

Bottom line is, here’s more proof that local elections matter.
posted by SteveInMaine at 8:40 AM on April 13, 2021 [9 favorites]

~For me, the billboards were the most unexpected part of legalization.

Now that's something that should be banned.
posted by atrazine at 8:44 AM on April 13, 2021 [6 favorites]

But no, I would not travel into Texas with even a stray crumb in my car.

If you drive east on I-70 from Colorado into Kansas, you will encounter a KSP checkpoint where they randomly pull-over cars and search them for weed.

My wife has a cousin who lives in northern Colorado and, when she has to travel north to visit friends/family in Wyoming, she will rent a car and make sure it has non-Colorado/Wyoming plates, just to lessen the chance of being targeted and pulled-over. Not that she ever carries anything with her, she just doesn't want to go through the delay and bullshit of having to stop and be searched.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:15 AM on April 13, 2021

all the other drugs (except alcohol) are still illegal

The PR was always about crack/heroin/meth/pills, and that's where the life terms were, but the busts were mainly pot busts, and the sheer number of those was the main argument in support of more funding for the War on (Some) Drugs (used by Some People).

So yes, drugs won the War on Drugs.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 12:26 PM on April 13, 2021

I've been surprised at how many state governments are willing to legalize recreational weed. When "smelling pot" isn't a basis on which to search your car it makes it a lot harder for cops to just take your money.
posted by wierdo at 1:15 PM on April 13, 2021

The Border Patrol has authority to operate within 100 miles of the border

Doesn't “the border” in this case include any international airport as well, giving them jurisdiction over most of the populated US?
posted by acb at 1:20 PM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

it makes it a lot harder for cops to just take your money

That old scheme? Paltry compared to cannabis--a sampling of cannabis tax revenue in 2020:

California - $474.1 million

Colorado - $307.2 million

Nevada - $101.5 million

Oregon - $133.1 million

Washington - $469.2 million

Estimates are that 2021 will be close to a billion dollars for California alone. Every year that passes, states without legal cannabis are leaving tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue on the table. That is unsustainable, and will soon overwhelm whatever bullshit moralist politics are keeping it at bay; after all, the color of politics is money before it's red or blue.
posted by LooseFilter at 1:45 PM on April 13, 2021 [7 favorites]

Having driven west from Kansas to Colorado every year in the before times, only times I've had issues were when I was driving with a rental car with Washington plates. Be careful west of Russell. Got followed for 3 miles, until the cop found some bullshit reason to stop me. Only got searched once out of two stops. Because I had burned out all the resin in my pipe at a rest area, and hadn't lowered my windows after the fact. Wasn't even high! They eventually found it. Stole my weed, but didn't notice the pipe or weed in my cargo pants pocket. LOL.

Was more concerned about the pipe, as that was going to be more expensive to replace...

Also, watch I-90, east of Coeur D'Alene. They like to setup a checkpoint there as well, once you head up past the lake.
posted by Windopaene at 1:48 PM on April 13, 2021

According to the Wikipedia page tracking pot legalization, only Idaho and Nebraska have not either legalized fully or permitted some form of medical marijuana. Of those two, Nebraska has decriminalized possession (first offense only). Legalization is rolling in like same-sex marriage, the end of criminalization is near.
posted by beagle at 5:44 PM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

The Border Patrol has authority to operate within 100 miles of the border

Doesn't “the border” in this case include any international airport as well, giving them jurisdiction over most of the populated US?

I believe that international airports have somewhat different rules but I am not certain.

2/3 of the US population lives within 100 miles of the border where CBP has vastly expanded authority.

map of border patrol jurisdiction inside the US
posted by Warren Terra at 7:30 PM on April 13, 2021

But no, I would not travel into Texas with even a stray crumb in my car.

I got pulled over once in Idaho, just across the Oregon border. The state trooper was really hoping I'd have a car full of weed. "So, how would you feel if we brought in a drug dog?" "Ok." "No, I mean, how about if we were to search your car? Would that concern you?" It kept going on and on, and I was like dude, seriously, I have a job where I have random pee tests, trust me my car isn't full of weed, and even if it was I'm not going to give you permission to search, it's literally your job to figure out probable cause.

The business of setting up big dispensaries just across the border from states where it is illegal is kind of genius. There are plenty of pot shops in Ontario, OR (next to Idaho) and some really big ones in Wendover, NV (next to Utah), for example. Your chances of actually getting pulled over is close to zero, and the quality is way better than you'd get from your sketchy hookup back in the day.

But like was mentioned above, it's increasingly obvious how much money the states that haven't legalized are leaving on the table, and the siren song of those tax revenues are going to pull in more and more.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:58 PM on April 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm looking forward to the day when I can make CBD oil from plants I've grown in my backyard.
posted by mecran01 at 8:17 PM on April 13, 2021

I got pulled over once in Idaho, just across the Oregon border. The state trooper was really hoping I'd have a car full of weed. "So, how would you feel if we brought in a drug dog?" "Ok." "No, I mean, how about if we were to search your car? Would that concern you?"

The answer is always, NO. I do not consent to a search of my car. You have a right to refuse. It could help you later.
posted by tiny frying pan at 4:50 AM on April 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I think we're going to see a the dominoes really start to fall this year or next; CT is likely to move forward, either with legislation or referendum, which will probably prod RI into action. PA has its problems, but again, you're sharing a huge border with NJ and NY, and are in spitting distance of VA, so the impetus is there. SD voted to legalize but is being blocked, and I think you can expect it to go through eventually.

PA has a republican house and senate that won't even consider the idea. Not going to happen for a long time.
posted by octothorpe at 5:47 AM on April 14, 2021

Your Childhood Pet Rock: “The tenth amendment seems to be keeping the DEA out of the business of weed wholly within states but over state lines? The DEA and Texas DPS are gonna have a fucking field day.”

A friend had occasion to drive a rented box-truck to move his family from Colorado to Georgia a few years ago. He was less than a mile into Kansas when the state patrol pulled him over. The enforcer was positively gleeful about the big weed bust he was surely about to make it until he opened the cab door and saw a skinny white dude, along with his wife and baby. Then he got mad threw down his hat and started ranting like Yosemite Sam, "Get out of here you rassen-frassen… &c."
posted by ob1quixote at 8:12 AM on April 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

The answer is always, NO. I do not consent to a search of my car. You have a right to refuse. It could help you later.

This. The cop can easily drop a bag of whatever they want into the cab and then YOU have to prove they planted it. If the cop searched over your objections the question of whether they planted drugs is moot as far as the court is concerned because any defense attorney worth their salt will have that "evidence" thrown out at a suppression hearing.

If any officer orders you out of the car to try and pressure you for a search you roll up every window, you get out of the car, you lock the doors, you put the key in your pocket, then you invoke the fifth and shut the fuck up.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 11:43 AM on April 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

Last time I tried that all I got for my trouble was a few more cops and an hour and a half sitting on the side of the road in the Arizona desert.
posted by wierdo at 12:27 PM on April 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

How long will consumers tolerate that in states where it’s legal to grow?

The biggest downer to growing your own would seem to be the smell. A couple of the people I know are growing half a dozen plants or so in my neighbourhood you can often smell it from the street (distinct from the the smoking smell). Maybe they are doing it wrong but I can't imagine what their house smells like.

Why would states charge taxes that drive the legal retail cost to more than the black market, and how long can that go on?

Because legal weed has the benefits of regulation. There are lots of people who will/would use weed that just don't want to deal with the hassle of buying from a black market source. EG: If I was inclined to partake I've got an extended family member who grows and I'm a decent outdoor gardener. But for occasional use I' can either hit the cannabis store at the end of the block or I could shlep out to my family member's place and end up spending half the afternoon there. One is way less work even if I'm being way over charged. And I'm sure as heck not devoting indoor space to a smelly plant that requires a lot of labour. I can grow tomatoes no problem but have a hard time keeping a houseplant healthy.
posted by Mitheral at 5:47 AM on April 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

Grow it and give away your surplus. Don’t let the government and private enterprise control this market at highway robbery rates.

Some of the people I know who grow have been having harder and harder times actually finding buyers, so they are happy to basically give it away by the moving box. So yeah, if you want cheap weed, get to know someone who grows as a hobbiest and get it from them.

But what's driving the growth in the legal market isn't so much old-school smokable weed as it is categories like edibiles and other ways to use weed without smoking it, with carefully calibrated dosages, strains, etc. There's no illegal market in competition with that; if you want edibles or ointments of a specific strain with labels and certification of testing, you need to go to a weed store. You can certainly buy edibles from an illegal seller, but all you have is their word about what the ingredients are, what the dosage is, etc.

Even for the smokable weed, the legal shops offer a huge variety, with the strength and tasting notes clearly labeled. You want a serious couch experience with flavors of grape? No problem. Or something that says it will help with insomnia, or whatever.

It's like the choice between making alcohol at home (cheap, legal, and easy) vs going to the store and buying expensive beer, wine, or spirits because of the convenience, selection, and quality. Either way gets you drunk.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:39 AM on April 15, 2021 [6 favorites]

Yeah, the legal cannabis market, at least in the US to date, doesn't really target long-time, every-day users. Something like 80% of everyday users still consume street product, at least to some extent, even in legal states. And home cultivation is great, except that nobody is coming into my back yard to take tomatoes, but there's a reasonable chance someone would come cut the buds off of an outdoor plant in the middle of the night. And for an occasional consumer, indoor cultivation is a non-starter, really.

The regulated market really isn't for the person who consumes a gram a day, but it fills a need for a whole lot of other people who want a reasonably-consistent product that they can just go pick up on the way home from work without any hassle.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:44 AM on April 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

Again, sure it is super cheap to grow your own if you're in a state where it's legal to do that, but as the previous posters have pointed out, it's smelly. If you're a homeowner and anyone you live with is cool with having a weed-scented home during your growing and curing time, more power to you. But it gets tricky with renting an apartment or even renting a house. Your neighbours might not be cool with it. They might complain. You might get evicted despite the legality. I live in Canada, the land of legalized cannabis all over the ding dong place, and our hydro (electricity) is not cheap. I am trying an outdoor grow only this summer because I really don't want to go through the bother of setting up a grow room in my house for all year round. Our legal grow limit here is four plants, but I am only growing two because four plants if all went to plan would be way too much weed for me. (Heck, if these two plants do well, it will still be too much weed for me.)

But what's driving the growth in the legal market isn't so much old-school smokable weed as it is categories like edibiles and other ways to use weed without smoking it, with carefully calibrated dosages, strains, etc.

Also: 100% this. I will forever hear heavy users complaining about the cost of legal weed and how it doesn't compare to homegrown or your dealer etc, but I am learning that really the consumers who are driving this want edibles (which we are still way behind on, imo), oils, and capsules. Not everyone wants to light up a bong/joint/etc. Some people who want to use cannabis for pain relief or illness most likely want to do so discreetly as there is still a shit ton of stigma to cannabis, unlike alcohol. Heck, I prefer edibles, and I have the time and money and privilege to make my own, but I will still never really know if I dosed it right. Legal weed helps me with this a little as it contains the THC/CBD percentages on the package and I can plug that data into a calculator to roughly guess potency.

I know a lot of folks who grow indoors; it is one way to definitely make sure you know your grow, but not everyone wants to.
posted by Kitteh at 7:20 AM on April 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

Carbon filters and a ventilation fan in one of many indoor grow tents available will solve the smell problem.

I get why the restrictions are per plant but with indoor growing it's really the area you've got to grow canopy rather than the number of plants that limits your yield.
posted by VTX at 2:43 PM on April 16, 2021

Doesn't a ventilation fan just move the smell outside?
posted by Mitheral at 6:41 PM on April 16, 2021

The SAFE Banking Act, with broad bipartisan support, will get a floor vote in the House later today and, given that it has passed before, will likely pass again. Senate Banking chairman Sherrod Brown says he's open to advancing the bill in the Senate, but only if it comes with sentencing reforms from the Judiciary committee.

Given majority leader Schumer's position on cannabis this year, I don't know what we'll see out of the Senate, but the federal levee might be leaking a bit.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:47 AM on April 19, 2021