Massachusetts Legalization Hearing, 3/2/2010, Steven Epstein and Richard Evans

http://masscann.org
http://cantaxreg.com
http://mikecann.net
http://norml.org
Steven Epstein and Dick Evans on the marijuana legalization bill before the Joint Judiciary Committee at MA State House, 3/2/2010 with a roomful of supporters from Suffolk University NORML, MassCann/NORML, LEAP, BU NORML, Emerson SSDP, Girls4Ganja.com, MikeCann.net, and more..

With so many supporters they had to open a second room!

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• MassCann
• NORML
• masscann
• marijuana
• legalization
• tax
• grow
• hemp
• seed
• plants
• plant
• crop
• legalize
• legalize it
• Massachusetts
• Evans
• Boston
• State House
• legalization speech
• California
• freedom
• liberty
• Suffolk
• University

[sk176]

grow it for free where??? silly mikecann

[MikeCANN]

@sk176 I'd grow it right in my condo. Not silly.

[CheezeyWeezey]

$100 dollars an ounce is ridiculous. People will just continue to buy illegally. It's that simple.

[MikeCANN]

@CheezeyWeezey You are missing some important points. This bill allows them to lower that tax to ensure that does not happen. And it also allows for grow your own TAX FREE! for personal use. So I say you are wrong, I will not be buying it illegally! I will be growing it legally for myself and legally paying no tax on it! And then when the tax comes down, occasionally buying it legally!

[ladivadivala]

@ladivadivala I don't know about every government on the planet, but I do know that the U.S. government doesn't have any legal right to what people put into their bodies. They have assumed that right based on nothing. They enforce that right that is based on nothing through tacticts that destroy lives. There is no better way to put it than that. The prohibition of anything ultimately destroys live by saying that "With this product only harm can come". Yes by Government Injustice! WAKE UP!

[ladivadivala]

Amazing! I still don't think most people get it. A government has no right to jurisdiction over a plant. Now if any government should happen by chance to create a plant, then obviously they would have the rights over it. A plant that I can grow in my backyard is my business. Governments deciding what people can eat, drink, or smoke is always going to be wrong even when they make the right decision because it simply is not their right to decide in the first place.

[SmylesProduction]

@CheezeyWeezey In mass a ounce goes for like 300-800 lol

[onojmai]

same price structure is found in other states for retail prices- Colorado and montana- i know legal producers there, and while bulk wholesale price is low, legal brick/mortar retailers keeps price high. lots of the legal grown leaves the state for the black market elsewhere.

you won't see a significant price drop in easter Mass- high demand urban areas with lots of universities will bolster price. retail marijuana prices would likely hover above $300/oz, taxed or not, for high-end product/

[onojmai]

@MMguitar if you look at prices in California, and everywhere else, you see price stabilizes around $200-350/oz depending on where and how it is purchased.

legal clubs in SF and LA etc cost most- $300+ per oz, with varying quality. this marijuana is, generally, taxed (barring unscrupulous business practice). buying on the black market can drop the price slightly, or significantly. more rural areas- the price drops.  generally, closer to production areas, or more producers per capita.

[MMguitar]

@CheezeyWeezey

Note: $135 an ounce is INCREDIBLY cheap compared to what prices are. If you're from America you're probably paying over $300 an ounce right now.

[MMguitar]

@CheezeyWeezey

Incorrect. You don't realize how cheap pot is going to become after legalization when large facilities will be built for the cultivation. Do some searching, businesses will be making plenty of money if they were to sell pot for $35 an ounce.

100 tax + 35 = $135 an ounce

Why would you buy from a shady dealer, with zero quality control, not knowing the strain, not knowing if there are pesticides in it, etc etc when you can pick up quality controlled pot from a specialty shop

[oatbuck]

@MikeCANN Yes medical patients will be buying it, regardless of what you think most medical patients can not grow because of health and growing space.

Plus only about 10% of all growers can produce safe medical grade cannabis.

In California selling cannabis to patients is big business.

[MikeCANN]

@CameronDubzWTF basically, state could tax sales really at whatever level they want (up or down on what was suggested based on market demand) and personal grows, non commercial would be tax free...