Katatawnic
Well-Known Member
LOL! Try more like $500 low end, closer to $1,000! I've spent every penny I could (and my fiance also pulled money out of his savings a few times to contribute to my grow, even though he's working on buying a house; bless his heart!), and still I can't combat the So. CA Mojave heat enough to get the temps optimal. Manageable, but not optimal; and their flowering growth is slowed a bit due to this.
Now, I haven't lost any crops (barring my first grow of all males, but fortunately that was just bag seed, lol), had insect problems, or any other mishaps aside from pythium in July due to the heat (which fortunately I quickly fixed).... and I'm not under the belief that $25 an oz. is reasonable. I honestly haven't come to a personal opinion as to what good MMJ "should" cost, but my opinion is that it shouldn't be nearly as high as it is.
I do wholeheartedly agree that the dispensaries are jacking both the growers and the patients! 100% profit (or much more) is thievery, especially when, let's face it, most people that truly need MMJ are much too ill to work, so we have to rely on a measly $850 monthly to support ourselves. (That's SSI including CA's "supplemental" payment; so SSI varies from state to state.) Yes, profit is necessary to run a business, and I've no problem whatsoever with dispensaries being a business; they've got overhead such as shop rent/lease, employees to pay, utilities, licensing, etc. But they are the ones ripping us off.... the patients and the growers. Or do they figure the "nice environment" is grounds for "reasonable" compensation?
That's not a necessity! All that is necessary is access to our medication. I could care less if the place is ugly.... just keep it sanitary and the shelves stocked with what we need.Like GrowTech said, selling for twice (or more!) than they paid the growers/vendors is far from "reasonable" compensation. How the hell can this fit into "non-profit" guidelines, which they're supposed to be at this point in time?! Growers selling to a dispensary aren't receiving the "reasonable" compensation; it's 100% the other way around. So the clubs charge twice what they pay for the product they sell, and I find it extremely hard to believe that they aren't making far above and beyond "reasonable" compensation for their overhead. Hell, if I bought an oz. for $200 and pay three for four guys to sell it for me at $400 an oz., WTF amount of work did I do for which to be compensated so largely? (Let's face it: most often you can find people to peddle your dope very cheap; as in barely enough to pay for their own habits.)
I'm all for free enterprise, but this isn't about "just" a business. Again, most people who need MMJ so badly can't afford the ridiculous club or street costs. This is why I've been stuck with brick for the last four years, and before that I always had the best of the best. (This is why I started growing a few months ago; and it wreaks havoc on my body beyond description, but at least it won't wreak havoc on my SSI checks anymore! Lesser of two evils and all that jazz! But what happens when my body gives out, and I can no longer maintain my grows?!) I've never stepped one foot into a dispensary, and I don't foresee doing so in the future.... it's a matter of principle for me. I can get, say, Afghan Kush (substitute this for any personally desired strain; that just came from the top of my head because my AK seed sprouted a couple days ago, lol) from a black market dealer cheaper than I can get the same from a club. Yet the black market isn't set up for medicating the ill, whereas the dispensaries are supposed to be exactly that.... Compassionate Care, anyone?!
There's absolutely no reason the clubs can't charge lower prices and still be compensated for their overhead, and still make a profit. At the least, charge less than the street dealers.... this would draw more MMJ patients to the clubs, and ultimately bring them more business and therefore more profit. That is simple common sense.
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