Actual Value of Marijuana?

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
i have spent the last 4 weeks straight trimming. all day every day. i do NOT work for free. how many hours of labor alone are involved in producing a pound of weed? from watering, to shopping for supplies, to tending, to trimming and packaging? let alone the cost of the physical needs.
I don't expect anyone to work for free. How many pounds have you trimmed in your 4 weeks straight of trimming though? And is it really so much of a skill that no one else could possibly do as good of a job for a cheaper price?

All i'm saying is that it's over priced because it's illegal. I could reduce my largest cost right now if I could simply utilize the sun rather than paying for expensive lights and expensive electricity to run those lights in an attempt to recreate the sun. And if you want the indoor environment still you could still build a structure to give you control over other aspects of the environment (like temp, humidity, pest control, etc) and still utilize the sun. You could even supplement artificial light at any time you want if the sun is not providing enough for you.

There is no way you are going to convince me that the price (which reflects the time, effort, and work put into the product) is THOUSANDS of times more expensive than other products. I understand it will take time and skill to cultivate high quality product, but at a cost several orders of magnitude above just about every other product just seems insane to me.
 

lowrider2000

Well-Known Member
since ganj seems a lot harder to grow than tobacco ( have to wait until it flowers instead of just picking leaves), this seems feasible.

of course, increased supply will drive down the price until it's no longer profitable to grow.
why would it matter if its its indoor or out lol
 

mr2shim

Well-Known Member
I don't expect anyone to work for free. How many pounds have you trimmed in your 4 weeks straight of trimming though? And is it really so much of a skill that no one else could possibly do as good of a job for a cheaper price?

All i'm saying is that it's over priced because it's illegal. I could reduce my largest cost right now if I could simply utilize the sun rather than paying for expensive lights and expensive electricity to run those lights in an attempt to recreate the sun. And if you want the indoor environment still you could still build a structure to give you control over other aspects of the environment (like temp, humidity, pest control, etc) and still utilize the sun. You could even supplement artificial light at any time you want if the sun is not providing enough for you.

There is no way you are going to convince me that the price (which reflects the time, effort, and work put into the product) is THOUSANDS of times more expensive than other products. I understand it will take time and skill to cultivate high quality product, but at a cost several orders of magnitude above just about every other product just seems insane to me.
Right you are. People get paid so much because it's illegal. Plain and simple. Trimming really doesn't require a degree in astrophysics and anyone can do it. So in a real world sense it would be one of those low paying factory jobs, probably 8-10 bucks an our depending on location. As with most of the marijuana manufacturing would, I'd imagine the highest paying would be monitoring the grow and adjusting nutrients or whatever. Aside from managers, ceo's.

I'm sure if/when it's legal and big business it will be mostly grown indoors for cannabis and hemp will still be out. Marijuana is only expensive because it's illegal. Make it legal, give it some time, prices will probably be around double the price of tobacco.
 

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
And for the record the type of "legal" I was talking about would be like tomatoes. So legal you will not walk down the street without seeing plants in peoples backyards and on their porch. Perhaps hanging out of a topsy turvy planter.
 

beardo

Well-Known Member
Marijuana production/cultivation can be a HUGE business with huge amounts of money to be gained, BUT that's where pharma stands to loose a HUGE amounts of money because of how easy it is to grow your own medicine opposed to buying some synthetic crap concocted together that has all kinds of negative side effects. It was made illegal for racism but it remains illegal because of how much money pharma and other huge corporations can lose.
I think it it certainly easier to go to the pharmacy than to grow and harvest and use marijuana- I agree it is a better healthier alternitive to pharmacutiacls a lot of times but I strongly disagree with your assumption of ease or convience
 

desert dude

Well-Known Member
I don't expect anyone to work for free. How many pounds have you trimmed in your 4 weeks straight of trimming though? And is it really so much of a skill that no one else could possibly do as good of a job for a cheaper price?

All i'm saying is that it's over priced because it's illegal. I could reduce my largest cost right now if I could simply utilize the sun rather than paying for expensive lights and expensive electricity to run those lights in an attempt to recreate the sun. And if you want the indoor environment still you could still build a structure to give you control over other aspects of the environment (like temp, humidity, pest control, etc) and still utilize the sun. You could even supplement artificial light at any time you want if the sun is not providing enough for you.

There is no way you are going to convince me that the price (which reflects the time, effort, and work put into the product) is THOUSANDS of times more expensive than other products. I understand it will take time and skill to cultivate high quality product, but at a cost several orders of magnitude above just about every other product just seems insane to me.
I agree. It will cost enough to allow everybody in the business to earn a reasonable living. What do farmers earn now for other similar crops? Probably something like $50K per year. What do the middlemen earn? Probably $70K per year.

If you ignore taxation, because who the fuck knows what the "man" is going to tack on, my guess is about $10 to $40 a pound at the retail level.
 

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
I agree. It will cost enough to allow everybody in the business to earn a reasonable living. What do farmers earn now for other similar crops? Probably something like $50K per year. What do the middlemen earn? Probably $70K per year.

If you ignore taxation, because who the fuck knows what the "man" is going to tack on, my guess is about $10 to $40 a pound at the retail level.
I am completely ignoring tax in my assumptions. Any tax that would be included for the production of something like lettuce or tomatoes is small and unavoidable and won't contribute significantly to the final price, at least as far as comparing to other products. A vice tax would/could raise the price substantially, and could very well end up costing the prices people are quoting in here. However I assumed no vice tax at all when I said it would be dirt cheap.
 

mr2shim

Well-Known Member
I think it it certainly easier to go to the pharmacy than to grow and harvest and use marijuana- I agree it is a better healthier alternitive to pharmacutiacls a lot of times but I strongly disagree with your assumption of ease or convience
I never said anything about personal growing. I'm talking about big companies producing it then putting it on shelves.
 

desert dude

Well-Known Member
"I am completely ignoring tax in my assumptions. Any tax that would be included for the production of something like lettuce or tomatoes is small and unavoidable and won't contribute significantly to the final price, at least as far as comparing to other products. A vice tax would/could raise the price substantially, and could very well end up costing the prices people are quoting in here. However I assumed no vice tax at all when I said it would be dirt cheap."

I think you are absolutely correct. If completely legal, it will be dirt cheap. There is no good reason to grow indoors, except to be covert. At $40 per pound (about $5 per ounce) everybody in the supply chain can make an honest living at it.
 

mrboots

Well-Known Member
If there is now reason to grow indoors, why does indoor hydro sell for more in the Cali despenaries?
 

desert dude

Well-Known Member
" A vice tax would/could raise the price substantially, and could very well end up costing the prices people are quoting in here."

Just one more point. I think it is inevitable that there will be a vice tax applied. Politicians are greedy fucks, and people are already used to paying $400 an ounce, so the state will swoop in and tax it till it hurts.

The down side to punishing tax levels is that it will create a black market that will simply perpetuate the criminal enterprise that we see today. I prefer to see the criminals in jail for tax evasion than to see EVERYBODY terrorized by the drug warriors, though, so I am willing to make that trade.
 

desert dude

Well-Known Member
If there is now reason to grow indoors, why does indoor hydro sell for more in the Cali despenaries?
I don't know. Maybe I am wrong, it has happened before. I don't smoke, grow, or sell pot. From what I have read though, outdoor grown MJ is superior to indoor.
 

mrboots

Well-Known Member
I don't know. Maybe I am wrong, it has happened before. I don't smoke, grow, or sell pot. From what I have read though, outdoor grown MJ is superior to indoor.
Why are you on a marijuana forum if you don't grow, smoke or sell pot?
 

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
But if I was able to build a green house or shed in my yard to utilize the sun AND still have control over the micro environment it would absolutely be worth the price of building it to save on lights and electricity.
 

mr2shim

Well-Known Member
I don't know. Maybe I am wrong, it has happened before. I don't smoke, grow, or sell pot. From what I have read though, outdoor grown MJ is superior to indoor.
bullshit. you do something marijuana related. That's like joining an obesity forum and saying you're anorexic.

But if I was able to build a green house or shed in my yard to utilize the sun AND still have control over the micro environment it would absolutely be worth the price of building it to save on lights and electricity.
You'd only be able to grow and harvest once a year. That's the main benefit of growing indoors. Year round harvest.
 

desert dude

Well-Known Member
Why are you on a marijuana forum if you don't grow, smoke or sell pot?
Because I am a libertarian. The war on drugs is a colossal waste of money and lives. The war on drugs has destroyed the foundation of US law by subverting the bill of rights. I want the war on drugs to end, p19 is a good first step.
 

mr2shim

Well-Known Member
Nope, I make my living as an engineer. Have not smoked pot in over 35 years, and I only tried it briefly back then.
So may I ask why did you join?

Because I am a libertarian. The war on drugs is a colossal waste of money and lives. The war on drugs has destroyed the foundation of US law by subverting the bill of rights. I want the war on drugs to end, p19 is a good first step.
Never mind, good to have you here!
 
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