The economics of MMJ?

[palerider7777]

Well your numbers are a bit skewed. First of all a 1000 sqft is not nearly sufficient to produce the amount that you believe should be harvested (50-100lbs annually). Managing that you can find a landlord willing to facilitate such a high risk venture and not double the rent on you, then you are on a start.

Now 1000 per month for electricity, again if your looking to produce large quantites of cannabis your electric bill will not be this low.

I dont know of any trimmers who will work for 1000 per month, unless they are working very slowly or very few hours. The going rate is usually 200 per pound and it usually takes them a day or two to trim a pound. So if you can do 3lbs in a week your looking at a salary to 2400 per month, per trimmer.

Now yields... you say 48 plants mature to get 50 lbs. Your looking at a long time in veg and having to use a commercially viable high yielding strain to achieve these numbers, and this is using up every inch of the warehouse youve indicated. If your vegging plants for that long your going to need a pretty large sized vegitation room. Now you say "high quality top notch" cannabis. Well most people do not tend to designate high yielding commercial strains as quality, many of the potent resinous strains that patients tend to benefit from are usually low yielding thus making it an even harder job to produce the quantities you speak of....

I think some people tend to look to much at the quick numbers without really acknowledging all the over head and time spent. Theres alot of money that goes in, but there is sure a heck of alot of money that gets spent...

I emplore anyone who believes that there is such easy money in this industry to test their luck. Most find out that the money is not quite as easy as they expected. Think about it, if there were such huge profits to be made, the growers who have been growing for 40+ years would have retired 20 years ago...:thumbsup:

thats pretty much what iv'e been saying me not thinks many people really know what there talking about most of it is bs street talk thinking they know something.hell just a 1ksqft building would produce a 1k a month electric bill by it's then to hook up enough light to pull 50 lbs lmao yea ok.lets try 4 to 6k a month for that kindda light. it's funny to hear people think...

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

growers retire? naw we just keep on keepin on. mj is not addictive growing it is. passion is what made the high grade you see today.


meded so you can mededicate to mededitate

[ColoradoCareMMJ]

thats pretty much what iv'e been saying me not thinks many people really know what there talking about most of it is bs street talk thinking they know something.hell just a 1ksqft building would produce a 1k a month electric bill by it's then to hook up enough light to pull 50 lbs lmao yea ok.lets try 4 to 6k a month for that kindda light. it's funny to hear people think...

Its kind of like the people you see on late night informercials standing next to a ferrari and some mansion in south beach claiming they were just a loser like you until they started selling real estate from the jack ass in the commercial.

If there was "easy money" out there, we would ALL be after it. Hell, even ol' Bernie Madoff found out his easy money wasnt so easy.....

[palerider7777]

Its kind of like the people you see on late night informercials standing next to a ferrari and some mansion in south beach claiming they were just a loser like you until they started selling real estate from the jack ass in the commercial.

If there was "easy money" out there, we would ALL be after it. Hell, even ol' Bernie Madoff found out his easy money wasnt so easy.....

lmao so true,people like my mom would fall for that shit every time.they watch the 2 hour "ad" and then go around telling everybody about it as if they were the ones teaching it.yet they never done the shit themselfs lmao.

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

its one thing to grow a couple of plants, most do not understand the work and the problems associated with large grows. whole new ball game. they act like they just grow themselves without realizing nutes, ph, temperature, ventilaion,cleaning and sanatizing, etc on a large scale can be daunting. now for a first timer...failure.

meded so you can mededicate to mededitate

[PufferLungs]

I'll venture a guess and say 95% of the meds we are buying in the dispensaries is being grown by amateurs. First or second crop growers.

Which explains why most of it ain't worth the prices they are charging. Dispensaries are charging top shelf prices for mediocre weed. They are charging $100 for 1/4oz of weed that I would have paid about $65 or $70 on the street. The potency and taste just isn't there.

That should get better as more people venture into growing and hopefully some of them will get better at it - even GOOD at it. But I have a feeling the dispensaries days are numbered. Competition is going to kill the poor ones and good growers/caregivers are sucking up patients almost as fast as you can say, "Where can I find a caregiver?"

Once the majority of people find a good caregiver - they'll avoid the mediocre weed being tossed about by the dispensaries with their price gouging.

I wouldn't mind paying $100 per 1/4 if it was GOOD. But $100 a 1/4 for what I've found so far, at the dispensaries, is just wrong. I've found some decent stuff, but none of it has been as good as the shit you used to find on the street when you were looking for a $100 1/4.

[lampost]

I'll venture a guess and say 95% of the meds we are buying in the dispensaries is being grown by amateurs. First or second crop growers.

Which explains why most of it ain't worth the prices they are charging. Dispensaries are charging top shelf prices for mediocre weed. They are charging $100 for 1/4oz of weed that I would have paid about $65 or $70 on the street. The potency and taste just isn't there.

That should get better as more people venture into growing and hopefully some of them will get better at it - even GOOD at it. But I have a feeling the dispensaries days are numbered. Competition is going to kill the poor ones and good growers/caregivers are sucking up patients almost as fast as you can say, "Where can I find a caregiver?"

Once the majority of people find a good caregiver - they'll avoid the mediocre weed being tossed about by the dispensaries with their price gouging.

I wouldn't mind paying $100 per 1/4 if it was GOOD. But $100 a 1/4 for what I've found so far, at the dispensaries, is just wrong. I've found some decent stuff, but none of it has been as good as the shit you used to find on the street when you were looking for a $100 1/4.

I just saw something on Denver Chronicle (GREAT WORK on your blog Dietblone!) that said that Denver has more dispensaries than liquor stores, starbucks, and schools... that is FUCKED up!

Hopefully they won't regulate and competition alone will thin the herd. As of now it really doesn't seem to be hurting much of anything at all. It almost seems that the perceived need for regulation is being driven by the attention Denver is getting over this... and the politician's feelings that they're on the national stage.

[ganjagr1]

I'm a new grower -- I've been doing this for 10 months now and let me tell you, I am not getting rich quick growing ganja. It doesn't matter that it's legal. And I'm not ripping anyone off because my "patients" are my uncle and my mother. Yes, they give me some money, but it's about $75 an ounce.

I had to outfit my basement for growing, which meant a light-tight bloom room and an open (but warm) veg room. I had to buy lumber, panda plastic, lights, fans, filters, A/C, CO2, water chiller, pH & ppm meters, and god knows how much other stuff to run my hydro setup. I hired a handyman to help me construct the bloom room (I told him it was a dark room for a photography class) and I also needed some electrical and plumbing work. Finally, I needed genetics. All in all, it cost me about $15,000 to set up... and I haven't made $15,000 yet.

I spend over $300/month on power alone. I work a part time job then come home to take care of the garden. I work more than 12 hours a day and there is always something coming up.

pHs get out of whack. Powdery mildew. Weird white fuzzy mold (I don't know what it is yet, but Serenade seems to keep it at bay). Spider mites. Fungus gnats. Res leak. Aero-cloner mysteriously dies (needed a replacement pump for some reason). Root rot. A light leak and suddenly 3 plants go hermaphrodite. Seeds suck.

I am not making a profit. I think it might be cheaper to grow my own, but it sure would be easier to just buy it in a store. Thing is, I was worried about quality too. I wanted potent strains and harvests that were well-flushed and well-cured. So I decided to do it myself since my mom has MS and is in a lot of pain. I didn't want her vaporizing pesticides or something that didn't help with her pain.

If there is anyone out there who's making a profit giving meds away to your patients, I would love to know your secret. Since I've started this operation, I have a lot more appreciation for farmers and farm workers. Plants need a lot of care. You can't just go away for a weekend. You have to maintain the lights, the temps, the water levels, and always watch for mold and bugs.

It's exhausting. And trust me, dirt is no easier. You've got to keep track of soil pHs, too. You have all the same issues with dirt -- root rot, root bound, too close to the light, too hot, too cold, fungus gnats, good grief.

If you're fed up with dispensaries, go ahead and grow your own. But don't start growing thinking it's cheap or easy. That first harvest is a real rush, but once the bud is dry, it rarely weighs as much as you hoped it would. And if you don't cure it carefully, it will end up smelling like grass. Ew. While you can sell your leftover meds to other patients, you have to serve your own patients' needs first. Those who aren't your patients should pay more because you didn't grow a bunch of extra plants for them. It's just supply and demand.

As for hash and edibles making you rich... It takes a day to make hash, 12 hours for oil or butter (I use the crock pot method), and another day to actually cook with the oil or butter. Plus, I don't think you're supposed to sell edibles unless you operate out of a commercial kitchen... which is more $$$ in rent.

Yes, they are your plants. But unless you have a kind relative willing to care for them for you, be willing to pay. After all, you are allowed to buy potatoes in Colorado, too... but you have to pay for the potatoes at the store or buy equipment to grow your own.

[throatstick]

I'm a new grower -- I've been doing this for 10 months now and let me tell you, I am not getting rich quick growing ganja. It doesn't matter that it's legal. And I'm not ripping anyone off because my "patients" are my uncle and my mother. Yes, they give me some money, but it's about $75 an ounce.

I had to outfit my basement for growing, which meant a light-tight bloom room and an open (but warm) veg room. I had to buy lumber, panda plastic, lights, fans, filters, A/C, CO2, water chiller, pH & ppm meters, and god knows how much other stuff to run my hydro setup. I hired a handyman to help me construct the bloom room (I told him it was a dark room for a photography class) and I also needed some electrical and plumbing work. Finally, I needed genetics. All in all, it cost me about $15,000 to set up... and I haven't made $15,000 yet.

I spend over $300/month on power alone. I work a part time job then come home to take care of the garden. I work more than 12 hours a day and there is always something coming up.

pHs get out of whack. Powdery mildew. Weird white fuzzy mold (I don't know what it is yet, but Serenade seems to keep it at bay). Spider mites. Fungus gnats. Res leak. Aero-cloner mysteriously dies (needed a replacement pump for some reason). Root rot. A light leak and suddenly 3 plants go hermaphrodite. Seeds suck.

I am not making a profit. I think it might be cheaper to grow my own, but it sure would be easier to just buy it in a store. Thing is, I was worried about quality too. I wanted potent strains and harvests that were well-flushed and well-cured. So I decided to do it myself since my mom has MS and is in a lot of pain. I didn't want her vaporizing pesticides or something that didn't help with her pain.

If there is anyone out there who's making a profit giving meds away to your patients, I would love to know your secret. Since I've started this operation, I have a lot more appreciation for farmers and farm workers. Plants need a lot of care. You can't just go away for a weekend. You have to maintain the lights, the temps, the water levels, and always watch for mold and bugs.

It's exhausting. And trust me, dirt is no easier. You've got to keep track of soil pHs, too. You have all the same issues with dirt -- root rot, root bound, too close to the light, too hot, too cold, fungus gnats, good grief.

If you're fed up with dispensaries, go ahead and grow your own. But don't start growing thinking it's cheap or easy. That first harvest is a real rush, but once the bud is dry, it rarely weighs as much as you hoped it would. And if you don't cure it carefully, it will end up smelling like grass. Ew. While you can sell your leftover meds to other patients, you have to serve your own patients' needs first. Those who aren't your patients should pay more because you didn't grow a bunch of extra plants for them. It's just supply and demand.

As for hash and edibles making you rich... It takes a day to make hash, 12 hours for oil or butter (I use the crock pot method), and another day to actually cook with the oil or butter. Plus, I don't think you're supposed to sell edibles unless you operate out of a commercial kitchen... which is more $$$ in rent.

Yes, they are your plants. But unless you have a kind relative willing to care for them for you, be willing to pay. After all, you are allowed to buy potatoes in Colorado, too... but you have to pay for the potatoes at the store or buy equipment to grow your own.

exp is the best teacher. will knock down the ones that think they know it all a peg or 2.glad to see someone tell the truth too.it's the same as anything else sure you can grow watermelon yourself. but with all the time and effort and pests and so on.odds are it might not even make it.spend money and time all on an if it makes it.once someone does that and sees the truth about it.i'd say 95% would say fuck that im gunna go buy a watermelon at the store 5, 6 bucks no prob besides i wanted to eat it now anyways not months from now lmao.

[Justabloke]

this "compassion" bs.

:angry3:

Wow! I have to say I take great exception to that!!!

I was down at NatuRx where Dianna took VERY good care of me and has some of the lowest priced (top shelf) meds. I paid $43 an 1/8 for some outstanding White Widow X Northern Lights.

She, also, has high-quality meds for around $38 an 1/8? If she can do it anyone can do it. Yes, I think everyone who is legally able should make money as it is the way they make their living in most cases. But price gougeing like many of them do is totally unacceptable in this day and age. We're legal now...we should have to pay street prices or worse MORE.

So as I'm checking out, I asked if they had a donation jar where patients could donate towards other patients who don't enough money for their meds. She told me they did not. So I said as I slid a $1 over the counter "can you pay this forward to a patient who doesn't have enough, please?"

I did it out of compassion knowing how hard it can be to get and keep your stock of meds. I'll prolly never know who not only this dollar but many others I have donated towards patients and their need for meds.

I think if we all did that not only for other patients but to fight stupid stuff like 1284 we'd be in a MUCH better spot! Yes that is in spite of the fact that many disps got ripped off and sold down the river by a core group of people who were supposed to be activists.

What I did I did out of compassion for fellow patients/humans who I'll prolly never meet. I just hope my dollar goes to help someone that needs it and maybe the good karma will come back to me someday when I need it.

In fact, in some ways it already has. Jake over at RLC offered me a free joint (which I completely intend on takeing him up on when I'm over that way!!! lol)

If we were all a lil more compassionate not only would OUR community be a whole lot better, our COUNTRY would be a whole lot better too.

That's just my (not so) humble opinion. Call me a bleeding heart liberal if you must and YES I DO hug trees too! ROFL

JaB