Quote Originally Posted by hiamps
I keep hearing about the 25% tax and since the Phamacies will be open to all on Dec 6, what will this do to the prices? Does anyone think the Mexicans will be selling a lot lower? Things are about to get real interesting...I don't understand how jacking the price is supposed to keep Black Market out? Hmmmmmmm
Any economist could have told you that this was going to happen. Milton Freedman once said, If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand. He was talking about the inefficiency that occurs as soon as government interferes in a free market and we certainly see this clearly in the multi-tiered tax system now implemented in Wash. state for pot producers, distributors and consumers.

Sadly, the black market will become very active in this type of market. The government by implementing controls will cause a loss of control in the pot market and a new focus have to be put on looking for and busting those operating outside of the regulated system. I am sure we have not seen the end of troubles yet in Washington, but kudos for the folks up there who are trying to work this out. It is a start, and it is a method of state control of this emerging industry that we needed to see in operation in order to understand its impact, and many more states will be able to use the example of what is happening in Washington when designing their own laws in the future.