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Here at NORML we get some amazing letters from all over the country. Some of them tear at your heart and reaffirm your commitment to ending the injustice of marijuana prohibition. Others are shocking and embarrassing and make you cringe when you realize just how much ignorance and hatred are out there.
In the comments of this page I will occasionally paste in some of the letters and my responses to them. Be forewarned: I do not clean up these letters for profanity, spelling, or logic.
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I respectfully disagree with your assertion that the price of good marijuana is anywhere near the price of a bottle of good wine, A 48/liquid oz bottle of moderate California chardonnay is about 20$, a 48/gram or 1 and1/4oz bag of moderate California cannabis is about 250-500$. The reason it’s is still expensive is because people are making huge profits here and there, but also the risk for growing the plant illegally is still very severe even in California. Look at states like Georgia, Florida, and Texas for proof of this theory, were an ounce of good bud is at least 400$.
People should know also that before Regan took office the price for an Ounce of good bud was still around the 40-50$ range and ten years later after many new federal and state mandatory minimum laws were enacted the price skyrocketed to almost 400$ and just an ounce of bud stayed expensive until decriminalization, and medical marijuana laws were enacted and now finally the price is slowly creeping down to about 200-300$ for a Ounce of dry buds.
If we legalize the price will drop and conditions to grow,breed and preserve amazing marijuana variety’s would be stable and make life for stoners more similar to those who use other consumable products. If we don’t legalize soon the price of cannabis will stay high and those great strains will remain hidden and illegal.
let us all get it legal and stop destroying people’s lives over a herb and then we should talk prices.
Hey Russ,
In regards to legalization and the price of cannabis. I would respectfully disagree with some of your opinions.
When refering to the over-inflated price, cannabis seems to instantly become a fungible commodity in peoples minds. In reality quality varies enormously as you know. I think the wine industry would be a fair comparison.
If someone says, “the price of wine is way too expensive”. My question is what type of wine are we talking about?
Why dont I ever here anyone complain about the high price of wine? It seems that everyone understands that, per barrel, a high quality wine takes more effort to produce than a low quality wine.
It’s often asserted that the elevated price of cannabis is due to the fact it is illegal. Growers take a huge risk and
need to be compensated for this. Well, twenty years ago here in California the price of very high quality outdoor was about $400 an ounce if you could find it. Growers then were risking jail time for small amounts. Today, after what, 15 years of medical cannabis, the risk of jail time has significantly diminished. Understand that with the downturn in the real estate market, more than few people have turned to cannabis production in hopes of saving the farm. Competition is fierce.
Now, let’s use $200 an ounce for very high quality outdoor as today’s average price.
Granted, inflation may account for a decrease in price over the years.
If tommorrow everyone decided to make possesion of jalapeno peppers illegal and punishable by jail time, do you think the new blackmarket pepper price would be 50% more than the today’s legal price? I bet it would instantly be at least 10 times the legal price. With today’s cannabis market in California being almost wide open, why aren’t ounces of high quality outdoor around here going for about $20?
The general consensus is that growers are pretty greedy and that’s why they exploit the consumers with the high prices.
Ask yourself, are the prices more exploitive in the black market ($50 an 1/8 for primo) or the medical market
($50 an 1/8 for primo)?
Legalization isnt going to suddenly allow for mass production of the very best product. It will however allow for
mass production of inferior product. When we achieve full legalization, is Russ going to be puffing mass produced machine processed cannabis? Or will he decide that he prefers a more expensive, high quality, hand crafted product?
I’ll give you two guesses, but you only really need one.
I’ve heard the rant (keep it up,Bro!) about why the cost of cannabis so high, because it can be. Again my question
is what type of cannabis are we talking about? Is the schwag too overpriced? The primo stuff? All of it?
Following legalization, what is the top price that anyone should pay for cannabis? I find it laughable
when I see a collective advertising a “cap on prices”. How cheesy and brokedick is this? Imagine a wine store that
brags openly about having a cap on the price of wine. Are cannabis consumers so silly that they dont realize that
they dont get something for nothing? When asshats like John Doe say, “all 1/8ths are 5 grams”, does this
really appeal to anyone?
I’ve never seen cheap beer advertised in such a sleazy huckster fashion.
Can you imagine, “all 40 ouncers are 45 ounces!”. Please, people please, if the legalization
of cannabis means that we are going to be subjected to ads that are MORE stupid than beer ads, count me out!
I feel there might be something for you to consider here beyond the price of tea in China. As you know all too well,
there is a large rift forming between those in favor of medical cannabis and those in favor of out-right legalization.
When Humbolt county votes against Prop 19, you know these growers voted in what they considered to be their own financial interests (I got mine). I’m still convinced they are mistaken. The legal mass production of cannabis wont result in an increase in quality, I assure you. If you think, yeah but, the mass produced product will be “good enough”, I think you seriously selling short the degree to which americans are snobs. Do you realize how many cannabis varietals are popular here in California? Not only would the mass production growers be trying to grow
a product as good as the small scale growers, they would also be trying to grow all the different types.
I’m guessing that cannabis consumers are actually much more savy than wine consumers are. In a double
blind survey, experienced wine snobs often fail at distinguishing between top shelf, expensive, wines and
relatively inexpensive wines. I really doubt the same is true for cannabis. Think about it; try passing off
some mediocre herb on Ganja Jon sometime. No way, dude. If it’s not the very best, he’s not very excited is he?
Me neither. More scientific data here is needed for sure.
So, while its tempting to win people over to the legalization of cannabis by promising that if they do, they wont have to continue to pay inflated black market prices, this arguement scares the crap out of the average small scale grower or dispensary owner. People are generally scared of the unknown and your utopian vision of everyone toasting fine wine at boxed wine prices isnt helping (IMO). So please, rather than feed into this fear let’s admit openly that it’s okay to have price reflect quality.
Let’s not refer to “the price of cannabis” as if its a fungible commodity. Whenever making a blanket statement
about cannabis, try it out with wine first. You can say that the price of weed is too damn high and, whoa, people will
get right on board with you. – Oh heck ya! It’s because of the greedy growers..ect.
If you say the price of wine is too damn high, people wont get behind this statement as readily will they? -
Well, Russ, what type of wine are you talking about,.. have you been drinking?
As far as I can see it, the legal cannabis consumer of tommorrow may not get a better deal than today’s medical patients. Again, I’m refering to the best possible product here, that means hand trimmed. I concede that lower grades will be cheaper. What did ending prohibition do to the price of really good wine? If anything, I’m guessing the price of really
good wine went up as a direct result of alcohol becoming legal. A blackmarket effectively “blacks out” the ability
of the producer to achieve market penetration. All product advertizing becomes a dangerous proposition. Each purchase becomes a crap-shoot. With legalization, we americans are allowed freely to do what we really do best and that’s to pass judgement on the value of something. We can encourage people to try our product based on how inexpensive it is (Budweiser) or we can focus on quality (Sierra Nevada). Black and grey markets blur our ability to honestly assess the value of a product.
In conclusion, I’d like to see people relax a little bit in regards to the price of cannabis. When most folks
walk into a bar, they dont even ask the bartender how much the drinks are going to cost. They just
order the drinks, pay the fee and then tip the bartender for her efforts. Conversely, budtenders get
continuesly grilled about why the product is so expensive and cant you do any better? Would anyone ever consider
tipping these folks for their efforts? Not often.
Love the podcast and appreciate all your efforts,
Aquaponics
Yea same problem here. Podcast does not work
Hey Russ,
I usually listen to the Stash by podcast only. Ever since the 6/2 show none of the episodes will download into my itunes on my mac. Did you do something new that might be causing this? I unsubscribed and then re-subscribed and I still cant get my daily stash. Any suggestions on what to do? Love the show and I also play bass!
I wrote senator Bill Nelson a letter asking him to reconsider legalizing marijuana / hemp (not “decriminalizing” and not “medical marijuana” – but all hemp) and this is what he replied:
Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you need to send another message to Senator Nelson, please use the form on his Web site: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email
Dear Mr. David:
Thank you for contacting me regarding proposals to legalize marijuana.
I oppose legalizing this dangerous drug. At this time, no legislation is pending in the Senate to decriminalize the possession or use of marijuana. If such a proposal is introduced I will keep your thoughts in mind.
Your communication is important and enables me to better serve you in the Senate. Please contact me again with any input or concerns you have.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson
So I went back to his website and asked him to consider other sources, such as this:
http://youtu.be/3HLzmH9VB6A, so that he and his staff get more educated on this topic and also consider the growing evidence in favor of marijuana’s economic viability.
Also, I suggested that he drafts an amendment to the US Constitution prohibiting anyone in the future to make a plant illegal (unless it’s genetically modified).
So now I’m waiting for another reaction from his staff regarding this “dangerous drug”.
Russ, I got this from the Huffington post: a Republican busted for Pot who claimed a medical issue.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The top Republican in the Rhode Island House, who was arrested in Connecticut two weeks ago on charges of driving drunk and possessing marijuana, was voted out of his leadership position Tuesday.
Republican lawmakers decided Rep. Robert Watson will be replaced as minority leader by Rep. Brian Newberry.
Police arrested Watson at a police checkpoint in East Haven, Conn., on April 22. Watson smelled of alcohol and marijuana and performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to a police report documenting the stop. The officer who detained him said he found a bag of marijuana and a wooden pipe in his pocket.
Watson, who is from East Greenwich, a wealthy town of 13,000 residents in the center of the state, drew criticism in February after he gave a speech to the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce in which he said facetiously that state lawmakers had their priorities right “if you are a Guatemalan gay man who likes to gamble and smokes marijuana.”
Watson declined to address the specifics of his ouster but said he plans to keep his House seat.
“I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to be the same voice that I have always been,” Watson told The Associated Press. “I’m proud of the role I have played.”
Fellow Republican Rep. Joseph Trillo, of Warwick, said he didn’t anticipate further sanctions. He said it was up to Watson’s constituents whether he survives the next election cycle.
“If I were one of his constituents, though, I would be concerned about this,” said Trillo, who has worked with Watson for 11 years.
Watson, who has served as minority leader since 1998 and was first elected to the House in 1992, said last week that he uses marijuana to treat recurring pain from a severe bout of pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, which hospitalized him last fall. However, he insisted he hadn’t smoked any on the day of his arrest.
Rhode Island has a medical marijuana law, but Watson said he never sought a marijuana prescription because he wanted to keep his use private.
That explanation persuaded only two of Rhode Island’s 10 House Republicans to side with him in Tuesday’s vote of no confidence.
The Providence Journal reports:
Another — Rep. Laurence Ehrhardt — left the room in anger after an earlier “vote of no confidence” in Watson, stating: “I can no longer serve with the members of this caucus.
“It’s a disgraceful group of people,” Ehrhardt said. “Rep. Newberry has organized a group to overthrow Rep. Watson’s leadership of this caucus. It’s a dark day for the state of Rhode Island. It’s a dark day for the caucus and for the Republican party….I have no wish to be associated with this group of people at this point.”
Newberry was one of six House Republicans to vote against Watson, and one was absent.
“He had illegal drugs on him in Connecticut. You can’t get around that,” Newberry said. “When our own leader gets involved in that – that reflects badly on us all.”
A second vote, to install Newberry as the new Republican leader in the House, was 6-2, he said, with Watson casting one of the votes against him. Newberry, who is from North Smithfield, a small town in the northern part of the state, said he hopes to delegate more tasks to other members of his caucus and to reach out more often to Democrats.
On April 26, a day after reports of Watson’s arrest surfaced, his House colleagues unanimously voted to retain him as minority leader.
At that point, Newberry said, none of the politicians had had “a chance to digest things.”
“We hadn’t even had a chance to talk to one another,” Newberry said. “The safest course of action was to keep the status quo.”
Watson said last week that he had consumed “several” drinks at the time of his arrest but wasn’t drunk. An alcohol breath test performed at the East Haven police station determined that Watson’s blood-alcohol level was 0.05, below the state’s 0.08 limit. He still faces drunken-driving charges after failing the field sobriety tests.
Watson said police targeted him, adopting a more aggressive attitude once they saw a legislative ID in his wallet. East Haven police called that claim “ridiculous.”
Watson was released on $500 bond. He faces a May 11 court date in Connecticut.
1. No. Washington will not recognize a California recommendation.
2. Yes. That is a federal issue with the Higher Education Act. It’s been amended of late so that it only affects you if you’re currently in school and get caught with pot.
Hey Russ,
I just recently started listening to your podcast and I love it! I listen to it on my way to work. I did have two questions that I was wondering if you could answer.
1- I have a CA medical recomendation and I will be going to WA this summer (for the National Rainbow Gathering) for about 2 weeks. Can I be busted if I’m in WA because my recomendation is written from a CA doctor or is it still valid? I will not be going to any dispensaries while I am there, I’m just curious incase, since I would never consent to a search..
2-Is it true that if you live in the state of CA and you are busted for pot, does it impact / deny you financial aid for college because you have a drug arrest?
Anyway that is all, keep doing the work and I will keep listening.
We must be more than responsible cannabis users. We must accept the fact that many people do not know much about mj.The only way to legalize is to show how we are good citizens of this country and we want what is best for the future of our nation.
What Russ said!
Wow, five “fucks” in one email? Did you study extra hard to compose that one?
I think you just answered your own question as to why you were banned. While that sort of discourse may be standard at BongTV, at NORML we’re actually trying to convince the rest of America that we should re-legalize cannabis. Part of that includes providing a forum for discussion that your average intelligent non-cannabis-using adult would find welcome.
For the record, you were banned on a day when I had numerous {Generals} and {Colonels} and {Majors} from some alleged “Stoner Army” who, rather than pestering their legislators in the middle of the afternoon, felt it necessary to flood into our forum to advertise BongTV. This was in retaliation for me setting a policy that there will be no advertisements on our show unless the advertiser wants to pay for them like all the rest.
Perhaps you didn’t do anything worthy of a ban, but while I am doing a live show I don’t have the time for lengthy decision making. On that day, whenever I saw a {Rank}, I just banned it.
I might have been lobbied into letting you return, before I received an email full of “fucks” (and a “prick”, “shit”, and “asshole”, too!) that just confirmed my original instinct.
Have a nice day and enjoy the show where teens and young adults trade profanities in chat while watching someone riding around in a car taking bong hits on our public streets. That’s really helping us convince voters in Peoria that we’re responsible adults who enjoy cannabis and it should be re-legalized.
Russ Belville
NORML Outreach Coordinator
—–Original Message—–
From: General Mitch
Sent: March 1, 2010 9:01 PM
To: NORML SHOW LIVE
Subject: what the fuck ??
wtf is yalls problem with bongtv we been around longer than you assholes and for the record i joined the room to ask nicely your ppl to stop spamming us while at the same fucking time iwas asking ours to stop goin in your room to start shit but no yall are fucking pricks and banned me the instant i joined fuck you assholes have a nice fucking day!