Legal marijuana sales to approach $10 billion in 2017

Legal marijuana sales to approach $10 billion in 2017: Report

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This Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 file photo shows one of an assortment of marijuana strains during the High Times Harvest Cup in San Bernardino, Calif. On Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to consider a ... more >

By Andrew Blake - The Washington Times - Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Legal recreational and medical marijuana sales are outpacing previous estimates and slated to top nearly $10 billion in 2017, cannabis industry analysts said in a new report.

Retail marijuana sales are expected to reach $9.7 billion this year, up 33 percent from 2016, Arcview Market Research said in a midyear report released Wednesday.

“Our data shows positive indicators across the board for the legal cannabis industry, in North America and around the globe,” said Arcview editor-in-chief Tom Adams.

“The passage of the 2016 ballot initiatives and continued maturation of the existing Adult-Use markets are the primary drivers of the growth this year,” Mr. Adams said in a press release. “That’s nothing compared to what we can expect in 2018 and beyond from Nevada’s tourism, and California and Canada planning to launch Adult-Use sales in 2018.”

Voters in seven states legalized either recreational or medical marijuana in Nov. 2016, and laws allowing for either are currently on the books in 29 states and Washington, D.C., including five where retail or “adult-use” cannabis may be legally purchased from state-licensed pot shops: Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state.

Arcview released its fifth annual State of Legal Marijuana Markets report in March and predicted at the time that cannabis markets will grow at a 27 percent compound annual growth rate through 2021.

The mid-year update released Wednesday revises the previous report and predicts the legal market will reach $24.5 billion by 2021 — a compound annual growth rate rate of 28 percent rather than 27.

“Aside from cryptocurrency, there is simply no other industry changing as rapidly or as unevenly as the cannabis sector,” said Arcview CEO Troy Dayton.

“That makes capturing the data, predicting consumer behavior and forecasting political developments both extraordinarily difficult and complicated, and one of the most vital tools for investors, entrepreneurs and regulators trying to make sense of it all.”

The Trump administration has wrestled as recently as last week with regards to regulating marijuana in light states legalizing weed despite the federal government’s prohibition on pot.

The Department of Justice issued a memorandum during the Obama administration, the so-called “Cole Memo,” explaining how states may legalize weed without risking federal interference. President Trump’s Justice Department isn’t sure if it’ll keep the memo in place, however, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions said officials met last week to weigh its fate.

“It’s my view that the use of marijuana is detrimental and we should not give encouragement in any way to it,” Mr. Sessions said last week. “And it represents a federal violation which is in the law and is subject to being enforced, and our priorities will have to be focused on all the things and challenges that we face.”

California became the first state in the country to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, and in 2018 it will join the growing list of states where dispensaries can sell recreational pot to adult customers regardless of whether its been recommended by their doctor.

Los Angeles officials passed marijuana regulations Wednesday, likely giving the city the largest legal weed marketplace in the U.S. once retail sales start throughout the state in 2018.

Cannabis taxes in California alone are expected to earn the state up to $1 billion during the first year of legalization, according to previous estimates.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...lion-2017-rep/

And every DIME in taxes collected needs to be spent on drug rehab, narcon, EMT, ER and crack babies!

NOT OUT OF THE TAXPAYERS POCKET TO PAY FOR THIS!

POLITICIANS NOTHING BUT SKANKS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OFF POT SALES ONLY TO WASTE IT ON THEIR PET PROJECTS AND LEAVE TAXPAYER FOOTING THE BILL FOR THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR POLICIES!

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POLITICIANS NOTHING BUT SKANKS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OFF POT SALES ONLY TO WASTE IT ON THEIR PET PROJECTS AND LEAVE TAXPAYER FOOTING THE BILL FOR THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR POLICIES!

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Exactly! Politicians want the money and millennial snowflakes need the pot to calm their self induced anxieties. State politicians have no concern for the harm they're causing our youth and society.

My concern is now millions of people will not be "afraid or hesitate" to get stoned...get on the road.

Show up at work stoned...after all it's "legal".

Go get stoned at lunch.

Drive a bus stoned, operate a train stoned, work at a bank stoned, how does this affect the co-workers? The employers?

We have enough lazy people who do not want to work...now this!!!

These politicians see BIG $$$$$ SIGNS...but do not have a brain in their head to see the unintended consequences.

And those TAX DOLLARS will not go to PAYING for those consequences!


So if someone is driving...not smoking pot...but passengers are...is that OK? The driver will be high off the fumes. Gets in a wreck and kills people...what about the victims of this!

10 things you need to know about legalized pot in California

Patrick McGreevy Contact Reporter

At 62 pages long, Proposition 64 is a detailed and complicated document that spells out how California will regulate and tax the growth, transportation and sale of marijuana for recreational use.

Although Californians will be able to possess and grow marijuana immediately if it passes, people will not have a place to legally buy nonmedical marijuana until stores are licensed — and the state has until Jan. 1, 2018, to begin issuing retail licenses. State officials estimate it will take up to a year to develop the regulations that will be applied to those who grow, transport, test and sell cannabis.

Here’s what we do know so far about what legalizing pot would look like in California based upon what is outlined in the ballot measure.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5822ab0d/t...08/650/650x366

Voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 64, which would make California the most populous state in the nation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

1. You’ll have to be an adult to legally smoke pot.

Dubbed the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, the initiative would allow people who are 21 and older to possess, transport and buy up to 28.5 grams of marijuana for recreational use.
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Proposition 64 applies only to adults 21 and older. (California Secretary of State)

That expands on existing law that allows cannabis use for medical purposes.

For those who don’t want to buy pot from special marijuana stores, the initiative would allow adults to grow and use up to six marijuana plants. Medical marijuana patients may still possess the quantities necessary to meet their medical needs, even in excess of the 28.5 gram limit.

2. Don’t plan on lighting up just anywhere.

You won’t be able to light up a marijuana joint on the sidewalk or in a bar. Under the ballot measure, marijuana still cannot be smoked in public places, unless it is allowed by a local ordinance.

In addition, marijuana cannot be smoked in places where state law already prohibits tobacco smoking, including restaurants and theaters.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-581c0e40/t...03/450/450x253
Under Proposition 64, adults 21 and older will not be permitted to smoke marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, day care or youth center when children are present — unless they do so in a private residence. (California Secretary of State)

And smoking pot would still be outlawed within 1,000 feet of a school, day-care center or youth center while children are present.

Fines are also possible for those caught smoking weed while driving a motor vehicle, boat or aircraft.

3. Want to smoke marijuana in public? There’s a fine for that.

People busted smoking marijuana in public can expect to face a fine of up to $100. Those caught smoking pot in a place where tobacco smoking is prohibited or near a school can be fined up to $250.

Minors who violate the rules will be required to complete four hours of a drug-education program or counseling, and up to 10 hours of community service.

4. Kids will not be able to buy pot under Proposition 64.

Proponents of Proposition 64 say the ballot measure was written to keep pot out of the hands of minors.

It would prohibit the sale of marijuana to nonmedical users under age 21. Medical marijuana can still be used by people under 21. In addition, cannabis products could not be designed to appeal to children or to be easily confused with commercially sold candy.

Marijuana products also would have to be packaged in child-resistant containers, and pot shops would be prohibited from allowing anyone under 21 years old on their premises.

5. You won’t see commercials for weed on TV.

The initiative would bar the marketing of marijuana products to minors, which means ads would not be able to use symbols, language, music or cartoon characters aimed at appealing to those who are underage.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-581c1131/t...03/450/450x253
California Secretary of State

In addition, marijuana could not be advertised on billboards located along an interstate highway or state highway that crosses the border of any other state. Such ads also would not be allowed within 1,000 feet of day-care centers, schools providing instruction in kindergarten or grades 1 through 12, playgrounds or youth centers.

Federal law will continue to designate marijuana as an illegal drug and federally regulated television and radio states are not allowed to advertise illegal drugs.

If federal law should ever change, Proposition 64 includes a provision that requires broadcast, cable, radio, print and digital marketing only be displayed where at least 71.6% of the audience is reasonably expected to be 21 or older.

6. If you want to sell weed, you’re going to have to tell the state.

Want to open a pot shop? You will need a state license. Want to grow marijuana for others? You’ll still need a license.

Those who grow, process, transport or sell marijuana must get a state license, and pay a fee — that hasn’t been set yet — to cover the cost of the state processing and enforcing the licenses.

Local governments could also require operators to obtain a license, and businesses would not be able to sell marijuana within 600 feet of a school, day care center or youth center.

Those running shops must undergo a background check to obtain a state license, and they can be denied if they have felony convictions involving violence, fraud, drug trafficking or selling drugs to a minor.

7. If you sell pot, you’ll have to abide by state rules and regulations.

Who is in charge? A state Bureau of Marijuana Control inside the state Department of Consumer Affairs would be given the job of creating, issuing, renewing and revoking state licenses for the transportation, storage, distribution and sale of marijuana.

Marijuana growers will have to get a license from the state Department of Food and Agriculture. Those who want to form businesses to manufacture and test marijuana products would be licensed and overseen by the state Department of Public Health.

Updates from Sacramento »

The state agencies must begin issuing licenses by Jan. 1, 2018. An existing bureau set up for medical marijuana has already begun drafting regulations that would be needed before licenses could be issued.

8. Selling pot without a license will come with penalties — fines and jail time.

Selling marijuana without a license can result in a misdemeanor charge with penalties of up to six months in jail and $500 in fines.

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Selling marijuana without a license can result in up to six months in jail and $500 in fines depending on the number of previous offenses. (California Secretary of State)

In addition, selling marijuana or engaging in any other commercial activity in regard to the drug without a license comes with civil penalties of up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation.

Illegal operators could be ordered by courts to destroy the marijuana involved in the violation.

9. Marijuana will be taxed by the state — and possibly by cities and counties.

Proposition 64 would allow the state to impose a 15% excise tax on the retail sale of marijuana. In addition, the state would be able to levy a cultivation tax on growers of $9.25 per ounce for flowers and $2.75 per ounce for leaves.

The ballot measure also would let cities and counties to impose their own taxes to cover costs of services, including enforcement.

Medical marijuana patients would be exempt from paying state sales taxes.

10. California could make lots of money on pot sales. Here’s how it could be spent:

State analysts estimate state taxes could generate up to $1 billion annually to be used for expenses including:

• Covering the state’s cost of running the program and enforcing its regulations
• Allowing state universities to research and evaluate the impact of Proposition 64 on issues including health and safety
• Enabling the California Highway Patrol to develop processes for determining when a motorist is impaired by marijuana use
• Programs to reduce driving under the influence of marijuana
• Grants to local health departments and community-based nonprofits for job placement, mental health treatment, drug abuse treatment and legal services for low-income communities
• Youth programs, including drug education, prevention and treatment
• Programs to prevent and reduce environmental damage from illegal marijuana producers

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-p...107-story.html

Can your landlord 'just say no' to marijuana now that Prop 64 passed ...

www.sandiegouniontribune.com/.../real.../sd-fi-prop64-landlords-20161116-story.ht...
Nov 24, 2016 - “The short answer is yes, a private property owner could prohibit the smoking of marijuana at his or her property,” said Debra Carlton, senior vice president of public affairs at the California Apartment Association (CAA). "The landlords could also say yes, but they are allowed to say no and restrict it or ban it ...

Marijuana may be legal in California, but it can still get you fired

www.mercurynews.com/.../marijuana-may-be-legal-in-california-but-it-can-still-get-y...
Nov 17, 2016 - Marijuana may be legal in California, but it can still get you fired. ... And if workers test positive, the law says companies can choose to let them go – even if there's no indication they were actually high on the job. .... Still others may decide to test for pot only if they suspect someone is stoned at work.

https://www.alipac.us/image/jpeg;bas...SnkQqazU9Kg//Z
Here's Where You Can Get Arrested For DUI Weeks After Smoking Marijuana.
Driving while stoned isn't a good idea, and it's a crime in all 50 states, some of which have set blood-test limits for marijuana. But unlike blood alcohol content, THC blood levels don't have much to do with impairment. Dec 31, 2013

Here's Where You Can Get Arrested For DUI Weeks After Smoking ...

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Originally Posted by Beezer

My concern is now millions of people will not be "afraid or hesitate" to get stoned...get on the road . . .

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https://www.alipac.us/image/jpeg;bas...SnkQqazU9Kg//Z
Here's Where You Can Get Arrested For DUI Weeks After Smoking Marijuana.
Driving while stoned isn't a good idea, and it's a crime in all 50 states, some of which have set blood-test limits for marijuana. But unlike blood alcohol content, THC blood levels don't have much to do with impairment. Dec 31, 2013

Here's Where You Can Get Arrested For DUI Weeks After Smoking ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beezer

Show up at work stoned...after all it's "legal".

Go get stoned at lunch.

Drive a bus stoned, operate a train stoned, work at a bank stoned, how does this affect the co-workers? The employers? . . .

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Marijuana may be legal in California, but it can still get you fired

www.mercurynews.com/.../marijuana-may-be-legal-in-california-but-it-can-still-get-y...
Nov 17, 2016 - Marijuana may be legal in California, but it can still get you fired. ... And if workers test positive, the law says companies can choose to let them go – even if there's no indication they were actually high on the job. .... Still others may decide to test for pot only if they suspect someone is stoned at work.