Westword
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Dear Stoner: At what point do we tax legal weed customers back into the black market?
Calling My Dealer
Dear Calling: Voters in most towns and counties actually gave their local governments the okay to raise recreational pot taxes within a certain amount, usually up to 10 percent. Since then, cities like Denver and Aurora have incrementally raised those taxes by 1 or 2 percent to address pressing issues such as affordable housing and mental health.
Jacqueline Collins
No matter the tax rate, though, the general public may be too far along the legal-buy road to return to the black market. Even if taxes inch up and black market prices go down, an eighth of weed is still the same price – if not cheaper – as it was through a weed dealer in 2014. That’s good enough for most people who don’t smoke every day, and heavy users now find the most reliable concentrates at dispensaries.
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We’ve seen high prices hurt legal pot’s earning potential before, but that was at the beginning of recreational sales, when everyone had a weed dealer or knew a basement grower. Coloradans are too fat and happy now, and the current convenience of retail pot will probably keep us that way.
Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
