Does anyone, especially from Colorado, have any advice to us Canadians?

[etienv]

As most of anyone knows who pays attention to the news has hear from one point or another that Canada is about to join the list of legal weed. Which of course goes without saying that is a big change. While I think this is great in general as a whole, I have my concerns on how our government is going about it. It seems that they intend to cut out the small growers, like me, and only focus on the big corp. Anyways, that's another topic entirely.

I am a mid-aged Canadian, living in Vancouver, BC. I have been a user and grower of cannabis for personal use for well over 20 years. And I am fed up with my current career path!

What I am here to learn and what I would like to hear from people in general is their personal struggles and successes from the legalisation partially from, Colorado. Since they have had legal weed for well over a year now. I am interested in hearing anything, but I would like to get a more personal perspective on the issue, the media, news, doesn't do that here. They only report on certain things leaving a great number of questions unanswered.

Personal stories of peoples attempts to run a business or start producing. Growers and there success or struggles with startup or employment. Maybe other business ventures and of course any hang ups they have had with government, law and people in general. Anything really that would give valuable information.

I am kind of looking for insight as to what to expect here when we legalise weed in next year. There is about to be a green rush and I am most likely at the centre of it here in Vancouver. I don't want to miss this bus!

Thanks in advance,
Cheeched.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Really depends on how they regulate it, here in Oregon the fees are so high it doesn't allow for the small guys to make a go of it unless they want to go into debt and hope they can make it work. But here Federal law causes issues as Banks are wary to lose their Fed status as it is technically "illegal", and the IRS don't mind taxing you on the income but as it is "illegal" you can't write off any of the business expenses (costs of lights/seeds/camera's/wages/etc.....). So some of that won't apply there as they are doing it on a Federal level, so depends on how much license is to grow and what regulations they put in (IE: here you have to have fences and security cameras and yadda yadda yadda so along with the $5,000 yearly fee to be a licensed grower you have to put a few more $thousands into your set up to get licensed). Colorado and now here is becoming a supply and demand issue as there is so many folks trying to jump on the bandwagon that now the supply is more than the demand (as can't transport across State lines, so can only sell in State you are in) so the price of Wholesale and Retail is starting to crash pretty hard, so hard to tell where it is all going to shake out to. So fees and start up costs only the big boys have a chance really and the small outfits will likely not be able to make a go of it and die like many small businesses as they unable to make a profit or recoup their costs.

 

[Obi Wan]

Look into opening a local garden supply store tailored to the specific needs of indoor and local outdoor cannabis growers/farmers.

Cheers,
/Obi