I still think a limit of say 5 pounds per individual is a good idea. That way if a company wanted to sell 50 pounds, they'd have to hire 10 people, and so on. This would encourage employment and high prices for what is essentially a luxury, OR, a lack of large companies altogether due to not being able to afford wages. Either way, people could grow enough for most people's personal use, and if they smoke all they've grown people who don't smoke it can sell them theirs.
Also, the limit would keep all those cornfields you drive past on the way to work from turning into fields of pot plants the next planting season if prices don't lower significantly.
I've heard that a good deal on a pound of mid grade pot is $1,200 in my area. That's a rate that if you sell quarter pounds for $400, or $100 an ounce, you make $400 from a pound, or a quarter pound to smoke yourself. Ounces tend to go for $110-120, and as you go into the fractions of an ounce for every time it's halved you pay $5 or $10 more. This allows a system of small timers who sell eighths through an ounce, they generally buy ounces. Then you have the ounce guys who buy from people who buy quarter pounds, who buy from the pound guys. Generally though the bigger you can buy the cheaper it is, while the smaller you sell the more profit per weight you achieve. However the bigger people don't like to sell small bags because then they become known by tons and tons of people because of the pyramid effect.
It's really an amazing bit of economics. By the way, did you know that 9/10s of colonial merchants at the time of the revolution were smugglers? John Hancock was the most prominent one, they called him the Prince.
This was due to English prohibiting trade with countries other than it and it's colonies. The French sold Molasses cheaper on their Caribbean Islands than the British did on theirs, and Molasses is a component of Rum. The colonists bought cheap, illegal French Molasses, turned it into Rum, and traded it for African slaves in Africa as part of the triangle trade route.
This was true of many manufactured goods as well. Britain forbade the export of many manufactured goods from America, and made production of others illegal. This was because their theory was that America would supply raw materials and provide an excellent market for British good since they wouldn't be allowed to make their own. Britain also tended to request payment in the form of coinage, and put various restrictions on the colonists about making their own paper money. As a result there were very few coins in America, especially if you weren't living in a port town. As a result the colonists were forced to go to a barter system for New World commerce. Also, the Indians didn't care a bit about coins but would happily swap goods, so the economy adapted in a way that was pretty unique until after the Revolution.
I just thought I'd mention it because while they aren't very similar you can see how common sense and necessity influence stuff like this and how the lack of such things tends to hurt governments.
EDIT: By the way, is it illegal to acknowledge that I've heard discussions about drug prices? USA Federal law I mean?
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Topic: Swat team raids house and kills pets over a small amount of pot. (Read 14421 times)