I was told it was going to be illegal to open a pot shop without a cringingly horrible pun in the name. Now I want my vote back.

I lived in Bellingham briefly. It is the only place I've lived where people would approach me right in front of a grocery store to buy or sell pot. Our car was even approached a couple times by a roving dealer. So, no, not a super surprise that the first shop would open there.

Certainly FARNF, none of us want you to take your vote back. Perhaps you have a proper pot shop name to advance? I do hope you won't disappoint us.

"Top Pot Spot" seems like obvious name.

One of my greatest wishes is for pot to be both legalized and accepted by the mundanes if only that pro-pot activists will shut the fuck up already.

18 lbs is 8172 grams. not a very large supply of product for a ganja shop. i predict shop sells out in a day or two if that's all they have.

Seeing as it's Bellingham, they should have called it "Tina Chopp Is POT", or is that too old-school?

@6

And I predict an hour or two.

Even at prices that range from the one-day special of $10 per gram (a 25% markup over street for high-end white-people dealers) to $20 (150% markup over high-priced black market weed).

This isn't legalization, this is just a way for the 1% to buy immunity (and for "aspirational" consumers to play-act the 1%, as ever). But there's a rip-roaring market for that, so enjoy your newspaper stories about every store in the state selling out before noon.

This is just ... Wrong

You can't kill a black market by releasing a competing product at 1/100th the quantity at 10 times the price ...

With very few distribution outlets

You kill a black market by releasing a cheaper product with teaser prices at 10 times the quantity and more distribution

Like at least 5 outlets per neighborhood

You Had One Job ...

the state liquor board is screwing this process up. I am not familiar with these people but they should have educated themselves about the downfalls of prohibition. Maybe in a couple of years the benefit to our communities will be realized. maybe a decade. thank G-d marijuana is finally being legalized. such an act against humanity of declaring cannabis harmful has had karmic sized consequences. Good for you Bellingham. Good for people of the state of Washington. Finally...

Just think of how much money will be made, probably by not-POC.

Then think about the fact that Washington state has one of the highest disparities in drug enforcement and sentencing by race in the nation. Think of how many POC's lives have been ruined by the Drug war, which now that its over, will be profitable to...well not POC's in Washington.

No one has forgotten Seattle alone spent millions and had its PD devote 60+% of its enforcement time and resources towards busting POC for marijuana and crack, even though most MJ users where white and meth/herione were, by far, the most utilized illicit drugs in the city.

Not complaining about decriminalization. Just arguing that there needs to be some addressing of the damage done.

Google Maps "marijuana near bellingham" producing two results.

#9

You neglect to figure in the cost of prosecution, jail time, penalties from using an illegal source.

Many people wouldn't bother; some might. But for any product, you can always find someone willing to sell you one that "fell of the truck".

@13

You can go ahead and factor in a total "prosecution, jail time, penalties" cost of $0. Pot is decriminalized. You would have to be blatantly caught buying/selling a LARGE amount of marijuana in public to actually be arrested and prosecuted here anymore. Maybe if you're a minority and the cop wants to abuse power, they can scare you and arrest you for recreational marijuana. But no one will bother prosecuting the "crime."

So...until the pot store prices go down and the supply goes up, there's not much of a reason for normal smokers to stop buying from their dealers.

#14

Conversely, why would a dealer not go legit and make 10x more money?

I mean, he might as well just become a wholesaler directly to the shops rather than doing one-offs to individuals.