Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys think some of the concerns of dispensaries and collectives over the impact of legalizing marijuana could be unwarranted. As the Daily Titan reports, some in the medical marijuana industry fear that legalization could increase competition to the point that it forces them out of business.
The manager of an Anaheim dispensary was quoted as saying: “How the hell am I going to be able to compete with a local liquor store selling the same exact product I’m selling but for a lower price?”
Of course the impact of legalized marijuana remains uncertain, just as the passage of Proposition 19 is not certain. Just as what impact the federal government could have, in either challenging the law or enforcing federal drugs laws against marijuana, remains uncertain. And, of course, nobody knows how the next local politician with nothing better to do is going to react.
But we think it unlikely that you are going to be able to buy marijuana at WalMart anytime in the foreseeable future. Yes, cities like Oakland have talked about growing marijuana and there are reports of big tobacco buying acreage with the intent to grow crops. But the dispensaries and collectives on the retail end of the equation could still be well positioned. That is part of why it is so frustrating to see cities like Los Angeles attempt to force them out of business ahead of the tax bonanza that will be reaped if local municipalities are allowed to tax all sales of legalized marijuana.
There have been head shops almost as long as there has been marijuana. Specialty stores exist in every industry. If local governments would stop insisting upon trying to legislate the legal medical marijuana business out of business, dispensaries and collectives would have a brighter future than they have seen in some time.
Legalizing marijuana could be an asset. Perhaps green cash will speak louder than the green crop that has some local politicians awake at night.For now, the fear of losing business to CVS or Walgreens, as this article suggests, is the least of the problems faced by medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles.
The CANNABIS LAW GROUP offers experienced and aggressive representation to the medical marijuana industry in Southern California– including growers, dispensaries and collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.