The next move will be to figure out how to raise the taxes, which is discussed here. 
It appears this business is not affected by the economy. Most counties now in California issue the medical pot cards; however, one county has not complied and they are due in court.
If you are a Medi-Cal prescriptions run at about half the cost. If taxed, who knows it could out perform the revenue of the lottery in time. Just like anything else, someone want to figure out how to tax and raise money. Many who were under ground are now law abiding places of business. There are many marketing names appearing as well such as Magic Purple and Strawberry Cough, years ago we just called it “weed” or “grass” but by today’s standards it appears everything needs a “brand”, just the world we live in. You do need your medical card though to be legal. BD
LOS ANGELES -- With little notice and even less controversy, marijuana is now available as a medical treatment in California to almost anyone who tells a willing physician he would feel better if he smoked.
Pot is now retailed over the counter in hundreds of storefronts across Los Angeles and is credited with reviving a section of downtown Oakland, where an entrepreneur sells out classes offering "quality training for the cannabis industry." The tabloid LA Journal of Education for Medical Marijuana is fat with ads for Magic Purple, Strawberry Cough and other offerings in more than 400 "dispensaries" operating in the city.
But in California, pot is such a booming growth industry that lawmakers are being asked to consider its potential as a salve to the state's financial woes. Betty Yee, chairman of the California State Board of Equalization, endorsed a bill in February to regulate the estimated $14 billion marijuana market, citing the state's budget problems. California currently collects $18 million in sales taxes from marijuana dispensaries, and Yee said a regulated pot trade would bring in $1.3 billion.
"Medical marijuana, right here, right now," chants a barker on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, outside the doorway of the Medical Kush Beach Club. "Get legal, right now." 
It really is that easy, the barker explains. Before being allowed to enter the upstairs dispensary and "smoking lounge," new customers are directed first to the physician's waiting room, presided over by two young women in low-cut tops. After proving state residence and minimum age (21), customers see a doctor in a white lab coat who for $150 produces a "physician's 
recommendation."
"The one thing that's really caused it to go from medical to pretty much all-out legalization is the doctors," Lee said. "They have realized you can't overprescribe it. They've really taken the lead. Alcohol -- frat boys drop dead by the hundred every year. You really can't kill yourself with marijuana."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/11/AR2009041100767.html?hpid=sec-health
Related Reading:
There are many pros and cons to the use of medical marijuana. One of the positive uses of pot is in medical purposes. Marijuana may help people who have serious medical ailments with pain management. An example is the presence of marijuana clubs that cater to patients using medical marijuana for treatment. For more on this topic visit http://medicalpot.com . Most importantly pot is known to help reduce cell growth in cancer patients.
ReplyDelete