3 ms·
It's been legal recreationally in Oregon for a number of years now, and medically legal for 10 or so years before that. Basically the same story...record tax re
by cronix 3y ago
It's been legal recreationally in Oregon for a number of years now, and medically legal for 10 or so years before that. Basically the same story...record tax receipts at first, but slipping the last few years[1].
There have also been a lot of stories in the couple of years or so regarding massive cartel growing operations[1] blending in with the legal grows, flooding the market with cheaper cannabis. These are usually staffed by people who are the victims of human trafficking[2] working off their "debt." A lot of people are going back to black market cannabis because there are no taxes, so it's about 20% cheaper right off the top.
[1] https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2022/09/06/oregon-cannabis-tax-revenue-falls.html https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2022/09/06/oregon-...
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/12/oregon-marijuana-illegal-farms-environment https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/12/oregon-marij...
[3] https://abcnews.go.com/US/narco-slaves-migrant-workers-face-abuse-oregons-cartel/story?id=95069523 https://abcnews.go.com/US/narco-slaves-migrant-workers-face-...
- eschulz 3y agoI'm concerned legal cannabis with very high tax rates has created an ideal situation for criminal cartels. A criminal group can utilize legal businesses for growing expertise, cleaning money, etc. Meanwhile, the criminals may be more than happy to use extreme violence and forced labor to get their way. I've seen things online about illegal grow operations in CA with a surprisingly bad impact on the environment since apparently the individuals managing these rural greenhouses don't care about litter or pollution, just like they probably don't care about their laborers. The law has given their mules protection to move products, and their customers a financial incentive to go with the risky illegal pot.