Hi, I'm an organic farmer from the US. I've worked at a bunch of different fruit, vegetable, herb, and flower farms and I really enjoy farming but it's not at all lucrative and it's difficult to survive as a farm-worker .Even small farm owners in the Northeast I've talked with struggle to make a living. I've been saving up money for land to start an organic permaculture farm but I'm trying to decide if it makes sense to move to Canada and buy land there to grow cannabis along with fruit, veg, etc. I know there's potentially a lot more money in cannabis and it helps a lot of people, so that is appealing to me, and I have experience growing it. But I would like to know is it difficult to get into the cannabis market in Canada? All the regulations, cost of licenses, the fact that you need a fully built facility before even applying, moving costs, and paperwork involved in becoming a resident is intimidating. The growing season is also short in Canada. Really the only reason I would buy land there is because it's the only place in the world aside from Uruguay where it's fully legal to grow. I think I would be happier growing food somewhere in the tropics but I think I would struggle to make a living there just growing food. Has anyone here from the US moved to Canada to grow? If so, is this something you would recommend? Any insight anyone could impart about the process would be appreciated.
In my experience, marijuana would be worth growing for cash if your harvesting pounds. With some sort of trimming device or many people. Just went legal here in Michigan, prices are already under $100/oz And that's high grade. Media is also getting people to go for wax increasingly
Your prices went down? $100 per oz, even in USD sounds ridiculously cheap... Maybe it's just Australian perspective here, but I think the moment (if ever) it goes legal it'll go up...but then...our govt here profiteers of forever hiking the prices of cigarettes, alcohol, and anything else sold that would be "illegal" to do oneself (In the name of "good health" of course...but they won't outlaw it ha)...I always figured the same would happen everywhere I guess, I'm almost certain it would if/when the legal status of weed changed here. I've also seen some really ridiculous prices from some dispensaries as well, like $80 AUD for 3g at one pamphlet I read. What's with that?
Any quality in MI I've seen is still roughly 200 oz unless you know a good grower, and with the new rec available now prices are high for shit weed. That's why I grow my own. MI born and raised. Years ago I could get decent regs for 100 an oz.
Growing pounds would be the plan. It's true trimming does take quite a lot of time though. It's the opposite. Everything on the black market is more expensive because it's more difficult and risky to grow or create. What you're referring to about government raising prices on things like alcohol and cigs is called "sin tax" here. They tax things that are bad for your health as a disincentive to buy them but the government gets that tax money, not the sellers. Thanks for the link DaPhats.
Not here. Black market is way cheaper then dispensaries and its illegal to grow here except med users. Rec weed at the dispensaries is stupid expensive. Even once legalization has been around for awhile i never see the dispensaries being cheaper. With their overhead and the governments taxes the black market is live and well and will stay that way
Interesting. I would guess you're right about the taxes. The state makes it so costly to grow with all the taxes and license fees that dispensaries probably have to sell it for high prices. That's one reason I don't want to grow in the US. That and it's still federally illegal.
We just worked on the construction of a dispensary. I had the opportunity to speak with the owner. The licensing and insurance that guy pays is astronomical, let alone the cost of the $million$ plus building he put up. Then on top the state charges the recreational buyer 25% plus then the counties throw in their 7% or more depending on the county/town which means the buyer is paying 33% tax or more out the door. The dispensary i worked on will cost the rec buyer an ounce $400- 500 an ounce on the lower end after taxes On the black market just as good of weed goes for well under half of that for an ounce depending on who you know around here. Dispensaries are a massive rip off. If anything the black market sales are going to increase as people that didnt smoke before begin using cannabis and get sick of being ripped off over the counter. Federally illegal doesnt mean much anymore unless youre big time. Its nothing the average grower needs to worry about. States enforce the cannabis laws for the most part unless youre a big time trafficker moving product across state lines or have a massive grow op, something along those lines
For quality, tested product in MI you're paying well over $100. Most places range between $220 to $350 an oz from provisioning centers. I work within a very prevalent company in the state at the moment, and I see the wholesale stuff coming through, and I know that our pounds WHOLESALE go for $250 to other PC's (dispensary is a banned word in our lovely little state.) If you want joe shmoes bud from down the street, you can get close to $100 an oz, but connoisseurs and people who don't want to smoke untested, possibly contaminated mids are paying much more than $100 a zip.
In Canada, currently, the dispense prices seem to be regulated on stock availability vs. THC percentage... Something that there isn't very much stock of and has high THC content sells for a very high price in the dispensaries... Local store just had a shipment of white rhino joints come through, 3 joints x .5g each for almost $30 dollars... I mean, this seems like a pretty high price at first glance, but then you consider the material to roll the joint, the packaging the joint comes in and the fact that they have to sell at a premium just to make a buck... I would say selling weed publicly is probably a gigantic waste of time at this point. Personally I would say coming to Canada with intent to grow/sell, at this point in time, is probably a really bad idea... I mean, if you had a green house where you could grow all year-round or have a way to make money during the winter months, it wouldn't be bad... But like, just the other day, a city in Alberta was rated as the coldest place on earth.
That's nuts. I think legal pot in the US is a rich man's game right now because of that. I definitely don't have the money for all that. It's unfortunate that's the way it is right now. Wholesale pounds for $250 is the cheapest I've ever heard. I feel like 250 isn't worth it for the trimming time alone. Thanks for the input. Glad to hear from someone in Canada. I think you may be right about it being a bad idea. I should really move somewhere warm where I can grow fruit and veg all year round. I'll probably never make much but until more states legalize cannabis, regulations loosen, and taxes go down I'm starting to feel like average people can't make good money doing it.
Wholesale pounds for $250 are doubtfully hand trimmed for the most part. An industrial trimmer will make cake work out of a pound.
Under 100$ an oz?? From where lol? I’m in Michigan and I don’t believe that. Have you seen dispensary and rec prices? Even caregivers wouldn’t be gifting for under 100$ an oz. maybe wholesale?