Let me preface this article by saying that I am in no way ungrateful of recreational marijuana, in fact I’m overjoyed by the opportunity to live in a place that allows it and to write about my experiences with recreational strains. That being said – there are certain irksome factors, and they deserve to be addressed.
If the bag is opaque, a mistake you might make.
When you purchase recreational marijuana, it is illegal to open the package in public. This creates an issue because some producers and processors choose to use packages that are not transparent, and as a result you are blind-buying the herb. Some people want a bunch of little nugs, some people want one giant bud – regardless, we should be able to see what we are buying.
Some producers and processors have caught on, and are now exclusively using see-through packaging; this is good on them, however the larger issue lies not with the manufactures but with the way recreational marijuana in Washington is set up.
Why can’t recreational shops just have large jars of each strain, where we select our nugs à la carte? Do we really have to restrict aesthetics of packaging to just transparent? Sigh. At least Avitas came up with an elegant solution, with their lovely mirror-mandala design.
The price is not right.
The most central issue with recreational marijuana in Washington is the price. The buds are taxed three times before we pay for it, resulting in essentially a 75% increase. One gram can cost upwards to $30 – yikes.
Ideally, the price will slowly decrease over the coming months as supply and demand stabilizes. Frankly I’m just happy to buy potent legal herb, but would prefer to pay less. I’m not some slick big city law maker, I have no solutions that would sound credible – other then just to tax the process less.
People are trying to make a living on recreational marijuana, and this tax increase is yet another hurdle for them to deal with in addition to the seemingly infinite track of hurdles laid forth. Despite these financial hurdles, some recreational shops (like Green-Theory) have daily and seasonal specials/discounts. Even just saving a few bucks can keep your customers really happy.
Lack of a lounge
If there are bars where I can drink beer, wine bars where I can drink wine, hookah bars where I can smoke hookah, oxygen bars where I can breath flavored oxygen – then why can’t we have a recreational marijuana bar? Obviously the answer is that marijuana can’t be consumed in public, but there should have been ways for business’ to get around that.
Think of it: with recreational marijuana lounges, there could be nights sponsored by specific producers. You could buy a variety sampling. There is a serious market for this kind of entertainment venue, and it’s a shame we haven’t ironed out the laws to include enclosed spaces for people come together and get high.
What are some things you hate about the recreational marijuana industry? What changes would you propose to improve the industry?
