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Leading the Fight Against Legalization

You might think that pot growers are at the forefront of the fight to legalize marijuana in California. Irony of ironies, you’d be wrong. Many Bay Area growers oppose the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, which would transfer regulation to cities and counties. They simply don’t want to pay taxes on it, and they don’t want to open the door to competition.

With all due respect to the law, many pot growers consider themselves to be running a small business. According to one, “I have some concerns about potential tax implications. As for people growing their own pot, instead of buying it from a reputable drug dealer, he says, “Frankly, I’m concerned about increased competition.” Guess you can’t please everyone.

Meanwhile, Santa Cruz may earn the ire of pot growers even more. Not only has City Council limited the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city to two. It is now considering whether it would require all dispensaries to operate as non-profits. The proposed new rules would also require them to report sales by zip code and disclose any and all price reductions. As some of the cultivators are suggesting, maybe it just pays to keep it illegal—at least for them, of course. Read more at NBC Bay Area.

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