GrowUrOwnDank
Well-Known Member
The Colorado store owner quoted below thinks so. And I agree. At the end of the day, cultivating great weed is NOT rocket science. Sure there is a learning curve, but the same exists growing high quality spices, tomatoes or even live stock or manufacturing anything else. But, like good genetic stock, the upper tier seeds, the nutrients, the equipment and even the education is easily obtainable. And like all other things, experience is attained over time and that along with the training is available right here on the rollitup.
I mean let's face of it, if you take away the costs associated with having to grow in stealth mode and the risks of getting popped serving the black market for a premium, being a great marihuana cultivator is no different than becoming a great commercial farmer of tomatoes, corn or any other consumable. And, some upper tier vegetables are available that are grown organically, hydroponic and indoors for a premium. But, even for those upper tier consumables the premium does not equal thousands of a percentage markup once there is competition. At the end of the day, people are willing to pay more for better product but at what margins can producers charge and still compete with every body else that is cultivating?
I think the days of paying $3000 a pound are coming to an end where it is legal. I could easily see it falling to $500 a pound or maybe even less, unless the Feds step in to control it like they do whiskey. Overall, I see super cheap dank coming available for consumers in legal areas, like beer, and for the connoisseur like many of the rollitupers, I see it becoming easier and less expensive to cultivate for personal use like home brewers. For those who want stupid large profits though, they will only be found in the black market.
For example, I've made awesome moonshine, and I can attest that making it in small batches on a stove top still(5 gallons of mash, maybe 1.5 gallon of 150 proof final product), it is more expensive to make your own than to go to the liquor store and buy it. After you purchase a good quality distillers yeast, the sugar, fruit or whatever your mash recipe calls for, you've probably got $10-$15 bucks in it. Which isn't bad except you also have to consider the time it takes, including the 5 or 6 hours to distill, and there isn't any profit to make the product for sell on a small scale. Yep, the Walmart affect killed it. And I think you will see that same affect in cultivating weed for profit. Affordable is a good thing tho for consumers.
Below is a great article on how an over abundance of great weed will drive down prices of legalized marihuana. Even the top shelf stuff. See the link for the full article.
http://www.theweedblog.com/will-recreational-marijuana-prices-plummet-in-colorado-next-year/
"“I would not be surprised, given the flood that’s going to happen, if we see $10 and $15 eighths by early next year,” Khalatbari says. “I would believe that. I could see ounces being sold for $50. I truly see that happening, because there is going to be so much competition [and] people are becoming so efficient in their production. They’re automating much more. We’re seeing best practices settle in. There’s less risk in operating because people are operating at a higher level. I think we’re going to become a very efficient industry very quickly. We’re going to see competition, and we’re going to see prices hit rock bottom early next year.” At that point, he predicts, the black market will dwindle away."
I like it! After all there is no sense in paying stupid astronomical mark ups for upper tier weed. I figure my costs for growing one dank ass plant, which would give back at least a couple ounces would be at most $60(very high estimate). That includes the genetics(seed), nutrients and electricity. $30 an ounce not counting my time and 2 o's will easily last me 6 months.
But, that's very small time like the example of making whiskey. If I scaled that up to an efficient commercial level, I believe you could get costs under $10 an ounce. Using natural sunlight in a greenhouse setting and buying your supplies in bulk quantities. $50 an ounce would make for a 500% markup! That would easily pay a good wage for your time on a commercial scale.
What are the start up costs for a tiny hobby grow? I do LED now and a decent one of those can be had for a one plant grow for $100. A fan $10, a hempy bucket($3) and nutrients for about $30 and would last 2+ grows. Perlite $10 and will last many grows. Add an O3 generator for odor control about $40. You can throw CO2 in there as well for cheap. That and some time is all you need! And remember, these costs will spread out over many grows. I write these costs off anyway, since, all hobbies and past times cost money. And I consider myself more of a connoisseur, since I enjoy my grow and mostly just smoke to relax in the evening and to help me sleep.
Yes this is my first post, but I've done a heckuva lot of lurking here and much respect to you guys for sharing the knowledge of dankness. I have never been involved in the commerce of weed on the black market and I say free the weed everywhere and let us all grow our own. This whole prohibition caused all the bullshat, drama, expense and violence associated with MJ, which is a total fail on the human end. It's just weed and it's been around for 1000's of years. Not hurting anybody. Making it legal makes it cheaper and a better safer product for everyone.
I mean let's face of it, if you take away the costs associated with having to grow in stealth mode and the risks of getting popped serving the black market for a premium, being a great marihuana cultivator is no different than becoming a great commercial farmer of tomatoes, corn or any other consumable. And, some upper tier vegetables are available that are grown organically, hydroponic and indoors for a premium. But, even for those upper tier consumables the premium does not equal thousands of a percentage markup once there is competition. At the end of the day, people are willing to pay more for better product but at what margins can producers charge and still compete with every body else that is cultivating?
I think the days of paying $3000 a pound are coming to an end where it is legal. I could easily see it falling to $500 a pound or maybe even less, unless the Feds step in to control it like they do whiskey. Overall, I see super cheap dank coming available for consumers in legal areas, like beer, and for the connoisseur like many of the rollitupers, I see it becoming easier and less expensive to cultivate for personal use like home brewers. For those who want stupid large profits though, they will only be found in the black market.
For example, I've made awesome moonshine, and I can attest that making it in small batches on a stove top still(5 gallons of mash, maybe 1.5 gallon of 150 proof final product), it is more expensive to make your own than to go to the liquor store and buy it. After you purchase a good quality distillers yeast, the sugar, fruit or whatever your mash recipe calls for, you've probably got $10-$15 bucks in it. Which isn't bad except you also have to consider the time it takes, including the 5 or 6 hours to distill, and there isn't any profit to make the product for sell on a small scale. Yep, the Walmart affect killed it. And I think you will see that same affect in cultivating weed for profit. Affordable is a good thing tho for consumers.
Below is a great article on how an over abundance of great weed will drive down prices of legalized marihuana. Even the top shelf stuff. See the link for the full article.
http://www.theweedblog.com/will-recreational-marijuana-prices-plummet-in-colorado-next-year/
"“I would not be surprised, given the flood that’s going to happen, if we see $10 and $15 eighths by early next year,” Khalatbari says. “I would believe that. I could see ounces being sold for $50. I truly see that happening, because there is going to be so much competition [and] people are becoming so efficient in their production. They’re automating much more. We’re seeing best practices settle in. There’s less risk in operating because people are operating at a higher level. I think we’re going to become a very efficient industry very quickly. We’re going to see competition, and we’re going to see prices hit rock bottom early next year.” At that point, he predicts, the black market will dwindle away."
I like it! After all there is no sense in paying stupid astronomical mark ups for upper tier weed. I figure my costs for growing one dank ass plant, which would give back at least a couple ounces would be at most $60(very high estimate). That includes the genetics(seed), nutrients and electricity. $30 an ounce not counting my time and 2 o's will easily last me 6 months.
But, that's very small time like the example of making whiskey. If I scaled that up to an efficient commercial level, I believe you could get costs under $10 an ounce. Using natural sunlight in a greenhouse setting and buying your supplies in bulk quantities. $50 an ounce would make for a 500% markup! That would easily pay a good wage for your time on a commercial scale.
What are the start up costs for a tiny hobby grow? I do LED now and a decent one of those can be had for a one plant grow for $100. A fan $10, a hempy bucket($3) and nutrients for about $30 and would last 2+ grows. Perlite $10 and will last many grows. Add an O3 generator for odor control about $40. You can throw CO2 in there as well for cheap. That and some time is all you need! And remember, these costs will spread out over many grows. I write these costs off anyway, since, all hobbies and past times cost money. And I consider myself more of a connoisseur, since I enjoy my grow and mostly just smoke to relax in the evening and to help me sleep.
Yes this is my first post, but I've done a heckuva lot of lurking here and much respect to you guys for sharing the knowledge of dankness. I have never been involved in the commerce of weed on the black market and I say free the weed everywhere and let us all grow our own. This whole prohibition caused all the bullshat, drama, expense and violence associated with MJ, which is a total fail on the human end. It's just weed and it's been around for 1000's of years. Not hurting anybody. Making it legal makes it cheaper and a better safer product for everyone.
gold rush is still running strong! Either way, I wouldn't count on seeing a drop across the board until it goes legal federally and the big established tobacco companies move in. Id say a couple years after nation wide legalization and there will be a huge drop in price, but only if you want to buy from a company like Copenhagen or Marlboro. 
