Central planners in Washington are doing their best to make selling marijuana on the black market lucrative in a state where the plant is legal but heavily regulated.
J.D. Tuccille writes:
Washington state voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 and the first retail store opened in 2014 in a popular move widely hailed as a success for reform. So how come the authorities are moving to close a pot shops across the state in just a few weeks? Are they actually trying to revive the black market in pot?
Probably not. More likely, political hubris and managerial ambition have overwhelmed basic knowledge of how economic incentives work.
Tacoma ranks among the municipalities where new licensing regulations will have a major impact on the marijuana market, potentially inconveniencing consumers and creating a huge opening for those willing to work outside official channels.
“Last August, there were close to 70 unlicensed operators in Tacoma,” noted The News Tribune last week. But a 2015 law merged the medical and recreational markets and required all vendors to be licensed—with a strict cap on the number of permitted retailers. “Tacoma is limited by the state to 16 retail licenses, and a recent city ordinance requires every retail operator to also get a medical endorsement to provide for those with medicinal needs,” the article added.
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