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Comment by pmoriarty | Hacker News Reader

Another reason for users turning to the black market that this article did not mention but that I've heard mentioned elsewhere is that Canada purportedly limits the potency of legal cannabis to relatively low levels, so the black market remains the only source of high potency cannabis.

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Maybe, but the real issue is that anyone is allowed to grow the stuff. And it is really easy to grow. So everyone knows somebody who is growing. Why pay commercial prices when your neighbor can provide you the same quality at a fraction the cost? It may be a "black" market in the sense that it isn't the regulated market, but those who smoke the stuff see little difference between buying a neighbor's pot and buying carrots. They both come from the same garden.

https://aglc.ca/cannabis/using-cannabis-responsibly/growing-...

Why also explains why rolling back Prohibition in the US was an unmitigated failure, with everybody still drinking their buddies' homebrews and driving all the pro breweries to bankruptcy.

Since that didn't actually happen, and I'm also buying my carrots at the supermarket, we can probably deduce that it's not home-grown supply that's the problem here.

Growing a plant in the backyard is several orders of magnitude easier than buying the equipment and taking the time to brew beer.

... but your underlying point is correct. A better analogy is probably basil, which a large percentage of buyers actually just keep their own plant at home.

Homebrewer and gardener. Home brewing is easier. Maybe requires a tad more money up front.

Cannabis just requires seeds and some ground outside. Sure it won’t be the best, but it won’t need any equipment or attention this way. Brewing beer requires at least some active effort.

Also requires no sense of smell. It stinks for kilometers.

Not necessarily. It depends on the type of strain, and the number of plants.

I don't see how you can think so. No need for fancy hydroponics and equipment to grow pot, just soil, sun, and water. The plant does the rest.

I think it’s not a meaningful comparison because you aren’t growing your own hops.

I think you mean, net margins on growing marijuana are an order (or more) of magnitude beyond potential home brew net margins.

Brewing beer is pretty dang easy.

This is correct for the recreational side of the market in Canada, but the experience of the medicinal cannabis market since the most recent legislation is unparalleled. There's some intake forms to fill out with your physician e.g., https://www.auroramj.com/patients/. Once you're in the door though, you have access to D2C e-commerce the likes of which the rec market cannot currently compare to. Cannabinoid profile analysis for each lot is mandated, so you know exactly what you're getting, and many insurance plans will subsidize the cost.

Is the list of ailments that will get you a cannabis medical card in Canada as flimsy as what can be found in California? E.g. a slightly sore back ten years ago?

There's not even a list!

No list, it's at your doctor's discretion. There are also online/remote doctors that you "visit" via facetime/skype/whatever that will just write you a prescription.

purportedly?

I know you mean hybrid strains bread for high potency. Prohibitting those if otherwise legal would require a legal basis.

I thought one objective of legalization was to avoid laced product. Of course lacing weed to make it appear more potent and to be addictive is still forbidden. I have no source for that. Chalk it up as purported rumor. I've heard police test a crusher (weed grinder, whatchamacallit) positive for co-alkaloids and amphetamin in Germany.

Wine production from hybrid grapevine is also prohibited in the EU due to lesser reasons. The French largely influenced EU wine legislation. Only the rootstock is hybrid because it's disease and fungus resistant.

https://winesvinesanalytics.com/news/article/201942/Will-Eur...

If you want to drink wine from hybrid grapes in the EU, you have to buy import (Moldova, North Macedonia etc) or homemade (usualy low quality) wine.

Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had to uproot most of their hybrids upon joining the EU. The same would happen to Macedonia.

This is the tragedy of the commons. It's entirely reasonable that Designated Origin rules prescribe the ingredients and naming of products, e.g. for champagne. The problem is that varieties cross polinate through air and thus endanger--oh my gosh--the traditional wine bread. That much I can gather although the article doesn't say so. It's probably a little more complicated, sure.

The article only says that hybrids from the 19th century were inferior; suppose taste wise. Which is a matter of taste, but likely reflected in sales. The upside is resistance to fungi and such.

Yes, there are modern hybrids suitable for colder climates. The rules have been relaxed a bit since.

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