20 to $25 ? Seriously ? In Washington state? That price is not sustainable. Don't see this lasting long without a serious crackdown on illegal grows and a complete elimination of medical grow rights. If that happens I promise to create an A-Team style assault vehicle, strap my body with plastique and 50#s of unpurged bho and drive directly into the capital building. I pity the fool. I will put a jihad on them! Ock Ock jihad!

The store in Vancouver opened yesterday and was selling 2gm packages for $60! The sad(well, even more sad) thing is that there were over 100 people in line to pay that much. First guy through the door drove from Salem Oregon. I have no idea what these people are thinking but that's just plain crazy.

SEATTLE -- Ben Schroeter is a salesman at heart. An unabashed, unrepentant career pot salesman.

"I started selling pot at Rainier Beach High School in 1974 when I was 14 years old," he said, bagging up a few ounces of bud he had just procured from a grower Wednesday.

One would think the opening of new, legal pot stores in Washington would have him weighing other options, but not so.

"I’ve always said if the government can put me out of business by legalizing pot, then I’m all for it."

Schroeter is so open about his dealing that he has a Facebook page, and even hands out business cards. He was at Tuesday’s opening of Seattle's first pot shop, Cannabis City, and selling to people waiting in line because his dope costs less than half of the new retail prices.

"And I always insist that what I sell is a top notch product," he said.

The state says as more stores open up, prices will go down and put the likes of Schroeter out of business. But unlike seedy street dealers, Schoeter considers himself more along the lines of a wine boutique, where cannabis connoisseurs will go for specialized products and support their local dealer.

"For the same reason that people don’t go to Walmart, they like to support their little local shop," he said.

All black market dealers are banking on the belief that police will leave them alone. The Seattle Police Department’s policy on pot is a bit hazy, but a spokesman told KING 5 Wednesday that unless someone is dealing or using marijuana in an egregious way – like around kids at a park -- they will likely let it go. Violators would be issued the equivalent of a traffic ticket.

Schroeter said he experienced that first hand when approached by police while dealing outside a Seattle concert recently.

"I thought that they had taken all of my pot, but when they gave me my bag back they left me almost all of my pot," he said. He wasn't issued a citation.

Schroeter isn’t getting rich by any means. In fact, these days he’s using his buddy’s beat up sedan to make deliveries because he can’t afford to fix his transmission. And while he campaigned for the passage of I-502, including the regulation and taxation of pot, he doesn’t adhere to any of it.

Federal authorities have said they will leave Washington largely alone as long as marijuana is kept away from children and off the black market. Critics say dealers like Schroeter are undermining the very thing they've all worked so hard for. Schroeter disagrees.

"I think we’ve gotten to that point where we have an attitude toward things that it’s not going to be a big issue.”

On Wednesday an SPD spokesman said the department's main marijuana focus will be on curbing impaired driving and keeping weed away from kids.

Schroeter likens black market dealing to selling fish on the docks. It's something that is regulated by the government, but people have just learned to accept a little bit of illegal activity if it benefits both parties.

^^^^^Ben Schroeter is the boss! Osmium balls! I've always thought I was a bit of a badass for literally being the first guy to offer clones regularly on Denver CL back in 2007 ("Mango MMJ Clones. $30ea/$150-6pack") anybody from D town remember that shit? hehe anyway, this guy makes my shit look like tiddlywinks.

Coir said:

The store in Vancouver opened yesterday and was selling 2gm packages for $60! The sad(well, even more sad) thing is that there were over 100 people in line to pay that much. First guy through the door drove from Salem Oregon. I have no idea what these people are thinking but that's just plain crazy.

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If he drove from Salem to vancoover to pay about 5 times the price he can get it at home he should move up there, it will make our state a little smarter.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/the-first-person-to-buy-legal-marijuana-in-spokane-washingto

anyone see this dude?

I don't understand why anybody who burns would work a shit job that does piss testing. Don't these poor slobs out there know how easy it is to apply for SSI? You'll be making almost as much as a shit min wage job but you won't have to be dehumanized by a scoundrel boss who gets an insurance discount to exploit his workers privacy.

Welfare, I know it's not very honorable but hey, if you don't get it, it will just get wasted on muslims and mexicans, so get some!

Man, I been in wa state since 99. Waiting for the day it went retail legal. There were so many catches and clauses in the system I didn't have the right capital or a decent location when they finally released it. A lot these people used bogus home addresses and falsified paperwork and were approved. Painful as I watched my dream fall on its face. Even worse is one retail location in Vancouver where I reside. I know these dudes personally, they faked everything and won the retail lic lottery... How weird. The manager was baby sitted by the mayor as a kid and helped them fill out all their bogus shit. They used home addresses and just got off probation for some un believable shit,. I had 1.2 mil ready to go but since it's out of state money, no can do.... Yet these bootleg ticket sellers and hustlers got the plug.... Painful man painful. I have to stick to growing medical til they close me out and I have to get into another state. Oh well. I'm killing it today. What's up with tomo. Hahahaha

The retail store on Main street in Vancouver closed it's doors yesterday in protest of the prices and quality coming from the processor. They said the processor wanted 6K/lb and it was crap weed. The owner made a statement on the news that he won't support the gouging of the customers and would rather close his doors, blah, blah, blah.... I can not possibly imagine this entire process being handled any worse from the WSLCB.

I sure hope Oregon DOES NOT follow in Washington's footsteps. $25-30.00 a gram is the asking price in the Gorge Area and there is very little to be had. One of my patient's came by yesterday and I offered to sell him an ounce for $700.00! [Washington price; not mine].

I was kidding of course...He told me the medicine he purchased was not good. Basically 'C' Bud, no crystals, and very little effect. I guess the Train Wreck he purchased was just that--a train wreck.

Nice to have him back in the fold.

It almost feels as if the gov is purposely fucking shit up so bad that the legalization of rec use will be such a disaster no other states will ever consider attempting, even under a different entities control.

jlr42024 said:

It almost feels as if the gov is purposely fucking shit up so bad that the legalization of rec use will be such a disaster no other states will ever consider attempting, even under a different entities control.

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I think Wasington basically screwed up. Take a look at their liquor law they recently changed. The price went up, way up! So high that people on the border with Oregon now purchase their liquor in Oregon. I might also add our liquor prices are not very cheap compared to other states, but a lot cheaper than Washington's.