Chicago is a leader in the weed industry

[the urban politician]

Interesting how this new industry is playing out. 3 of the 5 biggest weed companies is based in Chicago:

The city is home to three of the five biggest public companies in the United States that grow and sell marijuana: Green Thumb Industries, Cresco Labs and Verano Holdings.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/mari...con-valley-pot

But even more interestingly, as an anecdote we came downtown yesterday for the first time in a while. Now, I’ve been coming to downtown Chicago for decades and something was noticeably different:

It smelled like weed.....everywhere. I know that recreational weed is legal here now but...hot damn! Talk about a sudden surge of unrepressed demand. We’ve got a regular weed party going on over here on the streets.

Is this the case everywhere? I don’t know what Chicago’s future in the business of weed holds, but in the consumption its already shaping up to be a superstar according to my olfactory sense.

[Centropolis]

well, like everything else in illinois everything is centered on chicago. in california and other states this stuff is much more decentralized. missouri has very loose medical marijuana law like the old california law and everything is also very decentralized.

[the urban politician]

^ You don’t think that Downstaters are joining the party?

On the business side of things, obviously Chicago is the place. But on the consumption end....well...weed can grow anywhere..

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ You don’t think that Downstaters are joining the party?

On the business side of things, obviously Chicago is the place. But on the consumption end....well...weed can grow anywhere..

i havent seen much in downstate dispensaries from downstate. its all chicago companies...

[goat314]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

i havent seen much in downstate dispensaries from downstate. its all chicago companies...

Well it is expected that Missouri will legalize recreational marijuana next month. I've heard that it will bring in big money to the state. I remember reading years ago that Missouri's climate and topography will produce some very potent marijuana, although I'm sure 95% of it will be grown indoors. With Monsanto and other ag-science companies being a St. Louis based company, I'd imagine some super strains will come out of the St. Louis area for sure.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by goat314

Well it is expected that Missouri will legalize recreational marijuana next month.

Pennsylvania's state legislator is idiotic and refuses to pass recreational marijuana.

But weed is legal in NJ now so I just order online and go pick it up. There's a bunch of stores right off the bridges on the other side. I bought weed this summer with my Pennsylvania ID in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Quebec, but can't buy it at the store in my neighborhood

I think what really annoys me is that anxiety was added to the medical list which basically means, anyone just need to have a doctor's visit for 10 minutes (which there are a lot of 'marijuana doctors' now) and pay for a medical card. It should just be legal.

[goat314]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

Pennsylvania's state legislator is idiotic and refuses to pass recreational marijuana.

But weed is legal in NJ now so I just order online and go pick it up. There's a bunch of stores right off the bridges on the other side. I bought weed this summer with my Pennsylvania ID in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Quebec, but can't buy it at the store in my neighborhood

I think what really annoys me is that anxiety was added to the medical list which basically means, anyone just need to have a doctor's visit for 10 minutes (which there are a lot of 'marijuana doctors' now) and pay for a medical card. It should just be legal.

Missouri is a very strange state, when progressive referendums are put up to a vote (Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana recently) it is actually not near as right wing as people would believe. It's just heavily gerrymandered and largely rural state legislator pass these wacked out bills. I'd say Missouri is a pretty moderate state if you actually talk to everyday people. What's unfortunate is that the national Democrats have largely succeeded the state to Republicans. I remember when I was young, voters were against concealed carry, then the legislator overturned the voters and passed some of the most insane gun laws in the country. Recreational marijuana is expected to pass with ease and the Evangelicals are so upset that they want to basically ban voter approved constitutional amendments now.

[Xing]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

^ You don’t think that Downstaters are joining the party?

On the business side of things, obviously Chicago is the place. But on the consumption end....well...weed can grow anywhere..

Yeah, people in St Louis day buy some right off the first exit into Illinois. The only problem with marijuana in Illinois is the price.

In regards to the smell, I was in LA on day one of the legalization, and I smelt it everywhere, ON DAY ONE! Lol. People couldn’t wait!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Xing

Yeah, people in St Louis day buy some right off the first exit into Illinois. The only problem with marijuana in Illinois is the price.

In regards to the smell, I was in LA on day one of the legalization, and I smelt it everywhere, ON DAY ONE! Lol. People couldn’t wait!

Lol it smelled like weed all over LA well before legalization

[Xing]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Lol it smelled like weed all over LA well before legalization

There was room for even more apparently, LOL!

[Centropolis]

as far as the dispensaries are concerned - theres a vegas chain in southern illinois sort of taking over.

[Yuri]

We evolved so much improving tobacco etiquette only to be replaced for an even smellier smoking habit.

I really don't get this US fascination over weed. It's almost like a very impressionable teenager discovering the broader world outside their parents suburban house.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

We evolved so much improving tobacco etiquette only to be replaced for an even smellier smoking habit.

I really don't get this US fascination over weed. It's almost like a very impressionable teenager discovering the broader world outside their parents suburban house.

because its a relatively low risk high reward escape from reality.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

because its a relatively low risk high reward escape from reality.

With an order of magnitude less negative impact than our society's other major legal recreational drug.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

With an order of magnitude less negative impact than our society's other major legal recreational drug.

absolutely.

i guess the weed smoke smell thing is something else but a lot of people vape in the u.s. anyway so its pretty mitigated...

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

because its a relatively low risk high reward escape from reality.

There's nothing wrong with this concept. However, we shouldn't make other people smell your smoke. It took decades to make tobacco smoker to realize that, and I hope it won't take that long with marijuana.

Now, it's a more subjective taken, I really find that US/Canada fascination childish. It's only a drug and it's not like people in the US won't take tons of other drugs anyway. And it's not only me. Netherlands started restricting marijuana in part due annoying and noisy American youngsters disturbing their streets.

[pip]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

There's nothing wrong with this concept. However, we shouldn't make other people smell your smoke. It took decades to make tobacco smoker to realize that, and I hope it won't take that long with marijuana.

Now, it's a more subjective taken, I really find that US/Canada fascination childish. It's only a drug and it's not like people in the US won't take tons of other drugs anyway. And it's not only me. Netherlands started restricting marijuana in part due annoying and noisy American youngsters disturbing their streets.

In part due to American tourists? In a miniscule part at best.

Pre COVID of all foreign tourists, which includes the EU, visiting the Netherlands 6% were from the United States.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

I really find that US/Canada fascination childish.

it's not about childish fascination, it's about correcting a nearly century-long wrong.

weed prohibition was every single bit as stupid and wasteful as alcohol prohibition was.

Not to mention the uncountable number of lives that it wrecked over the decades via America's asinine "war on drugs/industrial prison" complex.

Thank Pizza God it's finally going the way of the dodo.

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

Netherlands started restricting marijuana in part due annoying and noisy American youngsters disturbing their streets.

Are you kidding? You don't know shit about the Netherlands. All those Ricans are too far away, barely can afford or have any time to travel that far.

The Dutch started to complain about their liberal drug policy when the French youngsters (in particular) invaded them for that reason. Because France is very next door. It takes only a couple of hours to drive from Paris to Amsterdam. It is next door.
So, in real life, the Dutch hardly give a shit about the Ricans. They care about themselves first and foremost. That is their mindset, as well as Northern Europe's mindset as a whole.

We're sick of finding all those French kids vomiting in our gutters.
That's literally what they said at some point. That's why they thought of restrictions to fucking tourists about their drug policy, and they were damn right.

Indeed, it takes much maturity to grow a liberal nation.
While we're at it, let's legalize cocaine, all kinds of amphetamines, heroin and so on.
But then you'd stumble into the dead bodies of junkies in NYC and Paris if we did that overnight. That would be grim.

Legalizing marijuana and hashish is yet a first step to do, because at least, that wouldn't kill anybody from any overdose.

[sloppy toppy]

Originally Posted by yuriandrade

There's nothing wrong with this concept. However, we shouldn't make other people smell your smoke. It took decades to make tobacco smoker to realize that, and I hope it won't take that long with marijuana.

Now, it's a more subjective taken, I really find that US/Canada fascination childish. It's only a drug and it's not like people in the US won't take tons of other drugs anyway. And it's not only me. Netherlands started restricting marijuana in part due annoying and noisy American youngsters disturbing their streets.

Hell yeah! Let's regulate farts too! I don't want to smell bad things!