People of color are conspicuously absent from Oregon’s lucrative legal weed business. Now,advocates say a proposed 3% marijuana tax could help Brooke and Rodney Smith opened their Portland, Oregon cannabis dispensary, or PDX Tree,in November 2014 – the same month Oregon voters approved a poll initiative for legalizing recreational marijuana. While they were excited to enter what they hope will be a lucrative experiment in entrepreneurship, they say the state’s fluctuating policies, and as it transitions from medical marijuana into recreational sales,beget been a headache.
In order to get started, the Smiths had to pay the city for both a medical and recreational license – $3500 and $4795 annually – plus an additional $4750 licensing fee to the state of Oregon. Because their store caters to both patients and potheads, and they’ve also had to navigate the rules on the potency and amount of marijuana they’re allowed to sell,depending on whether it’s medical, edible or recreational.
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Source: theguardian.com