Ask a Stoner: Is Medical Pot Getting More Expensive Now?

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Dear Stoner: So without any more caregiver member deals at dispensaries, does that mean we have to pay the same as recreational now?
Jenny

Dear Jenny: After a July 1 rule change to medical marijuana regulations, how many plants a dispensary can grow is no longer tied to its number of registered patients, so some dispensaries do plan to remodel their caregiver membership discounts or remove them entirely. However, most of those dispensaries claim that their overall prices should get cheaper in the long run, and there are still medical dispensaries continuing to honor their membership programs despite the end of that incentive. Medical dispensaries are now on a tier system that dictates how many plants they can grow, and they can also buy more wholesale cannabis, the way recreational cannabis has been regulated.

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Scott Lentz

Even without the benefits, you’re still likely to find cheaper products at medical marijuana stores. MMJ sales taxes in this state top out at 2.9 percent with virtually no local taxes, while recreational pot sales taxes start at 15 percent on the state level, and are usually more than doubled when you add in local taxes, creeping over 30 percent in most towns. That alone will save you money.

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