A reader writes:
I disagree with your "Small Canna" poster; I think the homegrow business may see some increase in activity, but I don't think it would lead to a "massive expansion."
People homegrow for a few reasons today. One is that due to marijuana being illegal, it costs a fair amount of money. Another is that you have to cultivate relationships that could involve unsavory peoples. And a third is that you reduce your exposure to being caught engaging in illegal trade, or in transporting your own personal usage when, let's say, you're pulled over for speeding or having a busted tail light. At any rate, there are explicit and implicit costs to buying marijuana from a third party right now that make homegrowing more attractive.
But if it were legal to purchase, why would you homegrow when you could get it faster, cheaper, in dozens of varieties and with a consistent quality from a convenience store? Your reader cites gardening, which is fair. But of all the tomatoes or bell peppers or heads of lettuce consumed in America, how many of them were grown in the consumer's backyard? Not many.
I'd expect there to be a niche community of growers as there is now, that very likely would expand, but it wouldn't be a threat to Big Canna at all.
Another:
I would be one of those home growers your reader proposes would spring up after legalization. I’m in my early forties and used to smoke daily in my teens and early twenties. I also grew my own and loved the horticultural aspect, as well as the rewards (never monetary – not that kind of grower). I smoke maybe once every few months now and, when I do, I use extremely judiciously. My interest in growing things morphed in vegetables – a natural progression, since I love to eat. If pot became legal, one of the first things I would do is start prepping my soil in the sunniest spot in my yard (fuck that hydroponic BS – organic all the way, baby). Much like eating a sweet, tender homegrown pea, nothing beats smoking something you have put your love, time, and positive energy into growing.
The Dish 