Oakland to Licence Large-Scale Marijuana Production Plants
California Bud Growers Worry about ‘Wal-Marting’ of Weed
Lisa Leff
AP News
Jul 18, 2010 14:24 EDT
After weathering the fear of federal prosecution and competition from drug cartels, California’s medical marijuana growers see a new threat to their tenuous existence: the “Wal-Marting” of weed.
The Oakland City Council on Tuesday will look at licensing four production plants where pot would be grown, packaged and processed into items ranging from baked goods to body oil. Winning applicants would have to pay $211,000 in annual permit fees, carry $2 million worth of liability insurance and be prepared to devote up to 8 percent of gross sales to taxes.