On Decemer 8, 2015, I walked into a store and bought weed with my debit card.

Let that soak in for a minute...now that the shock is over...

As you may know, in the state of Oregon, recreational cannabis is 100% legal. The concept of that is hard for someone to wrap their head around if they live elsewhere. For me, it was no different. I was dumbfounded during the entire experience, and was waiting for someone to jump out and yell, "SURPRISE," before slapping cuffs on me.

But, No...there were no cuffs. There were no phone calls, no driving to a "less that ideal" part of town, no waiting for a guy, none of that. I walked into a store and I bought weed with my debit card. I even got a receipt.

Tom E. Gunn
Tom E. Gunn
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For a mere $25, plus a debit card fee, I was able to legally purchase 1/8th of an ounce of high-grade cannabis, and they threw in a pipe for free.

Tom E. Gunn
Tom E. Gunn
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But, how? And what is this doing for Oregon? And why can't we do this in Louisiana.

Currently four states (Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Alaska) and the District of Columbia have legalized the use and possession of recreational cannabis to varying degrees. These states are on the forefront of a brand new industry, and it's turning very lucrative for the states' tax coffers. According to an article in the Huffington Post, during the first 18 months of marijuana legalization, $200 MILLION in tax money has been raised, and that's in Washington and Colorado alone.

Time magazine reported that Colorado produced more tax dollars from cannabis than from alcohol, and the revenue is steadily rising.

As far as Oregon goes, the state will add a 25% tax to cannabis sold recreationally and will start collecting beginning in January of 2016. That money will go to fund schools, mental health programs, state police and the cities and counties that are allowing recreational sales. Oregon sold more than $11 MILLION worth of cannabis in the FIRST WEEK of legalized recreational sales. If that is any indication, the state will be getting quite a lot of money from the sale of a plant.

But what does our state think?

On June 29, 2015, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law HB 149, which reduces penalties for possession of marijuana, and SB 143, which attempts to create a compassionate medical marijuana program in the state of Louisiana, but so far, no other action has been taken. During the recent gubernatorial campaign and preceding budget crises in the state, the idea of recreational cannabis sales was brought up, but never expounded upon. We can only wait and see what the next legislators think about it. It does seem that the tax money, which the state desperately needs, may be enough incentive for those in Baton Rouge.

But back to Oregon....

Tom E. Gunn
Tom E. Gunn
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Tom E. Gunn
Tom E. Gunn
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I was so amazed by my experience that I had to contact the folks at Cannabliss about it. The owner of the store, Matt Price, got back in contact with me, and we chatted at length about the store, how he gets his inventory, what the laws are on medical versus recreational, and few other topics. Listen to the entire interview below.

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