 The passing of Prop 64 ushered in “recreational” cannabis to the State of California. With that brought new laws, copious amounts of regulatory commissions, still no banking solutions, and most important of all...TAXES!
Yes, I said it. Taxes. But do any of us really know what that means? Do any of us know what that means for our pocket books? I doubt it. Well, I think it’s time we talk about the elephant in the room. 2018 has come and gone and we all need to understand how much taxes we are paying. By the time you’re done reading this you will understand what taxes you’re paying, who’s paying them, and how to avoid them. So let’s do it. Here goes your crash course in Cannabis Taxes 101. Tax Breakdown There are three types of taxes you need to know about:
It’s important to remember that some cities aren’t charging a city tax as high as the City of Oakland California and others none at all. So the amount of taxes you are paying can vary depending on what city you are in. Who’s Paying These Taxes? Well the answer is EVERYONE! Even if you have a medical card, you ask? YES, even if you have a medical card. (Frowny face) Surprised? I totally get it. And chances are that if you voted “yes” on Prop 64, this isn’t what you had in mind. Unfortunately, under the proposition the state fully disclosed this 15% excise tax and that (medical card or not) all cannabis sales within the State of California would be subject to it. Now, everything that glitters is not gold and they definitely dangled that carrot that made the majority of Californians overlook the fine print. There’s no going back. The regulations are here. You might be thinking, “Is there any relief to be had from these excessive cannabis taxes?” Well, there is! But it’s going to take some effort. Want to avoid paying all these cannabis taxes? So...you can’t escape all cannabis taxes but you can dodge sales tax. You must first have a medical marijuana card and then you’re eligible to acquire a MMIC (Medical marijuana Identification Card) from your local Department of Public Health. What is an MMIC? A Medical Marijuana Identification Card is a state-issued license that allows you to buy cannabis without paying sales and use tax. How do I get a MMIC? You not only need your doctor’s medical marijuana recommendation, but also:
Your MMIC will arrive by mail. Once it does, access your profile on ProperRx.com by going to the menu and logging into your account. Once logged in, upload a picture of your MMIC and Proper Rx will verify your MMIC with the state and you will be exempt from sales tax on purchases until your MMIC expires. Is it worth it? Are you getting one? Let us know. Comment below.
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 What you need to know to make the process smooth and fast.
We ARE in the 21st century! We should be able to order our weed online. And we CAN! With large corporations like Amazon making sure consumers never have to drive, park, or wait in a checkout line to buy their products, we have all become accustomed to this way of buying our things (whatever they may be). We shop online in our homes while wearing our jammies, or on public transportation commuting to and from work. We feel gratification for the ability to browse an online menu without having an annoying salesperson in our ear trying to sell us things we don’t want. And if those aren’t perks enough, we can have our items overnighted to arrive at our homes where we pleasantly wait with a glass of wine. These are the same perks you can enjoy when ordering your weed online. While buying your weed online is no different from ordering takeout, there are a few things that could catch you by surprise. So...when buying your weed online how do you make sure you get all the perks without the hassle? Well I’m here to help. Here are 3 tips for ordering your weed online and ensuring it is a smooth process: 1. Have photo of your ID ready to upload (and Doctors rec if you are medical) Make sure it’s legible and all information on the documents can be read from the photo ie. address, DOB, exp dates, patient rec number. Although each delivery service is different, any reputable service should use these documents to verify your customer status prior to bringing you your weed products (or meds) and when these photos are not readable it causes delay in processing your order. 2. Allow at least an hour for delivery Be flexible with your time. This allows the delivery service to properly prepare your order and arrive in a safe timely manner. Also, be mindful of your delivery location. Is it off the beaten path and more difficult to reach? Is it far from major freeways? Look...chances are you’ve ordered delivery of other items before and are aware of the complexities of your address. Take that into consideration when placing an order. If there is a delivery window that you are comfortable with put that information in the delivery notes to help the scheduling of your order. 3. Stay by your phone I can’t stress this enough! Once you’ve placed your order don’t drop your phone and forget about it. Someone may be trying to contact you via phone or txt with details about your order. Not being attentive to your phone will only cause unnecessary delay with your order and create an unpleasant experience that can be avoided. Besides, your driver will need to contact you about his/her arrival and the last thing you want is to miss your precious delivery! Some services charge for a redelivery if you are a no call/no show. Whether you are a medical or recreational weed customer in this ever changing California marketplace, these 3 insider tips will improve your cannabis delivery experience by a 1000 percent! Now... Need To Find A Cannabis Delivery Service Near You? By this point you should feel confident that when you order cannabis online for delivery you are prepared to enjoy that. With that being said, you must have so many questions: who, what, where, when? All the w’s am I right? Don’t worry I got you! Here’s what to do... Obviously, the natural place to start is on the internet and, when I say internet, I mean Google! Now I’m about to hit you with the breakdown on how to find your go to cannabis delivery service near you but, pay close attention. There are a lot of helpful tools but you need to know how to use them. We google everything don’t we? And we love it don’t we? YES and yes. Now, start your google search right by picking a phrase that will deliver the results you want. Ya dig? Ok, so here goes: “cannabis delivery near me” “cannabis delivery near me open now” “cannabis delivery service near me” “cannabis delivery service near me open now” “cannabis delivery oakland ca” “cannabis delivery brentwood ca” “cannabis delivery [insert your city here]” “order weed online near me” “order cannabis online near me” You get the point right? These are search phrases targeted perfectly to cut through all the inter-web B.S. and drop you in front of what you truly want. Your supreme cannabis delivery service. Cannabis Retail Directories Your google search results are going to produce some websites that act as directories for cannabis retailers. These websites ask you to enter your zip code so they can give you a list of retailers available in your area. This is the best tool for getting the lay of the cannabis land in your area. Side note, these sites usually offer categories to filter your results and it is here that you should choose delivery retailers. As a bonus, you can open each delivery service’s listing and view their menu and other pertinent information for the business (phone, website, hours of operation, etc.). Weedmaps Most likely, Weedmaps will be in the top of your search results. They are the biggest and most well known for being the most comprehensive cannabis listing site. But be careful, Weedmaps still allows illegal retailers to post listings and the products sold by these retailers are not regulated and could potentially be harmful. Leafly Although it is known as a “strain-finder,” Leafly is also a cannabis retail directory. This site probably is not coming up high (first page of google) in your search results but in case you’re digging a little deeper and come across it you will know what it is. Third-Party Platforms My guess is when you get your google search results they will be filled with third-party platforms. Here is a list of third-party platforms that you will most commonly come across: Nugg Meadow Green Rush Third-party platforms are just like Weedmaps and Leafly but, so much more. These platforms are a one stop shop letting you view menus, order cannabis online, and even get a medical card if needed. Sounds like perfection right? Ummmm, not so fast. These platforms charge a pretty penny for delivery services to use their site and often this relates to higher prices and less perks for customers. Choosing Your Cannabis Delivery Service You have the 411 on all cannabis retail options in your area and now it’s time to choose one. And when you do, rather than use these third-party platforms, go to the direct website of the cannabis delivery service you want to try. Any quality delivery service should have their own website where they provide the same smooth online ordering process with better prices and loyalty programs. Take it from me, staying loyal to your supreme cannabis delivery service goes a long way, and more times than not, I’m getting more bonus items in my bag for being a trusted customer. I’m just saying... Do you have your own tips for ordering weed online that you would like to share? Comment below!  Wondering how you’ll be able to deal with the new 15% sales tax of cannabis come 2018? Wondering whether this hike in sales tax will be passed onto the consumer? Wondering if this price increase will affect the quality and quantity of cannabis you can afford to buy?
Well...you’re not the only one. If you voted for Prop 64 then you voted for a 15% sales tax on cannabis. Pretty safe to say that the many voters were not aware of this. Sales tax is already high but I guess if we want recreational cannabis in the state of California then raising taxes is the only way we’re going to get it. No use in crying over spilled milk. How do we approach this tax increase so we can continue to afford cannabis? It is most likely that dispensaries and collectives will be turning this increase over to their consumers. Based off the fact that it doesn’t make fiscal sense to eat the costs as a viable business, this increase will surely be seen in a higher retail price for cannabis or a straight forward charge of sales tax. For most of us cannabis consumers, that will affect how often and how much cannabis we’ll be able to buy. This is concerning for medical marijuana users who rely on cannabis for relief and treatment of so many ailments. Luckily...we’ve found a loop hole! Stay a patient and become tax exempt. That’s right. With the proper card issued by the health department you can become tax exempt from cannabis sales. And you don’t have to wait until 2018. Become tax exempt now. Here’s how:
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