bob magazine Edward NJWEEDMAN Forchion

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market dealers say they're not worried about losing business.
nce Governor Phil Murphy (D) made marijuana reform a key part of his gubernatorial platform. While one of
ill only make them more relevant. One street dealer says that consumers who are unfamiliar with cannabis
the state's going to capitalize on," DC, an illicit cannabis seller told the Asbury Park Press. "But, after a
here legal markets across the country have struggled to compete with the black market. Taxes, health and
at illegal sellers need to charge for their product.”
Illicit dealers say the underground cannabis industry has other advantages
over legitimate channels too. There is a pride and passion in the underground
market that consumers don't see in legal dispensaries, according to DC.
"You come to the underground and people know what they're talking about.
People are proud of what they do and the quality that they put themselves behind.
People are so passionate about it and so passionate about what they
do—even if it's technically illegal."
And as legalization slowly moves into the state, arrests for possession and
use of marijuana have begun to trail off. Police are increasingly directed to
place cannabis-related crimes low on their priority list, or to ignore them altogether.
Because of this, pop-up cannabis markets can be heavily promoted
on social media and even sell entry tickets through big event promotion websites
like Eventbrite without fear of being shut down, says Ed Forchion - the
cannabis advocate best known as NJWeedman.
"If the cops wanted to stop these from happening, they would have by now,"
he said.
But some illicit cannabis dealers admit they would love to enter the legal market
one day. However, turning legit is harder than it sounds.
"That's the dream for a lot of people, for a lot of regular guys. If you have the
clientele, if you know the right people, if you have legitimate money to back
you and politicians on your side, you might end up in a decent situation," said
David, another illicit cannabis dealer. "But who does? Nobody in an urban situation
in New Jersey has the resources to operate under the guidelines they
want you to operate under. There are restrictions that are impossible to meet."
Meanwhile, in Canada - the second country in the world to legalize recreational
cannabis - the majority of recreational sales are made through the
black market, so the New Jersey dealers might be right when they say
there's no need to worry about going out of business””