News (Media Awareness Project) - US WA: Series: The Politics Of Pot - Article 11 |
| Title: | US WA: Series: The Politics Of Pot - Article 11 |
| Published On: | 2001-08-20 |
| Source: | Seattle Weekly (WA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-25 10:31:27 |
The Politics of Pot: Article 11
DEALERS
The Artist
32-Year-Old Male
How did you start selling the reefer?
The reefer? Um, let's see, I have a friend that sells it, and when I quit
my job, she got me started selling it.
Where does your product come from?
From her. I don't know where it comes from--up north.
How much do you charge?
It depends--bags for $40 to $50 [an eighth-ounce].
How much of a profit do you make on an eighth?
Maybe $10. Not much. I'm not real greedy about it. It pays my utilities. I
don't really have to do anything like go pick it up; it just comes to me. I
may make about $100 a month.
Do you deliver?
Do you?
Do you sell anything else?
Art.
Do you have another job?
I paint. I used to have a "real" job, in retail sales at Nordstrom, but I
never sold pot then.
Is there a hobby/interest that your Mary Jane enterprise supports?
You mean like kiddie porn? I already told you, I paint.
How much do you smoke?
Not that much.
What's your favorite stoned activity?
Painting, writing--something creative. I use it as a tool.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
When I'm stoned? Or at any time?
Either.
It depends; I like sweet and salty. But not at the same time.
What's your sign?
Aquarius.
How many of your friends just want to hang out with you because you have weed?
Just you.
Who's got the kind buds?
I do, dog!
The Businessman 46-Year-Old Male
How did you start selling the reefer?
As a way to make ends meet in the '70s.
Where does your product come from?
My basement.
How much do you charge?
I'd rather give it away than sell it. If I do sell it, I make certain that
it is the best product for the least amount of money that anybody can find
anywhere. And so a prime ounce of the best skunk bud, I would charge $280
for--$10 a gram.
How much of a profit do you make?
It's sort of a karmic thing. What I try to do to keep the flow going is
just do it in the most positive way that I possibly can. I grow it
organically, and I like people to feel like they're getting a good deal, so
nobody feels like they just got the smallest bag for $40 that they've ever
seen in their life. I'm mostly concerned with my own stash and being able
to give stash away to people I know and love. So I do a real minimal
thing--also because there are federal parameters to the repercussions for
being involved in it, so I keep it under the numbers.
Do you have another job?
Yes, I'm in the service industry. I deal with people. I'm a successful
small-business owner.
How much do you smoke?
It rounds off my rough edges at night. I don't use it during the day
because I want to be at my sharpest for my work, but it is something that's
part of my life in the evenings when I get home.
What's your favorite stoned activity?
Watching the Mariners.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
Well, I guess after I've had my little smoke, I kind of like my cold
cereal, so it's sweet. I do like Captain Crunch, but it hurts the roof of
my mouth--and you have to eat more than one bowl, so after that second
bowl, you've got the raw mouth. I've gone to Quisp now; it tastes just like
Captain Crunch, but they're saucer shaped. You've got to check it out.
What's your sign?
Leo.
Any other pot philosophy?
I would hope that people would realize that it's a benevolent thing,
capable of being abused like anything is; I do have some concerns about
young people being involved because it has an effect on motivation, but I
believe that basically it is a good and loving thing in our world. And many
people who are loving, God-fearing, responsible citizens use it, and that's
OK--many more than any-body thinks.
The Girl Next Door 35-Year-Old Female
How did you start selling the reefer?
I'm not really sure; it just happened over time, through many contacts and
a lot of trust.
Where does your product come from?
Locally, Canada, and Oregon.
How much do you charge?
$300-$375 per ounce, depending on quality and demand. I won't sell to just
anyone, and I won't buy from just anyone. You have to be extremely careful,
regardless of who you are dealing with. I never buy a quantity that will
get me more than a one-year sentence on a first-time offense.
How much of a profit do you make?
$25-$150 per ounce; it depends on if I'm doing a favor for a friend or
strictly selling. It could also have to do with where it's coming from and
the cost from my seller. And if demand is very high, it does drive the
price up, especially if the quality is exceptional. Though I'm not really
in this for the money--you can't really make much being a MJ seller. It's
mostly because I believe that pot should be legal, and I don't think that
people should have to go through hell to get something that is far less of
a danger to society than alcohol. It just so happens that I can get it and
believe that I should pass it along to people.
Do you deliver?
Almost always, with very few exceptions. I never deliver more than two
ounces at a time, and I don't sell dime bags. When you're doing that,
you're doing nothing but pissin' in the wind, collecting the riffraff. If
you sell in larger quantities, traffic is slower, which of course slows
down phone calls.
Do you sell anything else? If so, what?
I have been known to on occasion if the buyer is qualified. It has ranged
from ecstasy, cocaine, occasionally heroin, to prescription drugs.
Do you have another job?
Yes. Sales.
Is there a hobby/interest that your Mary Jane enterprise supports?
This can vary, but mostly just little stuff that I would not normally purchase.
How much do you smoke?
None at all.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
I guess it would depend; usually salty. Sunflower seeds in the shell are my
fave. They last longer and seem to satisfy always putting something in my
mouth! Being a woman, though, I do love my sweets; so when PMS strikes, you
can bet that it's sweet over salty.
What's your sign?
Taurus.
How many of your friends just want to hang out with you because you have weed?
A handful. I have over time, though, "weeded" out the ones who are just a
pain in the ass.
Who's got the kind buds?
Me!
Any other pot philosophy?
It is a joke of epic proportions to pretend that your next-door neighbor,
your white-collar asshole boss, teacher, or just about any "law-abiding
citizen" isn't smokin' dope. Everybody loves to get stoned. I've been
buying and selling for over nine years and have rarely ever sold to some
young street punk.
DEALERS
The Artist
32-Year-Old Male
How did you start selling the reefer?
The reefer? Um, let's see, I have a friend that sells it, and when I quit
my job, she got me started selling it.
Where does your product come from?
From her. I don't know where it comes from--up north.
How much do you charge?
It depends--bags for $40 to $50 [an eighth-ounce].
How much of a profit do you make on an eighth?
Maybe $10. Not much. I'm not real greedy about it. It pays my utilities. I
don't really have to do anything like go pick it up; it just comes to me. I
may make about $100 a month.
Do you deliver?
Do you?
Do you sell anything else?
Art.
Do you have another job?
I paint. I used to have a "real" job, in retail sales at Nordstrom, but I
never sold pot then.
Is there a hobby/interest that your Mary Jane enterprise supports?
You mean like kiddie porn? I already told you, I paint.
How much do you smoke?
Not that much.
What's your favorite stoned activity?
Painting, writing--something creative. I use it as a tool.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
When I'm stoned? Or at any time?
Either.
It depends; I like sweet and salty. But not at the same time.
What's your sign?
Aquarius.
How many of your friends just want to hang out with you because you have weed?
Just you.
Who's got the kind buds?
I do, dog!
The Businessman 46-Year-Old Male
How did you start selling the reefer?
As a way to make ends meet in the '70s.
Where does your product come from?
My basement.
How much do you charge?
I'd rather give it away than sell it. If I do sell it, I make certain that
it is the best product for the least amount of money that anybody can find
anywhere. And so a prime ounce of the best skunk bud, I would charge $280
for--$10 a gram.
How much of a profit do you make?
It's sort of a karmic thing. What I try to do to keep the flow going is
just do it in the most positive way that I possibly can. I grow it
organically, and I like people to feel like they're getting a good deal, so
nobody feels like they just got the smallest bag for $40 that they've ever
seen in their life. I'm mostly concerned with my own stash and being able
to give stash away to people I know and love. So I do a real minimal
thing--also because there are federal parameters to the repercussions for
being involved in it, so I keep it under the numbers.
Do you have another job?
Yes, I'm in the service industry. I deal with people. I'm a successful
small-business owner.
How much do you smoke?
It rounds off my rough edges at night. I don't use it during the day
because I want to be at my sharpest for my work, but it is something that's
part of my life in the evenings when I get home.
What's your favorite stoned activity?
Watching the Mariners.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
Well, I guess after I've had my little smoke, I kind of like my cold
cereal, so it's sweet. I do like Captain Crunch, but it hurts the roof of
my mouth--and you have to eat more than one bowl, so after that second
bowl, you've got the raw mouth. I've gone to Quisp now; it tastes just like
Captain Crunch, but they're saucer shaped. You've got to check it out.
What's your sign?
Leo.
Any other pot philosophy?
I would hope that people would realize that it's a benevolent thing,
capable of being abused like anything is; I do have some concerns about
young people being involved because it has an effect on motivation, but I
believe that basically it is a good and loving thing in our world. And many
people who are loving, God-fearing, responsible citizens use it, and that's
OK--many more than any-body thinks.
The Girl Next Door 35-Year-Old Female
How did you start selling the reefer?
I'm not really sure; it just happened over time, through many contacts and
a lot of trust.
Where does your product come from?
Locally, Canada, and Oregon.
How much do you charge?
$300-$375 per ounce, depending on quality and demand. I won't sell to just
anyone, and I won't buy from just anyone. You have to be extremely careful,
regardless of who you are dealing with. I never buy a quantity that will
get me more than a one-year sentence on a first-time offense.
How much of a profit do you make?
$25-$150 per ounce; it depends on if I'm doing a favor for a friend or
strictly selling. It could also have to do with where it's coming from and
the cost from my seller. And if demand is very high, it does drive the
price up, especially if the quality is exceptional. Though I'm not really
in this for the money--you can't really make much being a MJ seller. It's
mostly because I believe that pot should be legal, and I don't think that
people should have to go through hell to get something that is far less of
a danger to society than alcohol. It just so happens that I can get it and
believe that I should pass it along to people.
Do you deliver?
Almost always, with very few exceptions. I never deliver more than two
ounces at a time, and I don't sell dime bags. When you're doing that,
you're doing nothing but pissin' in the wind, collecting the riffraff. If
you sell in larger quantities, traffic is slower, which of course slows
down phone calls.
Do you sell anything else? If so, what?
I have been known to on occasion if the buyer is qualified. It has ranged
from ecstasy, cocaine, occasionally heroin, to prescription drugs.
Do you have another job?
Yes. Sales.
Is there a hobby/interest that your Mary Jane enterprise supports?
This can vary, but mostly just little stuff that I would not normally purchase.
How much do you smoke?
None at all.
Do you prefer a sweet snack or a salty snack?
I guess it would depend; usually salty. Sunflower seeds in the shell are my
fave. They last longer and seem to satisfy always putting something in my
mouth! Being a woman, though, I do love my sweets; so when PMS strikes, you
can bet that it's sweet over salty.
What's your sign?
Taurus.
How many of your friends just want to hang out with you because you have weed?
A handful. I have over time, though, "weeded" out the ones who are just a
pain in the ass.
Who's got the kind buds?
Me!
Any other pot philosophy?
It is a joke of epic proportions to pretend that your next-door neighbor,
your white-collar asshole boss, teacher, or just about any "law-abiding
citizen" isn't smokin' dope. Everybody loves to get stoned. I've been
buying and selling for over nine years and have rarely ever sold to some
young street punk.
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