KEEPING THE LID ON WEED COST

In Monday's Sun-Times, a story about a drug bust said that 15 pounds
of pot had a street value of [$40,000]. The problem with reporting
that is the fact that drug dealers are able to sell their illegal
drugs at high prices based on media information. Back in my
Haight-Ashbury days of the 1960s, weed sold for $7.50 a lid (an ounce)
or about $100 a pound.

The same thing applies when the news media reports that ticket
scalpers are selling World Series, Super Bowl or entertainment venue
tickets at many times more than the price printed on the ticket. All
this ever does is give credence to the scalper's inflated prices. Why
aid and abet the drug pushers by advertising exaggerated prices?

Jerry Pritikin, Near North Side