Article on day to day activity in a legal business in California. Good read. Way too long to post here

Link:

https://www.businessfleet.com/...ebid=3671F9146356B0M

Interesting read. A lot of similar things have been going on in Colorado for the past several years. Some of this is unintended consequences but a lot of it could be foreseen.

I guess the taxes and fees on buyers are so onerous that the street seller is still a viable business model. In other words, official greed is retarding their plans.

Absolutely no direct knowledge of the cannabis business, legal or otherwise. That said, based on what I’ve seen of CA bureaucrats, it is likely that their greed is far secondary to their insatiable urge to meddle in and control everything in retarding the legal cannabis business.

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Originally posted by ChuckWall:
I guess the taxes and fees on buyers are so onerous that the street seller is still a viable business model. In other words, official greed is retarding their plans.

Looks like even some of the spaced out politicians in California are realizing that. Funny how they understand the effect of high taxes on pot but other business?
Shows you where they place their priorities.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/fe...ijuana-tax-heres-why

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 220-9er,

Human nature, not everyone is going to pay full price, and why would you, if you have a guy, buy from him avoid taxes, theres no way anyone would know unless they see you buying from the dealer.

legal drugs will never eliminate the illegal underground market.

The link does not work. However I have a client that have been in the waste management business for a long time. He has a license to remove the biproduct of cannabis, the bi product can be reused and make oils. He's turning that into a business and is doing VERY VERY well.

And this is a glaring example of why government in its current form is a problem:

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Since 1983, Dominick Vitelli has been designing and manufacturing custom stretch limousines, from the executive palaces to those worthy of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.”

In 2013, Vitelli was approached by friend Seth Doulton, former rodeo cowboy and monster truck builder, who became the State Board of Equalization agricultural liaison to the cannabis industry. Doulton was tasked with devising the specs that would form the regulations governing a cannabis transport vehicle in California.

Vitelli’s company, Quality Coachworks, worked with Doulton and the state for two years on bringing those plans from paper into a cannabis transport vehicle.

So a bull rider/monster truck builder approaches a friend of his who builds limousines to work with the state to determine the legal requirements for the construction of cannabis transport vehicles.

Why would one possibly call on a manufacturer or armored courier vehicles to help with this? I mean they've only been doing it for over 100 years. Clearly the rodeo/monster truck/limousine backgrounds put them in a better position to design secure vehicles than those who actually build secure vehicles for a living.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckWall:
I guess the taxes and fees on buyers are so onerous that the street seller is still a viable business model. In other words, official greed is retarding their plans.

Remember all the talk that legalization would drive out the criminal dealing of marijuana? Only fools actually thought it would work that way.

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Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
. . . unintended consequences but a lot of it could be foreseen. (sic)

Unintended maybe, but absolutely none of it was unforeseen. Many rightly predicted that "legalization," would not be some crime stopping, problem solving, Utopian dream. The "pro legalization" side rarely (practically never) will acknowledge that it's not all perfect.

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Originally posted by a1abdj:
And this is a glaring example of why government in its current form is a problem:

quote:

Since 1983, Dominick Vitelli has been designing and manufacturing custom stretch limousines, from the executive palaces to those worthy of MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.”

In 2013, Vitelli was approached by friend Seth Doulton, former rodeo cowboy and monster truck builder, who became the State Board of Equalization agricultural liaison to the cannabis industry. Doulton was tasked with devising the specs that would form the regulations governing a cannabis transport vehicle in California.

Vitelli’s company, Quality Coachworks, worked with Doulton and the state for two years on bringing those plans from paper into a cannabis transport vehicle.

So a bull rider/monster truck builder approaches a friend of his who builds limousines to work with the state to determine the legal requirements for the construction of cannabis transport vehicles.

Why would one possibly call on a manufacturer or armored courier vehicles to help with this? I mean they've only been doing it for over 100 years. Clearly the rodeo/monster truck/limousine backgrounds put them in a better position to design secure vehicles than those who actually build secure vehicles for a living.

How much experience do they have doing that with vehicles which weigh less than 10000# GVW?

They can't legally transport marijuana in a typical armored car, which weighs well over 10000# empty.

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How much experience do they have doing that with vehicles which weigh less than 10000# GVW?

A lot. ATM companies have been using lightweight vans for that very same reason for many years. All of the big companies also tend to run a portion of smaller vans in their fleet. Even the larger dual-wheeled big armored trucks that you see only weight 17,000 pounds or so.



But regardless, I can assure you that an armored car manufacturer has far more experience armoring vehicles than anybody in the monster truck or limousine business.

In just that example alone you see the buddy system at play. Not what's right or proper, but how we can get all of our buddies involved to benefit each other.

See that USDOT # on the side of the van in your pic? (EDIT: it was in your original pic, before your edit) It means it can't legally be used to transport weed.

Second, assuming all limo manufacturers don't know how to armor a vehicle is silly.

Many "executives" want/need armored limos, and other vehicles. For example:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dn4ZW2EV4AAVEIx.jpg

However, that vehicle is also reportedly too heavy.

EDIT TO ADD: Why did you decide to swap photos? The original one clearly showed a USDOT #?

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See that USDOT # on the side of the van in your pic? It means it can't legally be used to transport weed.

I have one of those. How many have you had?

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Second, assuming all limo manufacturers don't know how to armor a vehicle is silly.

I've had several of them, including armored versions. How many have you had?

Having this background, I can even tell you which company the guy mentioned in the article owns. But it doesn't matter. If I wanted to know the best way to armor a van used for courier purposes I wouldn't go to the guy who armors limousines. I'd go to the guys that armor vans and trucks for courier purposes (which this guy now does).

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Many "executives" want/need armored limos, and other vehicles.

Sure. There are a few limousine manufacturers who also up armor their cars. There are far more up armoring companies that source their vehicles from a third party and strictly handle the armoring.

Bet you I could name a few, because I've owned a few.

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EDIT TO ADD: Why did you decide to swap photos? The original one clearly showed a USDOT #?

Because the original photo was too large. But both photos show the same company's vans, with the same DOT information on the side. DOT information that isn't necessarily required strictly due to the weight of the vehicle, but the fact that it is being driven, for hire, across state lines, by a company that has a DOT number.

Take this example:

Maybe they can hire these guys on designing a pot transport van

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Because the original photo was too large. But both photos show the same company's vans, with the same DOT information on the side.

Well you keep ignoring the fact that those USDOT numbers make it illegal to use those vehicles to transport marijuana.

BTW, I'm not impressed by your claims of owning various vehicles. None of it changes the fact that the typical armored vehicle manufacturer does NOT have experience in building vehicles under 10000# GVW. It's a new problem, and therefore needs new solutions.

Remember, a guy with ZERO experience designing/manufacturing firearms, and whose experience was mostly building things like plastic curtain rings and plastic grenade shells, designed one of the most successful pistols in existence, back in the early 1980s. Many people thought it was ridiculous to consider him a serious player in the firearms world too.

https://www.forbes.com/global/...20.html#d82b8bd3eb5d

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Back in 1981 Glock was producing plastic grenade shells for the Austrian army, in addition to plastic curtain-rod rings. One day he overheard two colonels complain that no gun existed that could meet their specifications. When Glock offered to make one, they laughed at him. (emphasis added)

While it's good to consider experience, training, and education, sometimes great ideas can come from those who are not encumbered by those things.

To quote a character in a good movie, "In 1905, there were hundreds of professors renowned for their studies of the universe, but it was a 26-year-old Swiss patent clerk doing physics in his spare time who changed the world."

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Well you keep ignoring the fact that those USDOT numbers make it illegal to use those vehicles to transport marijuana.

I'm not ignoring that fact. That fact has little to do with the pertinent fact that instead of going to professionals in that specific industry to work on state requirements he went to his buddy. Coincidentally, a buddy that was able to get into the business of making state approved vehicles.

You don't see the problem there? That's fine. I prefer to not have the buddy system in play when it comes to these types of things. You want to make laws? Great. You want to consult with professionals? Also great.

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BTW, I'm not impressed by your claims of owning various vehicles.

They're not "my claims", they are "factual statements of reality giving credence to my knowledge of the subject matter".

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None of it changes the fact that the typical armored vehicle manufacturer does NOT have experience in building vehicles under 10000# GVW. It's a new problem, and therefore needs new solutions.

But you see (or perhaps you don't)....that's not a fact. "The fact" is that "typical armored vehicle manufacturers" DID have experience building vehicles with 9,900 pound GVWs. And even those that didn't build them sure knew a lot more about building armored courier vehicles, of any weight, that a limousine builder along with his monster truck building friend who happened to be connected.

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While it's good to consider experience, training, and education, sometimes great ideas can come from those who are not encumbered by those things.

Great!

So what new idea came from the limousine builder as it relates to the manufacturing of armored courier vehicles?

I'll start. His idea that if he was the one that helped make the rules, he'd be uniquely positioned to take advantage of that when it came to building and selling them himself.

The reality is that he didn't do anything new. He didn't invent any new material. He didn't use any existing materials that weren't already used. He didn't come up with any new ways of using this material.

Do you know this guy? Is he your brother in law or something? You seem pretty offended that I have pointed these things out.

I had no idea that cannabis could be shipped across state lines given present federal law.

https://www.oregonlive.com/pol...to-other-states.html


SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Marijuana could take the next step toward joining pinot noir and craft beer on Oregon’s list of famous exports, under a proposal likely to go before state lawmakers in the new year.

The Statesman Journal reports that the Craft Cannabis Alliance, a business association led by founder and executive director Adam Smith, is working with legislators to let Oregon start exporting pot to other legal-weed states by 2021.

here's the weird part, that I didn't think was allowed under federal law:

Wholesalers could ship across state lines so long as Oregon's governor had made a pact with the receiving state to allow those deliveries, according to draft language reviewed by the Statesman Journal.

Just don't get pulled over in Idaho while driving to Colorado, or there will be some explaining to do. "You see officer, my governor has made a deal with the Colorado governor, so all this is cool. you dig"

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I had no idea that cannabis could be shipped across state lines given present federal law.

I don't think it will be too terribly long before it's legalized at the federal level with the accompanying federal rules and taxes.

I've never used any illegal drug. I don't even drink. But I probably wouldn't mind getting in at the ground floor as there certainly appears to be some money on the table.

If only I had a friend who would get me hooked up with my state legislature to help make the rules.

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Originally posted by a1abdj:
You want to make laws?

Where did I say I want to do that? Oh, I didn't.

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You want to consult with professionals?

Well, I actually like to consult professionals, on many topics, but I don't automatically reject ideas from new entries into the market.

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So what new idea came from the limousine builder as it relates to the manufacturing of armored courier vehicles?

I don't know, because I don't have all the detailed specs on his design? Do you? Rhetorical, as I'm sure you'll claim to have seen data on the vehicles, and in great detail.

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The reality is that he didn't do anything new. He didn't invent any new material. He didn't use any existing materials that weren't already used. He didn't come up with any new ways of using this material.

Yeah, but I'll bet you have zero idea if that's actually true, or not.

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Do you know this guy? Is he your brother in law or something? You seem pretty offended that I have pointed these things out.

Nope, you're the one who is acting offended, as you always do.

Tell us some more about the many armored vehicles you've owned. I'm done with you on this topic, so rant away.