Cannabis consumers who like to vape might experience a bit of a price hike when it comes to the products they use. Cartridges, batteries, vaping devices, filters and many of the products associated with this trend come from China. Especially if you’re in the market for affordable vaping supplies. Many of the products that are made in the USA or somewhere other than China cost substantially more.
Essentially tariffs that are being imposed on China will cause all sorts of price fluctuations in the United States. Businesses will have to adapt and adjust to thrive. When they move the cheese, you must find another way to get to it, or you starve. Many business owners across multiple sectors of businesses are actively trying to locate alternative suppliers for products.
Not Just Vaping Supplies
The growing and developing cannabis sector that is merging into the legal business light will experience inflated costs to operate. By not being able to deduct business expenses they will not receive tax breaks that others will. Unlike other businesses, cannabis businesses are not allowed to deduct business expenses from their taxes. Everything from packaging and labeling to communication and construction equipment used to help cultivate this budding industry is being hit financially by tariffs imposed by the U.S. government.
Large corporations and companies looking to prosper in the cannabis space won’t fall short of the funding necessary to make it happen. These groups have millions of dollars to invest. Mom and Pop shops, however, may not. These small businesses only cost more because they don’t get the benefit or financial breaks that come with bulk purchases and mass production. To us at CannaLance, mom and pop shops are the backbone of what the cannabis culture represents. We don’t mind paying a little more to help support the mom-and-pop cannabis stores.
Weighing it Out
So, is this a bad thing or a good thing? It would seem that paying a little bit more for a product made here in the United States would help support jobs for America and be a win for everyone. Perhaps, it might also cause the market for products in the U.S. to become more price competitive. Other than cost, products from China do not offer many benefits when compared to their American made counterparts. In fact, there have been many cases of imported goods from China having severe and even deadly consequences for American consumers. Here are a few examples.
- In 2016 Lumber Liquidators was fined $13 million after receiving penalties for importing illegal wood flooring products from China that were linked to illegal logging in Russia. This same wood that was utilized in the flooring product sold by the company was found to contain dangerously high levels of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen that is known for causing respiratory irritation, trouble breathing, chest pain, allergies, asthma, cancer, and more. It is also a chemical component of embalming fluid.
- A study conducted by the Consumer Council found that over half of the toys tested from China contained phthalates at more than 300 times the defined allowable amount per U.S. and European standards. China has no regulation for the use of phthalates in plastic products manufactured for kids.
- China has also been the major driving factor behind counterfeit and dangerous makeup products that have made headlines after making the streets throughout California. Many of the illegally imported cosmetic manufactured in China that makes their way to the U.S. have included things such as dangerous levels of mercury, arsenic, cyanide, and aluminum. Some have even contained rat feces and human urine.
These are just a few of the cases where Chinese manufactured products have caused serious health issues due to products imported from China. So, is this a bad thing or a good thing? It’s hard to say. When you look at the facts, it seems it could allow the legal cannabis industry in the United States the opportunity to spearhead a much-needed change to bring manufacturing and jobs back to the United States.