The article “Cannabis chairman defends agency” (Metro, July 22) notes that “the launch of Massachusetts’ marijuana industry has been ‘relatively smooth and incident-free,’ ’’ according to a letter from Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman.

I think I’ve identified the problem with the state’s “rollout” of the cannabis industry.

The state thinks it’s starting an industry.

News flash: There has been a cannabis industry in Massachusetts since I was old enough to recognize it (1964 maybe?). The state is a newcomer that has to compete in a well-established market, while suffering a hefty price disadvantage and high costs of meeting state and municipal mandates. The industry, both old players and new, depends on consumers who are just as careful with their cannabis dollars as they are with their rent money.

Massachusetts opens a handful of stores selling products at inflated prices, the black market thrives, and the commissioner pats himself on the back after handing the state half the expected tax revenue.

Here’s what I learned while watching Massachusetts consumers drive to New Hampshire on the weekly liquor run: If you make the product too expensive or limit sales outlets, consumers will shop elsewhere.

Jim Mesthene