Prices went up during prohibition, but then came down when it was legally accessible, look at todays alcohol prices, cheaper than water at times. With cannabis though, prices were high, a legal avenue was created, and prices have remained high. I'm not against people being paid for their work, but they are not charging a price that is realistic to the work involved. It has been artificially inflated, and the current mmj sellers are too focused on the money (and that is understandable to be fair, as you say, capitalism) to consider selling the same item for half the price of the competition and still maintain an absurd profit margin.