“Let’s get political.” It’s either the one thing you don’t want to hear to start a conversation or your favorite topic. Nothing in between in these crazy times. It’s also a key piece of the cannabis industry puzzle when discussing the future of the industry (or really its current state). On this week’s episode our hosts dive headlong into the political side of cannabis… from regulatory boards to politicians joining cannabis companies, and everything in between.
Our hosts kick off the conversation with a viral post by their friend and cannabis marketer extraordinaire Matthew O’Brien where he suggests that those who don’t consume cannabis shouldn’t be making the rules for the cannabis industry. Of course, this takes them straight into the current state of affairs in terms of regulatory boards currently being made up of people with little to no cannabis experience, but who conveniently come from industries that will benefit from its legalization.
Once they get past the rule-making process our hosts start digging into the current trend of politicians joining cannabis companies or buying stocks in them. Fun pieces of information there are the 180 Mitch McConnel pulled in going from the second coming of Anslinger to the herald of hemp, and the broken promises by Vice President Harris (we’re well past 100 days and still no legalization).
After they are done running through these issues our hosts start discussing how to “win” in this broken system. Does it matter where the money comes from if it’s used for good? Is all big money bad? Where is the line between selling out and buying in? Who do you think is on what side of these questions? You’ll have to listen to find out.
4 Key Take-Aways:
- Regulators are often not cannabis experienced, but come from industries that can benefit from legalization (transportation, hospitality, retail)... totally not fishy at all
- The power of money in legalization is a major factor in prohibitionist politicians changing their tune
- Public commentary periods on legislation around legalization is oftentimes pandering, and the regulators don’t always listen
- Legal can mean a lot of different things… read the legalization proposals before voicing support or voting for it.
Credits:
Audio Editing - Seth Cross - Frontal Lobe Productions
Intro/Outro - Chad Bailey
Music - The Master by Flashing Lights
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