RE: Several Key Cannabis Trends For 2018
Great read from one perspective. This is a contentious issue for me and to an underlying thorn in the fabric of our American society. The same substance that has over the years destroyed millions of lives and ripped thousands families apart is now being marketed as a revolutionary yet the economic benefits seem to favor some predominant groups over anothers.
What about changes in the criminal justice system? Do they get reprieve? The taxes being generated should alleviate some of the financial burdens those persecuted for its possession are going through. How about the high costs of inclusion? It costs over a million dollars to get into the industry in WA state. Lets not even bring up who owns over 90% of the legalized marijuana industry.
It's a very skewed and exploitive industry. Would have been nice to see you acknowledge some of the challenges facing the market and those directly affected by these economic opportunities.
@sonofthesoil, thanks for the great comment and concerns. I do agree with you and that many lives have been harmed by the gov't and authorities, many families have been destroyed as you mention.
Unfortunately, I can't comment and write about all aspect of the industry and the injustice caused by gov't legalization in one blog post. However, I have written about those topics and concerns in the past, including comments and my thoughts on the subject of "Gov't controlled legalization" on discussion threads on LinkedIn with the cannabis community there.
Cannabis is not revolutionary, it has been grown for 1000's of years and used for products, medicine and food (hemp seeds). Thanks to the US gov’t who puts the interest of lobbyist and connected industrialist ahead of citizens and human rights, cannabis has been misrepresented, misunderstood and demonized as the “Devil’s Weed” by propaganda. The perceptions around cannabis is now changing because of the activist and grass roots movement that started decades ago, it saddens me to see them being left out of the “Legalization Process” while large well connected Canna-Corporation and gov’ts take over the industry.
While I do focus my time in researching, writing and speaking about the cannabis industry from a financial and business opportunity perspective, I am also working on opportunities where the Cannabis Community can participate in the “Legalization Process” they started years ago. Cannabis is just a plant and it was put on this Earth for a reason and it really is not for any one person to own. Yet, the gov’t who once outlawed cannabis is now going to be the biggest benefactor from their form of “Legalization”, that's the sad reality we in the cannabis community must deal.
However, I am optimistic that all these wrongs done by gov’t and the existing control system, can and will be overturned in the coming decade. People are waking up and having a voice, solutions like cryptos and blockchain are helping give control back to the people. The same will happen with the cannabis, the community can control the narrative and develop the role cannabis plays in today’s world… this can be brought to the Cannabis Internet Blockchain and everyone benefits… I will help make it happen.
I am new on Steemit, so not much of a following here just yet. I was recently called an "anarcho-weed advocate" by @dandays in a comment on one of my posts, the "Anarcho" part is probably because of my past partnership with Jeff Berwick @dollarvigilante. I not much for using the word "Weed", I prefer the word Cannabis, so if anything... it could be that I am a CannAnarcho Advocate.
Cheers.