Race & Marijuana Business

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

We all know what the race card is. When a person of colour does not get their way or what they expected it suddenly becomes an issue of race.

It is all around us.

I didn't get an "A" in the class because my teacher is a racist that hates black people.. No chances are your work didn't warrant an "A".

I was profiled by the cops because I'm black. No you were out cruising around in your car at 2am pulling circles through areas that are known for drug activity and other crimes.

I was passed over for a pot shop because they are racist. No you lacked the funds and the connections to get the permits for a shop.



The race card. It is used when all else fails and when someone doesn't want to take responsibilities for their actions.

People who say "race card" IMO are people who like to pretend that race as a sociological factor doesn't exist in our society. Said persons because of their pretending never want to speak about or have anyone else speak about it because it makes them uncomfortable.

It is like a toddler tantrum sort of "na-na-na-na-na" thing to me whenever I hear/see the phrase.

As I noted earlier, I agree with you that race is not a factor in the cannabis industry, but it actually was and is a factor in regards to arrest and criminalization of people based upon drug use. White people smoke the same amount of cannabis as black people but more black people were negatively impacted by cannabis laws because law enforcement is more likely to stop and arrest black people because they are black. That is not a "card" it is a fact. Whites are more likely to do specific drugs like opiods but black people are still arrested more for drug use than whites on a percentage basis. That is also not a "card" game, it is facts.

So I didn't like the PBS piece because it tried to couple these two issues as being about race when they are not. It was not a focused piece. Wealth and network are more important for access into the cannabis industry than race. But for law enforcement race is a factor for all interactions with LE and LEOs.

FYI - I don't drive at 2am and I've been pulled over multiple times by police officers, usually taking my son to school when it was around 7:30 am 3 blocks from my house. It didn't stop until I got involved in a local community committee that worked with our city council and I made complaints to some police officers who came to every committee meeting that officers were targeting regular citizens who were not drug sellers or users. If they wanted to get users, they should stop the white people because the neighborhood was 97% black and the only white people who came to visit were usually with a church group doing some sort of charity work or they were drug users coming to buy drugs from dealers who didn't live in the neighborhood. Beat commander apologized for my harrassment (which occurred for over 6 months when I moved to the City of Atlanta from the suburbs) and took my license plate number and I was never stopped again taking my kid to school. However, I was stopped in other neighborhood while out grocery shopping or picking my kid up from baseball practice. As I noted above, a lot of people like to pretend that this sort of thing doesn't exist when it does. I'm sleep at 2am and I don't even use cannabis or do any drugs. I also have a valid license, tag, and insurance all the time so there was no reason at all for them to stop me. I only speed on freeways and ironically, I've never even received a speeding ticket on the freeway lol. I've only ever been harrassed excessively by LEOs on city streets. I lived in a neighborhood known for drug activity. I was very involved in turning the neighborhood around as well. Just because I lived in a neighborhood known for drug activity doesn't mean I'm a drug user or deserve to get pulled over 2-3 times a week. We still own that house and since more white people are moving into the hood it is gentrifying and when we are ready to sell I expect to get 3.5 times what we paid for it. That was the plan. I worked in housing when we bought the house and knew that the area was slated for gentrification and upgrades so wanted to get in while it was still cheap (bought house for about $80k and I expect to get at least $300k when we sell).

ETA: I like to invest in thing that will give me some money. Hood homes in drug infested neighborhoods in many cities across the country are a good investment. I'll get more of a return on that house than I will on my cannabis stocks and those stocks have increased nearly 200% since I bought them earlier this year. I'm planning on selling them too potentially toward the end of the year but I'm hesitant since they are doing so well.

[thecoalman]

I personally think there should be less barriers for getting into the business for all Americans.

There is barriers to get into all kinds of business's and fields. On one hand they help protect consumers, on the other hand they drive up costs and limit competition. I'm not disagreeing, it's the general public you need to convince because they demand action on for example unscrupulous contractors. You take action by raising barriers.

[Wartrace]

Originally Posted by Daryl_G

No the problem is states did not allow for competition or for small businesses to get into the industry. Here in Florida they reduced the number of eligible growers at the start to 2. Two companies that would grow, process, and sell. They control the entire thing from grow to sell. This has started to change some but it’s still a major problem for two big reasons:

1. Artificial inflation of prices well beyond what they would be in a open market. In Florida it cost a medical marijuana patient $60-70 for a 600mg vile of marijuana for vaping. That price in a more open state like Washington $20-30. So everyone from the kid with epilepsy to grandma with arthritic pain gets taken to the cleaners for no good reason. Remember insurance does not cover marijuana as t is still federally illegal.

2. No competition leads to little innovation, poor product offerings, poor customer service, and makes the illegal street method a better option for many due to the decreased cost. They already can legally get it so in the minds of many it’s now “wrong” but not criminal.

To me it’s like any business in America, should be subject to the free market and open for competition. There is little reason to make the barrier to entry so high. Otherwise it will continue to be the mess it is right now.

The only reason it has been legalized in ANY state is taxation.