The Lies Politicians Create
Below are facts. What is written above by Governor Asa Hutchinson, age 71, is not true and has zero data to back it up.
21 States, and Washington, DC, have legalized recreational cannabis, and 37 states have medical marijuana programs. My experience is that getting a license for medical marijuana is simple and just one more pay-to-play before being able to walk in and make a purchase. A Pew study noted that 88% of US adults say that marijuana should be legal for medical use, 60% for recreational use, and only 10% say that weed should not be legal. The CDC notes there is limited evidence suggesting that using marijuana increases the risk of using other drugs. Of course, we all know people with addiction issues, so that is another ballgame.
Another fact. Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act which means that at the Federal level, it has a high potential for abuse and is not accepted for medical use in treatment, nor can it be accepted for use with a medical supervisor.
One more fact. The states who have legalized marijuana have all attempted to use this new business with an emphasis on social good by making sure that people who have been incarcerated and people from underserved communities are getting dispensary licenses to make good on what has been bad, particularly NY.
Fact. The tax structure is so egregious that most new stakeholders are clueless about the tax ramifications (although California has proven what a disaster it is). Most will find themselves struggling to make a penny. Most will take out loans to build these businesses and find themselves in deep trouble trying to service that loan down the line.
So what does this all mean? It means systemic racism continues because the Federal government is taking massive amounts of tax dollars from any person or company running a dispensary. Once again, they are not helping people; they will be hurting people.
It is the Republicans who do not want to legalize cannabis and change the Federal drug status. Yet, the reality of all these facts adds up that these officeholders are not listening to the people but listening to the people lining their pockets, such as Pharma, who is not that keen on cannabis. Conventional pharmaceutical use has dropped 11% since cannabis has become available in 37 states.
All of this adds up to the same political bullshit at the Federal Government level, where lobbyists have their hands in the pockets of our politicians. We will look back on this decades from now with countless stories of people who were awarded licenses in debt, out of business, and worse off than before this began.
It makes me angry, but it also makes me extremely sad.