No quote. We’re breaking barriers this month.
In the spirit of smashing open cans of worms the time has come to speak on important marijuana issues.
No, not on how to grow quality bud. Most certainly not about how out of state money has all the leverage with Michigan politicians, that would be silly. It will not cover how licensing fees, regulatory costs and taxes are killing all but the biggest of players, that’s just a rumor. No, sorry, not on how the caregiver is being slowly scrubbed away like a stain, only the evil black market cares about such nonsense. Right?
This discussion is about the number one single most important issue in the history of cannabis since the plant’s inception into shared reality, and quite possibly since the dawn of time itself. That’s right, we must discuss social equity.
Tinfoil Hat Time is back! Let’s dial it down a tad. Piss off people other than the AI wiedling federal agencies, this month.
According to its authors and proponents the experiment known as “the marijuana social equity program” does not work as it was written. Zero surprise on this end. None. Could have told you that countless taxpayer dollars ago.
For one, It was never going to do what they are telling you it is supposed to do, and it never will. It is an infinite loop. A gigantic can of worms, filled with cans of worms, all spewing from an infinite can and worm factory. Proof? Approximately one year into this grand plan the very mad sociologists who birthed it are telling us it is broken. Not a century. Not a decade. A year.
Of course what they mean is that individuals they, in their limited capacity as mortal gods, do not want to receive special treatment, are following the guidelines put forth by them and receiving special treatment. For shame. It also means they will be endlessly altering their discriminatory statistical waltz around anti-discrimination laws, and will have to come up with a never ending string of dark and bad sounding names to call the people who find loopholes, of which there will also be a never ending string.
So do the people putting pen to law really have such limited capacity for thought that they could not see this all coming?
That is, of course, what we are supposed to think. It is at that point Sun Tzu would strike your hand with a rod. The wiser bet would be that social equity is doing exactly what it was intended to do, which is to get a tentacle in the door so that direct government control of business licensing could squeeze further and further into the norm by declaring itself broken every year and in need of ‘fixing’. All the while licensing can be set for the big money, with social equity being overtly shouted from the rooftops in order to create the illusion of a way for the little guy to get in. The whole thing reeks of being just another touchy feely ruse designed to give government power beyond its reach and to conceal a rigged game, by rigging it further.
It begins with the premise of “disproportionately affected communities”. Using nothing but statistical data, and crossing poverty levels with marijuana convictions below and above the average, respectively, specific zip codes were carved out of our state where individuals could apply for social equity.
The poor people in the above average neighborhood who grew and sold pot as one of the only local suppliers, getting busted and harassed constantly? Screw them.
What’s that? You have money and you live in a ghetto where weed is everywhere and arrest rates and convictions are sky high? Welcome aboard you oppressed angel.
But nevermind all the people negatively impacted by marijuana laws falling through the cracks, or the ones not all that negatively impacted being ushered in, let’s focus on ‘predators’ swooping into impoverished communities with cash in hand ready to team up with anyone who has a conviction! How dare these ‘predators’ offer investment money, those poor people are supposed to be taking out high interest loans and relying on the government! Keep those capitalist wolves away from our sheep!
It only takes a few scenarios to understand how utterly ridiculous this ‘equity’ is, and to see how seeped in ideology it is. They have a specific goal in their reconstructionist minds, and they will cry foul and demand more control until the end of time. It is inevitable.
Oh, and don’t worry, if you think social equity is in any way racist, you will be assured it is not. In fact, it’s not racist enough. Can’t go without those racist cans of racist worms, can we?
Last year, as council people all over our state were actively denying their citizens legal cannabis “because social equity”, the news reported scenes from city halls and council meetings with joy. Calls for having the laws specify race, or that they should do more for specific races, were commonplace. Some even went so far as to suggest that white people should not be allowed to open pot shops in minority neighborhoods.
In the year 2020 we have people standing in government buildings in full support of institutionalized racism and segregation under the guise of social equity (among other things). Ask yourself if the idea of a white community demanding ‘blacks’ not be allowed to open businesses in their neighborhood sounds racist, because it very much does. If it’s by law, then it’s institutionalized racism. Partisan political ideology is the only way denying white people, by law, access to licensing in non-white neighborhoods could be seen as anything else. In effect, legal pot was withheld from communities so racists could argue that the laws were not racist enough, and everyone was supposed to cheer.
As we wade through the sea of worms, trying not to cut ourselves on any of the umpteen razor sharp can lids, we come to yet another can of worms bursting forth as we approach: Success.
Of course! What quasi-socialist scam would be complete without a brand new class of dependent business owners? Constantly needing ‘support’ so they can succeed in the industry with the big boys, proving that social equity works! Violà! That’s right, with talks of how broken their idea is, come talks of how “the program” should not only help people enter business, but also stay and be successful. The proponents of an idea, they themselves call broken, are claiming the idea needs more power to make itself work. A self fulfilling power generator that can declare itself in need of more power year in and year out, is all this is. A monster that will only grow, and only in one direction, that ominous and misleading direction known as ‘forward’.
Government having precise control over who gets graced with privilege, creating a class of government dependent ‘business owners’ all suckling at the mercy of the state, hand selecting citizens for success and propping them up at every turn while padding them from failure and giving its own power over the people credit for their ‘success’, has a few different names other than social equity.
The worms are up to our necks now, they will never stop popping from cans. Lids cut left and right without warning, unseen beneath the wriggling mass. It is by design. They seem to think no one is paying attention.
The only solution is to crack open opposing cans of opposing worms. Our worms are beefier. Our can lids sharper.
Equity will never be equality. Unequal treatment is not equal. Government power will never empower without oppressing. Rebranding will never mask the patterns.
Social equity is a lie.
The people voted for legal pot, not discriminatory and archaic political systems being passed as ‘new’ and hidden behind false intent.
Licensing should be affordable and regulatory costs should be absolute minimum, for all. Thus far marijuana regulation, having been hijacked by ideologues, does nothing but stand in the way of the fantastic boom that could have been this industry. Choking it into submission with foolish and failed nearsighted anti-American ideas like social equity. This, while milking the rich for bribes, stealing power over the poor, manipulating people based on identity, sowing the seeds of discord, instilling unwarranted fear, using safety as a lever for control, and discriminating against whomever they deem necessary (up to and including entire zip codes and races) in order to meet their politically motivated and un-marijuana related aims.
Wiggle little worms, wiggle.
