Building a profitable business is hard; building one in Cannaland is almost impossible. We are all handcuffed on multiple levels. I was watching an advertisement pre-Knick game on Molson Ale. The advertisement essentially sang about Molson times, from lunch to dinner to evening activities, pushing the concept that Molson should be drunk all day, at any hour. We all know the reality that alcohol isn’t good for us, but cannabis, which is showing some incredibly positive usage results, can’t advertise.
There is a daily misalignment between federal policy and medical evidence. I read daily about all the positive results coming from across the globe, but certainly not enough from the US, because not enough research is being done. Wouldn’t it make more sense to embrace this plant to better serve people who benefit from cannabinoid therapies? Oh, silly me, the pharma lobbyists don’t love this idea because it reduces their use and market share.
This absurd change in federal policy, which occurred during the Nixon years, has stymied progress on potential therapies, dosing amounts, and a true understanding of the benefits the plant can provide us. Just add this to the list of other corrupt decisions at the federal level.
Currently, Gotham has a kiosk at Grand Central, where we sell our private-label products and build our brand, but we cannot sell any cannabis products, even though commuters line up at the liquor store to get something for their commute home. Grand Central’s number-one-selling product, which helps them bring in revenue, is… drumroll, please… alcohol. Why can’t we sell THC drinks and gummies too?
The heavy hand of NYS has issued many licenses, yet there are restrictions regarding how close we can all be to each other. Why? That doesn’t happen in any other category. If we are to be a true capitalist society, then let people set up shop wherever, and see who succeeds, and who doesn’t. There are blocks with 4 coffee shops, and eventually, there will be only one.
The taxes, the handcuffs, the oversight, and the restrictions make zero sense yet we create jobs and put a lot of money back into the economy.
John Kagia, the new head of the OCM, who has been in for quite a while, was quoted as saying, “Legalization is not intended to create new consumers. It’s intended to serve over 2.2 million New Yorkers who consume cannabis regularly.” This might be one of the most intelligent things anyone has said in this industry, ever.
Federal legalization is long overdue.
