The Highrise, round 2, was this past week. There were countless highlights, but for me, the most important thing was people in the industry having conversations about the industry at large, their businesses, and how we’re working toward the future. As much as I am not a fan of how government works, it is essential for the cannabis industry to band together under an association that can represent all of us at the government level. That’s how government works, whether you like it or not. Our system is set up like this, and having the cannabis voice at the table is how we protect our industry and help it grow.
A perfect example is that we can’t sell products at concerts because liquor lobbyists made sure that didn’t happen; if people do, they can lose their liquor license. If we had a voice at the table, I am quite sure there would have been something in the books that was more balanced for both sides. The consumer is the real loser here.
We need to come together more often as a community and have high-level conversations (no pun intended). We are all pioneers in this space, and there is plenty of room for all of us. Government tends to talk out of both sides of their mouths, and that doesn’t help us as an industry. Too many cooks have been in this kitchen. I believe we have solid leadership with John Kagia, but he’s fixing a mess that he inherited. I can’t imagine navigating. We shouldn’t fix the mess because it is what it is. We need to move forward, not backward.
The next couple of years will be monumental as an industry from rescheduling to federal legalization, and if we don’t have a seat at the table when these decisions are incorporated into state mandates, we will find ourselves struggling at many levels. The time is now for us to unite.
I have recently joined SACNY, a new organization that banded together over the union’s desire to have a cannabis wage board, which would be detrimental to our industry. It appears we have made progress in getting information and data to the governor’s office; we need more. Take a look at SACNY, and if you like what you see, join and make your voice heard.
