Leafly wrote an excellent article speaking on the case of How the Cannabis Industry Defeated Legalization in New York.
In the article, Leafly mentions, “As the Boehner Q&A unfolded, legalization advocates like Jax Finkel, executive director of Texas NORML, worked the halls of the statehouse a couple miles away, her chapter surviving on a shoestring budget. When I spoke with her in the bowels of the capitol building in late February, Finkel sounded perplexed by the lack of financial support advocates like herself had received (or rather, not received) from cash-flush industry players.”
“Finkel didn’t say it, but the question has occurred to a number of people: Are these cannabis capitalists just playing the grassroots advocates for chumps? Right now the answer is yes. They’re letting the activists spend blood, sweat, and tears, holding tight to their bags of cash until the legal market opens. Then, as they say in Texas, Katy bar the fucking door.”
The article is speaking on how the big name players aren’t really contributing to lobbying to change the laws, nor are they funding any lobbyist/activist groups to go out and get reform to become a reality. That’s on the macro scale. But what about the micro, how does what a local shop sells lead to lobbying and activist funding?
Your local shop may be causing just as much issues with reform taking place, as the multimillion dollar players are. This comes as part of an issue that goes alongside the fact that shops are carrying and selling products that aren’t in a clear legal area for neither retail or possession. The shop still makes money when they sell the product and will move those funds to prevent civil forfeiture as much as possible. You can be almost guaranteed that the person running the register either doesn’t realize that, and if they do realize that, they are not going to inform the customer that. The average smoke shop worker is not some activist, but rather someone who needs a job and selling product is how they keep said job. They’re paid to get you to buy something.
Contact your representative today and tell them that you want them to reform the law in Texas.
Why would any retailer keep a product out on the shelf in broad daylight if said product is in a legal gray area and could result in a possible raid or customers being arrested? Depending on who you ask, you may get two very different answers.
After asking several shops that sell CBD oil and hemp products, two common themes occured. The phrases that “the product we have has absolutely zero THC and that it is perfectly legal to sell due to the 2014 and 2018 farm bills” was one, and “that if it wasn’t legal to sell why would it be on the shelf” was the other.
Starting with the latter of phrases, the reason for that is simple. In a good amount of jurisdictions and major markets such as Austin and Houston, the CBD oil sales are not a top priority at all. Yes there have been raids on shops, but mainly due to people calling in with concerns that the products are not what is being advertised. It’s one of the last things the police want to deal with as they feel they have more pressing matters to take care of. That’s not to say that some jurisdictions have decided to take action to the fullest extent of the current law. The other is just the beginning of a pit of false “facts” that people couldn’t be bothered to take a moment and actually read about.In the state of Texas even if you have a lab report saying it is THC free, it’s still not legal.
Texas deschedules hemp, residents now awaiting legislative actions for it to be truly legal.
The end result is a culture where the shop sells the product and the customer is accepting that they are in the legal right upon purchase. From there the customer sees no need to reach out to their representative and request for change to take place. They just don’t see a need.
Now the shop has your money, they sit in just the right spot of a legal gray area out of side and for the most part off the radar. They have the volunteers of Texas NORML roaming the halls of the capital on the own time and money, with no cost to the shop. They don’t want to invest their profit in further legalization. The pipes they sell are going to sell regardless of whether or not the plant is legal. One would assume that if legalization took place, equipment purchases would go up. But they are comfortable with what they have. If it wasn’t enough, the business wouldn’t make enough to even stay open or pay employees to sell the equipment.
In other words, they can guard the cash they’ve made and no one is hitting their pockets in a meaningful manner. Unfortunately, the loser in the end is the consumer with the gamble of a poor quality product and potential time in jail for the felony of transporting concentrates if found with oils. Ther article is not intent on railing against CBD or companies selling CBD products. But there should be criticism directed at the notion that there isn’t support needed from the industry itself to get the reform truly complete.
There are some shops that are supporting activist groups like Texas NORML such as 420Science, GRAV, Spicewood Smoke Shoppe, and Austin Made Glass. A thank you may be in line for the support they provide in working to reform the law. Full disclosure that this site has no business relationship or contract with any of the groups or shops mentioned in this article.
Since it’s really up to we the people in Texas to get this done, as always, reach out and contact your representatives in the legislative branch and tell them to support reform in Texas.
