What I was referring to specifically was the pre-state legalization era. When I started in the medical market it was still a legal gray area at best, thus the “gray market” moniker. I started before the dispensary proliferation, and things were still very much word of mouth.
I worked in the Cannabis industry for 15 years in both the legal and gray markets. I think Cannabis should be legal, and I have personally worked towards making that possible for my entire adult life because the damage caused by locking people in cages for possession of a plant is unquantifiable. HOWEVER, I think it is also important to understand the legitimate risks and adverse effects of Cannabis consumption.
I have known about Cannabis Hypermesis Syndrome for many years, have experienced some of the early symptoms first hand, and have witnessed other people who have gone through its effects. I have also experienced many of the other issues of long term Cannabis consumption such as chronic insomnia, REM sleep dysfunction, and appetite suppression. These issues are very real, and it is important to provide proper education to people so they know what the risks can be from chronic consumption.
There are also legitimate links to schizo-affective disorders being triggered in people who have those latent or genetic predispositions. There is also the long term danger from pesticide exposure and consumption. The regulations around that are not as strict and universal as they need to be, especially for products that are being vaporized or smoked. Companies will do anything to make a buck, and it can be an incredibly unforgiving industry that is either feast or famine.
Please people, do appropriate research. Understand what you are consuming. Make sure you are dealing with reputable distributors, and push for more common sense regulations including full federal legalization so we can do better scientific research. Lastly, everything in moderation including moderation. Listen to your body, and make sure you are respecting it by responsibly modulating what you are putting in it.
Edit: Accidentally a word
The suffering and the debt is the point. It makes people compliant workers, and there is massive profit being made off of human suffering. The United States is fundamentally an immoral nation being propped up by the stupidity of the white evangelical working class.
Even then, the damage is already done. He has changed the political calculus forever. There is no going back to the pre-Trump era.
I’m assuming they also required financials for these properties that show any mortgages or liens that are already attached to them. There is no way they would accept collateral that already has liabilities against them because they would not be able to seize them outright, and if a sale was forced that caused the property to sell for way below market value they might not recoup their funds. I see no way that any major financial institution is going to risk a half a billion dollars on Trump’s behalf without a 100% guaranteed return on investment.
Savage 😂😂😂 This is going directly in the meme-deposit-box.
Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.
We’re getting old. I’m not sure the younger folks are going to get this reference.
Woah, woah, woah there buddy. It’s not just a “handjob” to her, alright? It’s a “hand-career”.
It already is an election issue regardless of how you personally feel. While both PARTIES may support Israel, a large percentage of Democratic votes DO NOT. Therefore, it is defacto an election issue.
Look, here’s the deal. There are more Republican controlled states than Democrat controlled states. If they intelligently target the voting systems in the available swings states, and manipulate the legal system to purge voter rolls or toss ballots in a more organized fashion than in 2020 we are in serious fucking trouble.
Then there is the threat of armed militia members showing up at polling stations, and you can see where things are going to get crazy in November. I feel bad for anyone that has to put up with that bullshit instead of being able to cast a ballot by mail in 5 minutes, but we are counting on you to help save this country. You are the real heroes, and you deserve maximum respect in my book.
Easy, you continue to make money and stay alive when you do what your Russian handlers are telling you to do.
And better than every Republican president in your fucking lifetime.
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good…
No, they need to give him a Canary trap so they know exactly how the information is getting leaked. It is important to understand the way these back channels are working so we can catch the intermediaries as well.
I second what Nudding said. This was emaculately well written, and I am thankful for having the opportunity to read it. You perfectly elucidated the existential angst of everyone who is paying attention to the slow motion collapse of Amerikan Empire.
Conventional brick and mortar retail is extremely expensive to maintain. It has less to do with Amazon specifically, and more to do with the rise of online retail & direct to consumer business models more generally. Don’t get me wrong, Amazon was a huge pioneer in that area, but it would have happened one way or another.