What a surprise, regulated cannabis is not filling the pockets of corporate cannabis investors the way the federal government promised. Who could have predicted that expecting potheads to do (and pay) what the government says wouldn’t go smoothly? Shocked, I am shocked I tell you.
Between my years spent editing cannabis opinions and my actual economics degree, I just gotta say: we told ya so.
We told the government. Over and over. If they wanted a successful legalization to take over the illicit market, they needed to welcome existing subject matter expertise. First the cannabis community filled out surveys, participated in panels and roundtable discussions, and willingly shared knowledge with the people who would make the decisions. Then we told them that the illicit market would not go away if the government didn’t want to let the existing growers and suppliers join in, if taxes jacked prices, if it was hard to find good weed.
Because we’re loyal, we know what good product is worth, and we don’t trust establishments. So where’s the benefit to consumers to prop up a supply market that doesn’t listen to demand? If they treat us like a cash cow, we’ll stick with what works.
Maybe they assumed capitalist support would automatically choke the illicit market and engulf the customer base. And yeah, big business with big investment dominates markets. But c’mon, the reason massive companies like Amazon and Wal-Mart beat out the little guy isn’t because of government edicts, it’s because they’re cheap, convenient, and consistent. That’s literally the opposite of what regulation and restriction has been doing to Canada’s cannabis scene.
So when you read an article about why legalization isn’t achieving the promises made to cannabis investors, ask yourself one question:
“Why won’t the cannabis community go twice as far to buy inferior product at a higher cost from utter strangers?”
Truly, it’s a mystery.