To Re Or De-schedule? That is the Question

Election season is here and with that we will all be pummelled over the next year with news coverage and political ads that we never wanted to see. But because of the rare opportunity to bombard us with all of this nonsense, the powers that be will also be looking for ways to curry favor with the electorate.

And that’s where I think all of this noise about rescheduling and/or de-scheduling cannabis is coming from. Attorney Howard Sklamberg, formerly of the FDA and now, um, of Columbia Care (why does this make me think of the mini series Painkillers?) claims, “certainly this calendar year” or maybe “… the first quarter of next year”.

Certainly maybe this might happen but absolutely definitely nobody really knows for certain. Who is this guy?

I do see where Sklamberg, who claims to have no insider knowledge, may be coming from. De-scheduling with no change to state laws would allow for a political win and potentially some relief from 280E. But at what cost? Moving cannabis to schedule 2 or 3 would allow for the big MSO’s to open the floodgates of investor money.

Dollars that they sorely need right now.

Dollars that will inevitably put many small single state players out of business.

Since last October when President Joe Biden made a surprise statement about the need for marijuana reform, advocates have been waiting for some meaningful change to take place. But change takes time. DEA and FDA don’t move fast.

Maybe right now a little government inefficiency isn’t such a bad thing.

OTHER NEWS

New Mexico has hired Todd Stevens to be the director of their cannabis control commission. Best of luck Todd!

The saying goes that fortunes are made in bear markets. There are opportunities out there. If you’re looking for real estate reach out to John Wickens of Six Chair Blue. He’s been at it forever and knows how to find a deal.

PRODUCT NEWS

Water is the foundation of everything we do in the grow. Don’t let a crappy water filter take you down. Talk to the folks at Netafim about the new SAF-XN filter. Apparently it can’t break.

I’m a big fan of using microbes to your advantage. Check out Imio’s Re-gen line. It recycles your plant waste into usable nutrients.

“Always respect your superiors; if you have any.”

Thanks for reading,

d