Chapotraphouse

Okay, first off: fuck the Atlantic; second: fuck this article; third: fuck this writer.

I agree with the general thesis that rescheduling is no bueno, but I disagree with their argument entirely. The author effectively says “enough research has been done, green plant bad, we don’t need more research. Green plant is drug and drugs are bad, mkay?” While cannabis use has been shown to have some pretty gnarly drawbacks for certain groups of people, that doesn’t discount the potential benefits. Further, more research is a good thing. We have spent how many billions of dollars researching the most useless garbage on the planet, so maybe we can spend some more to research something that’s maybe a net-positive for society.

Even after you disregard the use of antiquated and racist fear-mongering language like “pot” or “marijuana”, it’s still kind of a load of horseshit. They’re correct that this will not reduce use, it will not reduce incarceration, and will provide some massive tax breaks to some major dickheads, but that still misses the mark entirely…

Schedule III allows major players like Pfizer, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, etc., to get in on the action legally, produce bullshit cannabis products, and basically destroy the (albeit, disastrously fucked up) local and national markets. These massive corporations likely have more cash on hand than the net valuation of the entire American cannabis industry as it currently exists. Further, this will allow those aforementioned megacorps to effectively determine what the cannabis industry is. They will be the ones writing the laws. They will be holding the bag and lining pockets.

If you like smoking flower, or consuming real plant products, this is a bad thing. If you’re a grower, producer, whether big or small, this is a bad thing. If you like supporting your neighbors who grow, or buying from your friends, this is a bad thing. If you hate cops, prisons, the war on drugs, etc., this is a bad thing. Cannabis will simply be scheduled equivalent to codeine, ketamine, oxycodone, etc., and the purse strings of the industry will be controlled by some of the most evil companies on the planet.

The authors closing paragraph, when edited slightly, is actually perfect:

Rescheduling will not lead to meaningfully more research, more healing, or more Americans avoiding prison. […] it will certainly lead to more money for a massive industry. Big [Cannabis] is about to get even bigger.”