People should be more cautious and do their homework better….before someone gets hurt.
There seem to be a lot of wannabe big wheels around the playground these days who have forgotten that this is a very real game with very real consequences we are all playing here. While it may seem that the smoke is lifting, and that it is safe to resume business as usual, the reality is that it is anything but. We are in the most dangerous time I can remember for a wannabe cannabis entrepreneur.
There are a lot of forces at play in this industry right now, and a lot of people who feel threatened.
The cannabis industry is full of wild animals who have lived for years in the shadows with sleepless nights worrying about their crops and businesses. Law enforcement still preys on the vulnerable and is indicting people quietly at the federal level. Local cities and governments continue to demand higher ransoms with little protections. Big business idiots wander around making moves without really doing their homework, and people’s feelings get hurt.
This is sure to get ugly for everyone before it is said and done.
We can all agree that when you back a wild animal into a corner that their first instinct is going to be to fight their way out. The question is, “Do you think you have the juice to fight a wild animal?”….or better yet, “Do you really want to fight a wild animal right now?”
There is a lot to lose for people in this industry still. The Feds are just looking for a reason to shut people down and hand them a stack of charges. The reality is that this thing is still far from over.
I am starkly reminded of the Matthew Davies case, where just last month Davies pled GUILTY to ten felony counts that will get him at least 5 years in Federal prison. Davies was a big business type who made a lot of money before coming into this industry, and who tried to use his business experience to take over several dispensing organizations in the Sacramento and Stockton areas.
On the surface it seemed like Davies ran good shops, paying taxes and living wages to his staff. But the US Attorney who handled his case had a different perspective on it a statement to the Huffington Post:
In a statement released by the Department of Justice on Friday, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said that the investigation had concluded that Davies’ work was “all about the money.”
So what can we all learn from this experience? That it is still not safe to try and be a cannabis mogul just yet. There are still some very serious consequences on the table.
The Feds are still taking properties, including those of Harborside Health Center and Berkeley Patients Group. Regardless of the standing in the community or the City of Oakland suing the feds to protect Harborside, the feds are pushing through, and will likely succeed, with seizing those properties. Here is what a judge said back in January:
“There is nothing in the record indicating that Harborside’s continued operation compromises the existence, value or title of either the Oakland or San Jose property,” wrote Judge James. “Any argument about the urgency of stopping Harborside’s activities rings hollow.”
There are all sorts of theories about why Harborside is being targeted in this case and having their properties seized; but the simple answer is “the pissed someone off pretty good.” Regardless of who that was, they backed somebody’s wild animal into a corner and got the shit scratched out of them. That is just a fact.
So if I were trying to navigate my way through this murky legal environment with some very real consequences, I would be cautious of the wild animals. I would certainly not go around trying to back them into corners. It is still a VERY dangerous landscape for people and you gotta make better decisions. The failure to recognize the dangers that lie in front of you can be a fatal blow.
Be careful out there.
If you have a wild animal backed into a corner you may want to think about walking away. Now is not the time for that battle. It is a lose-lose for everyone at this point.
If you are a wild animal backed into a corner right now, well…sharpen your claws and get ready to scratch the shit out of someone.
There will be some major battles happening before this is over, and you can be sure some dip-shits will get scratched up pretty good. That is certain.
It takes a lot of idiots to make a world. But I hope at least some of the idiots will read this and figure out a solution that does not involve a wild animal and a corner. Take a path of less resistance.
Or don’t, and be prepared to suffer the consequence. These are the decisions we all make in the world of cannabis thunderdome.