Not blasting you but the BS. This is an attempt by those who didn't want it at all to control the hell out of it. Government giving the people what they want but just not much of it. Aided by legitimate companies wanting a piece of it but not too early. How can they have a valid interest in a Schedule I drug at this point in time? Even Big Pharma has extremely limited production of heroin and that is so strictly controlled it's incredible. Same with pharmaceutical grade cocaine flake. I was an RN for 34 years. I know Big Pharma. They will wait until "reputable" people and businesses (always meaning big with a lot of financing and a lot of sonsofbitches profiting from it every quarter) are accepted by the communities and then move in. Additionally the present laws can be modified and not to our benefit. In NM where legal MMJ has been around a while it's still a bitch to get certified and then the plant limit is low. But not low enough for the Republican c**t who's in her second term. No she wanted the law gutted and every Republican in the legislature was ready to help. Only GOP foot dragging on other issues kept it off the calendar - this year.
Regulating like alcohol by an alcohol bureau is nuts. It's not even close. Poor home brewed hooch can kill or blind. Alcohol kills - period. Even the top shelf shit. Liver cells, pancreas, families. Nope you can buy all you want, drink all you want, store up thousands of gallons of the shit or even brew up to 250 gallons of beer at home a year. No surveillance systems no nothing. No permit. Buy a kit and go. You can even be granted the license to distill alcohol, not just brew beer. Talk about lethal potentiality?
These high dollar fees are to keep the little guy little or out. It's bullshit. America - where capitalism reigns and the little guy can get get to be a big guy.If he sucks enough c**k.
I think I can answer this and still be relevant to the topics in the thread.
Lets look at the facts.
-Cannabis/THC is a schedule 1 substance. Alcohol is not a schedule 1 substance.
-The Cole Memo addresses the legal differences in state law and federal law, if you read the memo.. The cole memo outlines that it would rather have local enforcement handle marijuana, but will enforce if problems like product diversion to other states is happening.
-Prescribing THC/CBD Cannabis compounds is very inconsistent from a prescription drug control standards. Usually a prescription drug goes to a pharmacy for dispensing. But the schedule 1 classification keeps it out of the pharmacy, Or Im not aware of a commercial cannabis compound. I have a PharmD I use for consulting I'll have to investigate further.
So here's my thoughts,
The surveillance systems is in place to prevent diversion, all product is watched to make sure that it is not being diverted to other markets. This is consistent with the Cole memo. The audience at the MCB of various business types was not happy to hear this pass. This rule is a copy and paste of colorado law.
If you really think about it.. Alcohol, or even Tobacco, should fall under schedule 1 substances because they are addictive, harmful and have no medical value but are acceptable under social norms.
The rules for cannabis businesses is being created by a board called the Marijuana Control Board, they have been meeting with the Alcohol Beverage Control board to adjust the rules, because many of the laws were simply ripped from Colorado and Washington. The MCB is trying to relax the strict regulations however, ABC members are there to simply advise on ammendments. In my opinion the MCB would like looser laws to mimic alcohol law however the regulations must have a strict regulations to them to avoid federal enforcement.
It almost seems like the product has the same handling protocol as radioactive materials, its really overkill for a relatively safe recreational substance. Manifested boxes, product tracking, video recording..
No matter.. Its going to be a tough market, but I'm ok with it.