Apocalypse Now, Cannabis Version

Cannabis has clearly won in this year’s elections, but let’s not forget our struggle and how hard we worked to get here. You never know when things can take a turn for the worst, so let’s try to stay humble.

Here’s What Can Happen…Lets Look At All Bad Things Going Forward.

Governments Sue States

You gotta weed D day. Especially since President-elect Trump nominated Jeff Sessions to be the next attorney general. Few names in this country can raise the hairs of marijuana legalization supporters like Sessions, the Alabama senator who has long been vocal of his anti-pot stance. Being realistic, the worst case scenario here is that the new administration can actually decide to take action on pot-tolerant states, including California (are you shitting your pants yet?). The possibility of this happening scares me more than Exorcist and the thought of my mom finding my stash combined.

Just last April in a Senate hearing, Sessions said: “"We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized. It ought not to be minimized, that it's in fact a very real danger.” For real? What drug is HE on??

If push comes to shove, the government can actually exercise its authority to sue states but it can happen if they want compliance quickly. The Justice Department actually has the power to sue states that have legalized weed on the grounds that they went against federal law.  This would be similar to the immigration issue and Arizona based on a few years ago, where the federal government stepped in on Arizona's immigration policy.

Raiding Cannabusinesses

If the government prefers to avoid going to court, there’s something else that they could to: raid pot businesses. This is, however, a costlier option. None other than our favorite agency, the DEA, can legally shut down businesses that sell pot although there still hasn't been any coordinated efforts to raid pot businesses in several states at once. John McKay, former US attorney in Washington, thinks that its highly unlikely the federal government will waste its limited resources to bust people who are growing pot for their own consumption. "Who is going to stop people from smoking pot in a residence in Denver? Federal agents?" he says. "They are going to stop doing terrorism investigations and start arresting people for pot? That, to me, is crazy."

But it could happen, and this could be the downfall of marijuana investments. People, money would no longer grow in trees if this does happen.

Tax and Banking Problems

If things go wrong, taxes and death won’t be the only things certain in life. Banking problems will stay in place or even get worse for cannabusinesses.

While small businesses get to enjoy tax breaks and other incentives, those in the marijuana business can’t share the same benefits. It’s not uncommon for cannapreneurs shelling out 80% of what they’re making just to pay taxes and other fees imposed by the government. What makes things worse is that on top of this, marijuana entrepreneurs still have to suffer from the limited access to banking because banks simply don’t want to work with anyone who touches the plant.

If the new administration doesn’t do anything about these problems, the marijuana industry could take 5 steps back.

Red Tape

As if there wasn’t enough red tape to deal with, the new administration may resort to stricter regulations to halt the growth of commercial marijuana. Aside from the already excruciating problem of taxes and banking issues, cannabis businesses often have to face long delays in getting their licenses or permits. Just last year, Denver marijuana shops suffered when state health authorities prevented the sale of thousands of plants due to pesticide concerns.

Optimists say that we’ve come too far along for anyone to actually put a serious dent on the growth of marijuana legalization. But those in the industry are still feeling anxious because you can never tell what Trump has up his sleeve.

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