What to do with Cannabis Flip Floppers? – Don’t Crucify Boehner
John Boehner recently entered the news cycle once more. He sat on a panel at SXSW on his cannabis ventures, however received some protest from the crowd. One of the loudest organized protests came from the Equity First Alliance who focused on the fact that “wealthy white men in suits” were profiting from the cannabis industry, when people of color are still disproportionately incarcerated or barred from entry.
This, of course is a sensitive issue. Boehner was a longtime supporter of prohibition. He gave two shits about people being thrown in jail for cannabis-related offenses. He also was an avid advocate against LGBTW rights and so forth.
While this is absolutely true, we must also understand that Boehner was serving under a Republican banner. He was catering to the ideals of the people on the right. Their “tough on drugs” and “morality-first” stance is entrenched in the Republican Dogma.
If you take a look at who Boehner was 10-years ago and who is today, they are two different people.
Does this Excuse the Fact?
The points brought up by the Equity First Alliance have validity. It’s true that the wealthy-elite are starting to jump on the cannabis-money-train. They are taking advantage of a shift in public perception and the trends of legalization.
Boehner is now a member on the Acreage Holdings Board and stands to gain significant profit when cannabis goes legal on a federal scale.
Should those who helped sustain prohibition have a chance at participating within the industry? Is it fair?
In regards to being fair…it definitely isn’t. However, to barre people from participating in a budding new industry is also not the solution.
While it’s true that Boehner did help sustain a failed policy that negatively affected millions of people around the world, he did change his tune on the policy. This is also something we need to consider. Can people realize that they were wrong irrespective of motives.
What changed Boehner’s mind?
According to Boehner, the thing that convinced him to reconsider his stance on cannabis was talking to Veterans. He heard numerous testimonials from war-veterans that obtained benefit from using medical marijuana for treating pain and PTSD.
This prompted him to look at the entire cannabis thing in a different light. Which eventually led him to go from the “GOP Speaker of the House” to a Board Member on a Cannabis Company. At least from this perspective you can see that “money” wasn’t his sole-reason for flip flopping on the issue. A revelation that “cannabis is medicine” laid the groundwork for the transformation.
The Outrage is Understandable
Irrespective of the paradigm shift, the fact of the matter remains, “Boehner supported prohibition, and now is profiting on Marijuana”.
There are countless people who have had their lives ruined due to prohibition, yet because Boehner had a change of heart, he gets to profit from the new legalization trends.
It’s unfair and definitely signals to a privileged class. I’m not referring to white-privilege or male-privilege, but rather the elite that has had the world by the balls since the beginning of civilization. There have always been privileged classes, and the rest of the populous have always stood by and watched them do whatever they want.
However, does the outrage help the general cannabis movement, or does it hinder it.
Swaying the Odds
I agree, “Fuck Boehner” if he makes money and doesn’t use his resources to advocate for criminal justice reform, invest into affected communities, and show some sense of repairing the damage he did while upholding a policy that was wrong from the get-go.
If he plays it out like that, he’s just a rich asshole going after the money.
However, there is something we also need to see within this action. Boehner is respected by many conservatives. His flip-floppery actually gives permission for other conservatives to follow. He’s paving the way for a shift, pushing bi-partisan support to new heights.
The other thing it is showing us is that, “People can change their minds”. People can fall victim to an ideology. The moment they fall in love with an idea, they do everything in their power to sustain that idea. Any opposing ideology is met with ridicule and denial. They justify their actions based on their dominating belief.
In the case of Boehner, he thought “cannabis was a drug” and “drugs are bad”. He, like the millions of others, was a victim of government propaganda. He was born in 1949, was in his early twenties when Nixon declared the War on Drugs. He was in his 30s when the Reagans were spouting their “Just Say No” nonsense.
Understanding his education, political affiliations, the times he lived in…can you truly blame him for being blind to the truth when he was being indoctrinated that “Cannabis is as bad as heroin”?
Now, if someone like him…after so many years of believing in a paradigm has the ability to shift perspectives. Isn’t it good news? Isn’t it showing us that the change is happening on all sides of the isles. That the inevitability of legalization is near?
I understand the outrage, and the outrage is perfectly justifiable. Fight for equal opportunity and fight for freeing all cannabis prisoners. Let those who have profited from prohibition pay retribution for those affected. But don’t discourage those once opposed from participating. There’s enough space within the cannabis industry to support us all.
Some will come in the form of “Big Marijuana”, others will be more “Artisanal”, but space there is for us all.
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