Policymakers & Legislators

One of the shadows of prohibition that we still have to cope with is the assumption that cannabis policy shall not be crafted by anyone who actually uses cannabis. While a frustration for the cannabis community – (taxation without representation!) – I can also sympathize with policymakers who don’t have much communication with the constituents whose lives and practices they are effecting. This podcast can help legislators learn how consumers are contending with the [everchanging] conditions of first-time policy roll-outs. What’s working, in respect to public safety, and what isn’t? If you are inclined to study systems that are moving toward transformation, you can learn how to influence these processes to move in the directions you prefer: public safety, racial equity, community-building, fiscal responsibility, etc. The various bureaus of implementation (OLCC, ONI, police, to name a few) begin with noble intentions, so it’s important to afford them an opportunity to see how their ground-breaking efforts at cannabis inclusion are playing out ‘on the ground.’ Our stories compose that portrait.

 

Educators & Parents

Drug re-education. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? We are collectively moving from categorical warning and condemnation to … what, exactly? I don’t expect school curricula to update themselves any time soon, yet those green crosses are popping up all over town, not to mention their print advertisements. So if you’re wondering what to tell the kids, or what other responsible adults are telling their own kids, or if you want to commiserate with other questioning parents, welcome aboard. You are free to use clips (or entire episodes) as openings to discussions with youth groups, teenagers, debate clubs … any arena in which voices from inside the cannabis community might be absent. Assign a podcast to students. Send an episode to a family member. Use a favorite clip as an icebreaker. Where do you agree with what’s been said in an interview? Where do you disagree? Which issues have you not made up your mind about?

 

Consumers

I, for one, do not see myself reflected in current media culture. Television news shows, magazine articles, YouTube channels, other podcasts – they tend toward reliable, familiar stereotypes. Not only are they largely useless, but they are also ultimately inaccurate. I don’t tend to find many non-medical users over 40, who hold non-cannabis-related jobs, and maybe even have kids and a house, who are willing to explore cannabis culture and its [changing] role in society at large. And yet, that’s just who I see in line when I visit a dispensary – responsible adults.

Old-school tokers are welcome to share their tales & tribulations, or listen for familiar themes. New adopters fresh on the scene can share their own perspectives on the underground moving aboveground, or listen in on some elder wisdom.