[/QUOTE] are you talking about? choices and options? what options? Yes patients are forced to purchase from LPs, it is the only legal options unless you fall under the injunction and can grow your own. Choices within LPs yes, choices for reasonable access, not so much. Who am i to say what works best for someone else? i dont care about SOMEone, i care what works for EVERYone. I dont feel any marijuana sold by any avenue needs to be upwards of 10$ a gram, thats something everyone can agree on unless they directly gain from it. Your most truthful but yet contridicting statement was your last, there should be access to all that need either they grow there own or may not be able to but have a AFFORDABLE option.[/QUOTE]
Right now patients currently have the following options: continue to grow your own under the injunction, purchase from the black market, purchase from a CC, or purchase from an LP. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that is a pretty good set of options. I'm also operating under the assumption that things will go well in Feb and that patients will be able to continue to grow, and hopefully new ones as well. Very optimistic, but a person can hope.
For a bunch of stoners, there really are some rigid and closed-minded folks in here.....everything doesn't fit into a neat little box or compartment and there are no solutions for anything that work for everyone. Humans will ALWAYS find a way to complain and find something wrong with the current state of affairs, regardless of what it is. It's human nature. Every person's illness, situation and priorities are also completely unique. People want to be able to choose for themselves, just like the AIDS patient who likes being able to log onto an LP website and purchase irradiated medicine of their choice.
I agree that anywhere near $10/gram is ridiculous, I don't care where it's being bought or sold. I don't however, see how my statement is contradictory, I think I've been very clear what I stand for on these forums. I am 100% for the right of every patient and citizen everywhere to buy, grow and consume MJ whether recreationally or legally. Let there be a bunch of different models and sizes of enterprises: BM, CC, personal, legal recreational, and LP. More sources and more product means cheaper prices and easier access for everyone, especially when legalization comes......really the only big bonus of the MMPR is that it is very likely helping to fast-track that process.
I understand everyone's frustration, I am frustrated as well. I've been a patient for 20 years (legally for 10) and have been growing my own for almost a decade. I want the same things as the vast majority of patients in here. I also think there is a lot of misdirected frustration in here as no one here made the rules. People need to remember that HC are the real fuck-ups in all of this, and everyone is dancing to their tune. Lots of people in here are making assumptions regarding other people's motives and backgrounds.........there are MASSIVE grey areas as to where some people fall in all of this, and not all people wanting to get involved are greedy corporate ass-wipes. Some people care and want to dedicate their career to working with the amazing plant , and legally. Some are sick of their mundane jobs and want feel like they are actually helping someone, even in a small way. Many would love to start or work for an ethical, transparent LP that truly put patients before profits. The sad fact of the matter is there are currently zero such outfits as HC has made sure of it. That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of those people and outfits out there, we all know they exist. Jumping all over anyone that wants to get involved, making ridiculous assumptions, and generally acting like an asshole won't get anyone anywhere. I don't see anyone tossing around generalizations about all the medical MJ fakers/wannabes or the patients and DG's that abused the hell out of the MMAR program, and we all know there are plenty of both those types who exist and are are pissed off that their cash cow died.
At the end of the day, I'm just shocked at the amount of assholery and lack of respect that are rampant on these forums, especially lately. This is not directed at anyone in particular, but just have a look through the top 20 threads in the forums. Nothing but negativity, hate, bashing, trolling for the most part.......not just LP/MMPR related discussion either, it's everywhere. Plenty of intelligent people in here, that's really the best that Canadian patients have to offer in terms of content? Have a look at the other international forums and compare it to ours, it's fucking embarrassing. Quite frankly, if the LP applicants stopped posting in here, most of you would would be left with nothing to post about. It's been bugging me for a while, and had to get that out.
I think some mistake my posts for defending LP's or being pro-LP. Many times I am just playing devil's advocate (see what I did there?) and presenting the other side of the argument as most actual LP applicants or employees won't touch these topics with a 10 foot pole for fear of getting gang-raped. If people can't handle hearing 2 sides to an argument without getting all hot and bothered with personal attacks, than I really don't know what to tell you......different strokes for different folks and RIU isn't just one big circle jerk to hate on the MMPR. Again, not directed at anyone in particular.
About me: I love MJ, specifically MMJ. I very strongly believe in it and the good it can do, I've seen and experienced it first-hand. I have a career closely related to these pursuits and at one time dreamt of my own extremely small scale, low-cost LP. Very small, 3000ish sqft. The idea was that essentially I would be able to quit my job and become a full-time DG, in that under the new system I would legally be able to be compensated for my time and work. I had a partner, a friend of 15+ years, that would have been the financial backing for such a venture. I worked on different business models for close to a year, and found multiple ways to keep prices extremely low for a small group of patients who we would remain dedicated to sustainably serving. Of course, that was all assuming it was a level playing field.......once I learned enough to know that the chances of something as small as we were of ever getting through, I pulled the plug. Under our model, the #1 goal was to get the best product to the patients as cheaply as possible, while also being as transparent as possible. We did not want to set ourselves up as NFP as we felt that just added more hurdles to jump over and would hurt us in HC's eyes, but once approved the plan was to operate as transparently and affordably as feasible. We had a number of perfect facilities lined up for potential purchase in northern Manitoba. Real estate was dirt cheap, electricity is the cheapest in Canada, and by a wide margin. My partner had major contacts and involvement in the security sector and had those bases covered. We all now know the many reasons why a small operation in the middle of nowhere like this is unlikely to ever see the light of day, but at the time I thought it may be possible. I would have handled head grower and QA duties while eventually collecting a salary of $60,000 (less than I currently earn) once everything was up and going and this was possible. I would have hired the necessary support staff and paid everyone a fair and liveable wage for the work being done. After staff salaries and all overhead and operating expenditures, patients would be sold the product essentially at cost.....the goal was never to get rich, grow a huge company, go public, get bought out by someone bigger, etc. The goal was to be able to operate a truly compassionate small business that could get prices down to $4-5/gram for high quality medicine. Again, we all know that the system is rigged and overhead just keeps getting piled on by HC, so I am just going though the thought process of 12-18 months ago.
I am not willing to admit that it is 100% impossible for some smaller compassionate outfits to get through, I just wasn't willing to risk everything I have on a puncher's chance. My business partner and close friend does not know a whole lot about the MMJ landscape or the ins and outs of everything going on with the MMPR, and I was not comfortable putting him or his money at risk either. That said, I haven't given up on trying to make a positive difference in my own way. I've said this in another thread, but sitting around a bitching about shit on the internet will accomplish sweet fuck-all. Before you can change the rules, you have to get in the game. I am still hopeful that we will see some true small-scale compassionate producers and NFP's like the McLachlan farm. It's easy to become cynical as say none of them will, but I choose to remain positive that at least a few will eventually. If and when they do, I'll be sending my resume and giving them a call to see if and how I can get involved. All I need is a decent wage so that I can pay my bills and I'm not living in poverty, and I'm there. If that makes me a greedy asshole, or if any of you think less of my posts of have a problem with it, I really couldn't care less. Haters are gonna hate, trolls are going to troll, and I'm going to sleep just fine at night knowing what my own intentions and priorities are.
That's been boiling for a while, my apologies for needing to rant. I make it a point to try to see the good in things, and to see both sides of every argument. It's been increasingly hard to find posts of substance or value lately amidst all the BS, and it's sad seeing this site get dragged down into a cesspool of negativity and disrespect. I've said my piece and now I'll shut the fuck up.
