BC throws money at domestic cannabis industry – Cannabis | weed | marijuana

The BC government plans to throw $2.3 million in taxpayers to the province’s indigenous cannabis industry. The announcement comes days after a First Nations group called for reforms to cannabis laws.

Regarding the indigenous cannabis industry, while the BC government pays lip service to indigenous sovereignty, their actions have been all over the map.

On one side you have legit retailers who are suing the government for a lack of enforcement of First Nation reserves. And on the other hand you have the “Community Safety Unit” raiding peaceful indigenous facilities.

The BC government has given itself more power to crack down on “illegal” online retailers. It has also strengthened the province’s civil confiscation laws to specifically target cannabis farmers.

But with politicians always willing to do what sounds right instead of what works, the BC government is throwing $2.3 million at the indigenous cannabis industry.

BC is throwing money at the domestic cannabis industry

Last weekend, the BC government announced it would allocate $2.3 million to the BC Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund (ICBF). ICBF aims to increase Aboriginal participation in BC’s cannabis industry.

But wait. Isn’t “public health” always in an uproar over the alleged harms of cannabis?

The industry is subject to sin taxes and Prohibition-era rules and regulations. Public health doesn’t celebrate it as the therapeutic, non-toxic medicinal flower it is.

So why would the BC government encourage marginalized and vulnerable populations to enter the drug industry? Why would they use taxpayers’ money to achieve this?

Why the separation? Quite simply, like Prohibition, Canadian legalization is rooted in racism.

Is the BC government racist?

Racism in Prohibition is blatant: despite similar rates of use across all demographics, police charge minorities with cannabis possession and trafficking far more often than “white” or Caucasian people.

Obviously the solution is to end Prohibition and disappoint the police. Cannabis belongs in a free and fair market, as do police services.

But what about the racism in legalization? If you are of white skin and European background, overexposure to cannabis constitutes a ‘disorder’ or an ‘addiction’.

If you smoke weed every day the way people drink coffee every morning, then public health sees it as a symptom of a larger mental health problem.

But that’s if you’re in the majority ethnic group of European descent. If you’re Indigenous, it’s not called “cannabis use disorder.” When politicians and bureaucrats speak of the indigenous cannabis industry, they speak of economic prosperity or business opportunity.

Why? ethnic discrimination. Also called racism.

If you’re from Europe, the prevailing Judeo-Christian worldview tends to view drug use negatively. Despite the secular nature of modern western governments, this ethos still dominates Canada’s cultural and ethical background (just look at how the state deals with gambling, sex work or alcohol).

But if you are Indigenous, it is assumed that your spiritual background allows for cannabis as a holy sacrament. A kind of “peace pipe” that is a fundamental part of your culture.

Like, I said: racism.

Your genetic code does not determine your identity. Indigenous people can wear suits, work in a corporate office, eat avocado toast and listen to classic 1970s rock.

Just as a “white” person can escape the hamster wheel and join a conscious community that adheres to principles similar to those of many indigenous cultures.

We are free, independent, autonomous persons. Identifying oneself (and others) primarily as members of an ethnic group rather than as individuals has been a regular occurrence throughout history.

It’s never worked out well.

Funding Details

The BC Government’s allocation of $2.3 million to the Indigenous Cannabis Business Fund (ICBF) is a one-time transaction. At least for now.

According to the province, the money will be used to help First Nations with business plans and advisory services, and to cover the cost of licenses and permits. The ICBF will also provide capital to support the launch and expansion of indigenously owned cannabis businesses.

New Relationship Trust will administer the ICBF. In a statement, the chief executive officer said, “The additional funding means opening up more opportunities for First Nations as they seek to advance their own path to economic development in the regulated cannabis industry.”

Of course, forging their “own” path to economic development shouldn’t require an additional $2.3 million in bailouts from taxpayers. (The ICBF received $7.5 million a few years ago).

The BC government could be much more effective in getting rid of the required licenses and permits that drive up the cost of doing business. The reform would also benefit non-Indigenous cannabis entrepreneurs, and it costs nothing.

Before legalization, when Vancouver had a wild west of “illegal” pharmacies, a few groups emerged to keep things in order. The idea was that they would be private accreditation agencies.

You may have multiple options for purchasing weed. But one of the stores would have a seal of approval from an accrediting agency you know and trust. This shifts the regulatory costs from taxpayers to businesses and their consumers.

It also means consumers need to make more nuanced choices — no more blind faith in the power of government bureaucracy.

We know monopolies don’t work. Only ideologues question the efficiency of markets. So why do we allow governments to monopolize regulatory services?

What do indigenous groups think?

What Do Indigenous Groups Think About BC Government’s Plan To Pour $2.3 Million Into Indigenous Cannabis Industry?

“I commend the province for the ICBF’s increased support for cannabis-related First Nations economic development,” said BC Assembly of First Nations regional director Terry Teegee.

Terry sees this as another example of the BC government’s adherence to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP.

But as with most things United Nations, the devil is in the details.

For example, UNDRIP says that indigenous peoples have a right to “self-determination” without clarifying what that means.

Suppose a First Nations reservation in Canada overwhelmingly supports a local secessionist movement. Would the federal government and First Nation groups support them? Or would their self-determination be considered an illegal act?

The UNDRIP is too ambiguous to be helpful. Either self-determination is above national law and national sovereignty (or at least competes with it on an equal footing), or UNDRIP, like the United Nations itself, is useless.

A pure virtue signal to instill in the native people a sense of progress. This is even true in Canada, where the Trudeau government enshrined UNDRIP in law.

Do you really think Justin believes that tribal peoples have an “innate right to self-determination, including the right to self-government”?

How cannabis works in BC

Here’s the reality: The BC government is creating a complex retail regulatory system that requires capital, permits, licenses and insider knowledge to handle this bureaucratic nonsense.

She then raids peaceful pharmacies owned by indigenous people who have chosen not to participate in the government’s buddy capitalist system.

The BC government then offers other people’s money to “support” the cannabis industry, which has made it unnecessarily complicated and expensive.

It’s like a criminal breaking into your house, claiming it’s his, then breaking your legs, but paying your medical bills with money he found in your bedroom.

You don’t have to be of any specific ethnicity to see the problem.