{"id":516,"date":"2021-08-17T15:14:02","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T15:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=175492"},"modified":"2021-08-17T15:14:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T15:14:02","slug":"how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=516","title":{"rendered":"How should we react when a prohibitionist wins a marijuana license?"},"content":{"rendered":"
How should we react when a prohibitionist wins a marijuana license? | Leafly<\/title> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --> <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <title>Leafly<\/title> <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title> <title>Loading\u2026<\/title> <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h4 id=\"h-the-haymaker-is-leafly-senior-editor-bruce-barcott-s-opinion-column-about-cannabis-politics-and-culture\"><em>The Haymaker is Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott\u2019s opinion column about cannabis politics and culture.<\/em><\/h4>\n<p>The news that Tom Price, a lifelong prohibitionist, won the cannabis license lottery threw me into a philosophical conundrum last week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img alt=\"haymaker-column-logo\" class=\"wp-image-172448 has-ll lazyload\" width=\"320\" height=\"151\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.png,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.png,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.png,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.png,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Price is a Georgia Republican who briefly served as Donald Trump\u2019s first health secretary. He lasted just seven months before getting washed out in a scandal. Price was the guy who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2017\/09\/28\/tom-price-military-jets-europe-asia-hhs-243276\">wasted<\/a> more than $1 million of taxpayer money hopping private jets and military transports instead of booking Jet Blue like the rest of us.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to his turn on the Trump merry-go-round, Price served in Congress from Georgia\u2019s 6<sup>th<\/sup> District, which encompasses Atlanta\u2019s northern suburbs.<\/p>\n<p>During his 12 years on Capitol Hill, Price did nothing to support cannabis legalization. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>Tom Price voted six times to kill the critical budget amendment that protects medical marijuana patients. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As Marijuana Moment\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/former-anti-marijuana-congressman-and-top-trump-health-official-joins-cannabis-company-board-documents-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kyle Jaeger has pointed out<\/a>, Price voted six times to kill the Congressional budget amendment that protects patients in medical marijuana states. Three times he opposed efforts to allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients.<\/p>\n<p>As Trump\u2019s Secretary of Health and Human Services, the nation\u2019s largest public health agency, Price ignored the struggle of America\u2019s millions of medical marijuana patients.<\/p>\n<p>But once he left office\u2014and Georgia opened applications for a handful of lucrative medical marijuana licenses\u2014Tom Price had a change of heart. Or maybe it was a change of wallet. The career prohibitionist joined the board of Botanical Sciences LLC, a company new to the cannabis space that was founded last year by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/robin-fowler-md-884611202\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robin Fowler<\/a>, head of a chain of Georgia pain clinics with some very mixed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yelp.com\/biz\/alliance-spine-and-pain-centers-dallas?osq=Alliance+Spine+and+Pain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yelp reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-whattaya-know-we-have-a-winner\">Whattaya know? We have a winner <\/h2>\n<p>After Price hopped aboard, Botanical happened to win one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/medical-marijuana-licenses-awarded-to-six-companies-in-georgia\/F2REMGEXB5BPHKISOSXXUVTBVM\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six coveted MMJ licenses<\/a>, beating out 63 other applicants, including the well-established national brand Curaleaf. Botanical\u2019s unexpected win raised some eyebrows\u2014and caught the attention of Curaleaf\u2019s lawyers, who are now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/secrecy-and-protests-surround-georgia-medical-marijuana-companies\/NUFYAVSDONHAZPG5T7KYTN2LDI\/\">disputing<\/a> the licensing awards, as are more than a dozen other unsuccessful applicants.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in that same licensing scrum, Georgia\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmcc.ga.gov\/commission\/commission-staff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Access to Medical Cannabis Commission<\/a> rejected the MMJ application submitted by Allen Peake\u2019s company.<\/p>\n<p>Peake is the former state assembly member who risked his political career, his personal reputation, and his freedom to pass Georgia\u2019s first medical legalization laws. While Tom Price enjoyed the perks of high office and turned a deaf ear to the plight of medical marijuana patients, Allen Peake personally delivered CBD oil to desperate parents whose children were afflicted by seizures. Leafly covered Peake\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/georgia-gov-deal-and-rep-allen-peake-go-head-to-head-over-medical\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">courageous work<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/qa-with-georgia-rep-allen-peake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">early<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/georgias-allen-peake-wins-medical-marijuana-expansion-georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">often<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Tom Price got a cannabis license. Allen Peake did not. <\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>The fight for legalization in Georgia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-karmic-gut-punch\">A karmic gut-punch<\/h2>\n<p>Does that stink of unfairness and injustice? Absolutely. It makes my stomach turn.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, I\u2019m wrestling with the long-term ethics and strategy involved here. <\/p>\n<p>Today, Tom Price\u2019s cannabis license feels like a karmic gut-punch. But in the long game of harm reduction and cannabis legalization, it may ultimately pay off for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Opening minds, gaining allies, changing votes: That\u2019s the grinding day-to-day work of the legalization movement. Turning Tom Price from a prohibitionist into a medical marijuana advocate is what drug policy reformers are fighting for, as much as it may sting right now.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis faced a similar moment three years ago when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/john-boehner-joins-cannabis-companys-advisory-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Boehner<\/a>, the former Republican Speaker of the House and longtime prohibitionist, joined the board of Acreage Holdings. Say what you will about Boehner\u2019s past cannabis voting record\u2014and it was bad\u2014his entry into the cannabis industry was a watershed moment in legalization history. Boehner\u2019s move turned the head of every Republican in America. He forced his former colleagues to think twice about legalization. Was he an opportunist? Sure. But he also opened minds.<\/p>\n<p>One of those minds may have belonged to Tom Price.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/meet-acreage-holdings-john-boehners-new-cannabis-crush\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Meet Acreage Holdings, John Boehner\u2019s New Cannabis Crush<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-something-more-is-needed\">Something more is needed <\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019m not here to tell you cannabis licenses should be given to rich white guys in order to make Republican prohibitionists feel comfortable with legalization. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>In that mix of feelings about Tom Price, there\u2019s a yearning for something from Price himself: atonement. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Price\u2019s license is a reminder that the fight for equity in the cannabis industry must continue with redoubled vigor. We fight for perfect justice and fairness in opportunity, even while knowing we will fall short. We welcome new allies even as our eyes are open to their past sins and failures\u2014because those new allies can help us correct those failures and remedy those harms.<\/p>\n<p>But there is, in that mix of queasy feelings about Tom Price, an urgent demand for something from Price himself. That something is atonement.<\/p>\n<p>When a former prohibitionist\u2014especially one who actively propped up prohibition, the War on Drugs, and mass incarceration\u2014embraces legalization, that embrace should include a public acknowledgement that the harms of the past were exactly that. Harms. This is a bipartisan ask. Whether it\u2019s Tom Price or Joe Biden, there\u2019s a need to say \u201cI was wrong. I am sorry. And I will work to heal the harm I caused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/leafly-seeds-of-change-2021-report-rates-states-on-marijuana-equity\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>New \u2018Seeds of Change\u2019 report rates states on cannabis equity, finds most lacking<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-just-say-i-was-wrong\">Just say \u2018I was wrong\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Millions of Americans are in the process of changing their minds about cannabis and our cruel, racist criminalization of the plant. They should be allowed to embrace a more enlightened approach without being shamed or shunned. At the same time, it\u2019s not unreasonable to ask for atonement.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve gone through a version of this myself. I spent years writing a book about my own conversion to the righteous cause of legalization. I have spoken openly about my own past embrace of stereotypes and stigmas. (Subscribe to Leafly\u2019s weekly podcast, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/podcasts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Roll-up<\/a>, to hear for yourself.) For decades, I was wrong about marijuana. I perpetuated the harm of the War on Drugs, including the racism and mass incarceration. My own enlightenment didn\u2019t wash away my past actions. But I\u2019m acknowledging them and working to make things better.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Price doesn\u2019t have to write a whole book about his change of heart on marijuana. But we do need to hear from him. It\u2019s time to speak, Tom, honestly and openly, about your past position and the process that led you to join the board of Botanical Sciences.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the least you can do. And it must be done.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.jpg\" alt=\"Bruce Barcott's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Bruce Barcott<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/bruce-barcott\">View Bruce Barcott’s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --> <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-08-17 08:14:12 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How should we react when a prohibitionist wins a marijuana license? | Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Haymaker is Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott\u2019s opinion column about cannabis politics and culture. The news that Tom Price, a lifelong prohibitionist, won the cannabis license lottery threw me into a philosophical conundrum last week. Price is a Georgia… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/how-should-we-react-when-a-prohibitionist-wins-a-marijuana-license.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}