This post was originally published on this site.
This guest column is from Colin Decker, owner and founder of 7 SEAZ, New York’s first legacy-to-legal adult-use cannabis brand, and owner of Hudson Valley-based Sensei Growth Consulting. He is also in the December license queue for a distributor license. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of NY Cannabis Insider.
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The time has come for transparency and conversation that leads to actualized results that directly benefit the owners and operators of the companies that have been building and will continue to build this market from nothing.
With the recent overhaul of the Office of Cannabis Management taking place, along with an overwhelming rejoice amongst NYS cannabis industry operators from all sectors that this will hopefully signify a beneficial change in direction for the industry as a whole, I feel it is high time that we bridge the gap between those governing this industry and those of us who are boots on the ground, day in and out, working to make this industry a viable business for the state.
After all, they didn’t legalize cannabis because they loved the plant or had passion for it, they legalized it for one reason: the tax money. Let us not forget this important detail.
I’ve been extremely vocal for what feels like years now about how there is no proof, to my knowledge, that the OCM has ever worked alongside anyone or been advised by anyone who had real and verifiable experience operating in the cannabis industry, such as hands-on operators, NY cannabis industry operators, former legacy operators, etc. – and not just corporate consultants.
We the people of the NY cannabis industry are the ones who actually invested our life savings, retirement funds, capital in a variety of forms, sweat equity, and mental and physical health among many other things to chase after dreams that we were led to believe would be possible to achieve under the NY cannabis landscape.
The business owners of NY’s cannabis industry, myself included, have felt the brunt of this botched rollout more than anyone due to the extensive amount of red tape, lack of communication, improper preparedness, endless regurgitation of incorrect and unverifiable reasonings behind decisions and much more.
How can an industry be stood up on the second go-round if those who choose to partake in this game are not allowed a seat at the table and their voice to be heard? That is why I am calling on the OCM to do better than a patronizing listening tour across the state or some town hall style meetings.
If you want results and the industry to change for the benefit of the state, business owners and the consumer, then a roundtable discussion must occur and all of the hard efforts that business owners have put into this so far must be taken seriously and deeply respected.
Cannabis is unlike any other industry for many reasons. Those who are a part of this industry and have stood the test of time have done so because of passion, integrity, consistency, gumption and grit. They also last because they know what the hell they are doing – this is the big one.
Business and cannabis are two separate things, and as a wise man once said, “Seldom do companies often do both things correctly, let alone at the same time.” I and many others will stop beating the drum of angst towards what has happened so far to us all and to our great state when we start to see the wrongs righted, and all that we have had to suffer through acknowledged, alongside all that we have achieved.
Without the companies investing, operating and scaling alongside the growing demand for products by consumers, the state wouldn’t have a market at all. If you want the tax money, and a lot of it, then start treating all of us like the professionals we are.
Allow us to operate under a reasonably regulated program that doesn’t hold us all hostage to ridiculous regulations and rules that were clearly drafted and (in my opinion) copied and pasted from other states’ regulatory rules to justify the OCM’s lack of experienced personnel and forward thinking about what this industry will ultimately grow into being, and what it could be if you all took off the training wheels.
A discussion and meeting of the minds is in order. Those who have carved out pathways among both tiers of this industry – and continue to do so – should be seated at the table and allowed to have a constructive conversation with OCM as well as a look behind the curtain of what, who, when, why and where this industry is headed. We should also talk about how we can work together to make these things happen so that both sides of the table feel good and there’s no more resentment and wasting of time, or corruption and retaliation against processors who had the courage to speak out.
The film industry is a perfect example of this. When a strike occurs, the industry grinds to a halt until both sides (the large studios and those who actually do all the work and make them millions of dollars) can come to an agreement on what the next few years will look like.
It is not that difficult to come to the realization that this industry needs to operate under a symbiotic relationship and not a parasitic one. We need each other in many different ways. If this wasn’t the case then we wouldn’t have just experienced a scathing audit brought forth by the Commissioner of the Office of General Services that stated communication between both sides of the table frankly does not exist.
This is the cannabis industry, where we no longer have to endure stigma, live under the fear of retaliation or persecution by anyone or any governing body for loving this plant and being blessed to make a living by embracing its ever-growing popularity and medicinal benefits.
Let us feed our families and the state’s tax coffers at the same time. Let us continue to chart new courses and paths bringing consumers unique products and diverse offerings.
But this can only happen when you do not base your findings for where the market is going or what it can offer its consumers solely based on data and reports generated by someone in an office who has never sold a bag of weed in their life, and certainly not on the streets of New York.
Data doesn’t account for passion, forward thought, instincts and hands on experiences. It does however make for fancy slideshows and reporting propaganda.
I’m ready when you are OCM. Let’s have a conversation. I’ll bring the donuts.