WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 022721 ft. Jesse McQuary and Shansan Chambers 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.520 Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher. I'm your host Rams' job. 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:07.600 They call me q Ward and yeah, that's what my 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:08.399 mom calls me too. 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:14.160 Yes, indeed, back up India again, what's going on with you. 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:14.280 Q. 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:20.759 Ah Man. Our country, our constituents, our brothers and sisters 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:25.319 are people. We are dealing with a lot right now. 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.960 All at the same time, you know, people trying to 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:35.560 stay warm in areas where that's not typically a thing. Yeah, 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:37.760 so that's that's kind of been not just dominating the 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:39.920 news cycle, but you know, I know you do, and 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:43.280 I have plenty of really good friends down in Texas 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:45.840 that are dealing with what we see as a news 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:48.720 story as a part of their regular, everyday real life 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:53.280 with you know, not just adults, but their babies, you know, 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:57.520 their pets, their animals, their families, their in laws. They're 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.600 dealing with a lot right now. And thank god that 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:05.959 they're starting to have some ah, some eco recovery. The 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:08.800 temperatures are starting to rise a little bit to steal 0:01:08.920 --> 0:01:10.680 cold but livable. 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:16.800 Right exactly exactly, And uh, you know when we were 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:18.840 talking about that last week and and just kind of 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:23.000 the optics around it, you know, I feel like we 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:29.560 were able to help contribute to at h a national demand, 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:34.440 media demand for our elected representatives to. 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.240 Do better, you know, you know, the greed hope. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:40.600 So the greed was on full display, the selfishness was 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:41.400 on full display. 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:43.679 We don't have to rehash all that, but you. 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:47.440 Know, shout out to capitalism. 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:49.400 You know, we got to do a show on that. 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:52.880 I was talking to a friend and uh, you know, 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:55.880 you know that's going to be challenged at some point 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:57.240 in the future, so we're going to have to really 0:01:57.240 --> 0:01:57.800 make our points. 0:01:57.800 --> 0:02:02.320 But yeah, shout out to capitalism one time. Well, today 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:05.800 we have a very special episode. 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:07.760 You know, for the past couple of episodes, I wanted 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:10.000 to do, you know, a little bit more in the 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.079 way of Black history. And I think that today we're 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:14.560 going to be able to talk a little bit about 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:16.840 black history. But we also have a couple of special 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:20.720 guests in the building. So these guys are from the 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:24.639 Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association, and there's a whole lot 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:27.240 that I'm really excited to talk with these guys about. 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.880 So I want to say, welcome to Jesse mcquarie, how 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:31.239 you doing. 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:32.720 Thanks for having me trade. 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:37.639 Of course, and I want to get this right, Chansen Chambers. 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.240 Yep, that's right. Okay, all right, thanks for having us. 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:42.040 Yes, of course. And so. 0:02:43.680 --> 0:02:48.720 In order to make sure that you know our listeners 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:52.680 really know who you are and what the Arizona Black 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:56.560 Cannabis Trade Association is, why don't we talk a little 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:59.919 bit about how it started, why there was a need 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.000 for it, and why you know, why it's important. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:04.799 Okay, I'll get started with that. 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:08.120 So, uh, yeah, I started my adventure in in in 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:13.120 the cannabis industry about five years ago. And uh, just 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:16.160 like with anything else in uh in Arizona, we uh 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.160 we just felt the need, uh that's needed within the 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:25.800 Arizona for Association to help empower and educate and uh 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.920 and further our people within the cannabis industry. So I 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.480 just felt the need, uh to start a organization that 0:03:33.560 --> 0:03:33.840 helped that. 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:40.560 Okay, that void and specifically uh black cannabis. So the 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.480 black cannabis. Just to be clear, it's not about a 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.160 certain color of cannabis strain or anything. 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:50.480 Oh no, no, no, not a cultural companion, yeah for sure, 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:51.000 for sure. 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.320 Why why was it necessary to have a Black Cannabis 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:54.120 Trade Association? 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.560 Just with the surrounding events you know, with with Black 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.880 Lives Matter and everything else that's going on in the world, 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:05.160 we just wanted to be specific about what's going on, 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.240 but not just target basis. It's more for everyone at 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:09.920 the same time. 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:14.280 But so with the passage of Prop. Two oh seven 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:19.080 in Arizona, there's twenty six to twenty nine dispensary licenses 0:04:19.080 --> 0:04:21.640 they're going to be issued, and the Department of Health 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:25.320 Services is putting out their rules for what it takes 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:29.320 to qualify for these licenses that are earmarked as social 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:33.320 equity licenses. And so right now in the state of Arizona, 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.800 there's a lot of discussions going on behind closed doors 0:04:35.800 --> 0:04:39.400 and down at Department of Health Services about what does 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:43.840 it mean to qualify for a social equity business. And 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:47.120 so with the Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association, the overarching 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:52.160 goal is to ensure that those licenses provide opportunities and 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:58.080 revenue into communities that have been disproportionately negatively impacted by 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:03.120 the War on Drugs and specifically criminalization. So that's that's 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:06.680 really what drove us to focus. You know, I poured 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:09.240 up a chance seeing what he was doing, and I 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:10.840 felt like it was a really important piece to the 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:14.640 equation to make sure that that revenue is getting back 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:19.159 into those communities, that those opportunities are really being provided 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:23.200 for communities that have been negatively impacted by cannabis criminalization 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:25.000 over the last forty fifty years. 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:27.640 Sure, sure, and we definitely want to talk about that, 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:34.160 but before we get there, I think that it's it's 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:39.279 worth mentioning. You know, I think it's very special and 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.839 it should be it should be normal, but I recognize 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:46.039 it in this world, it's not yet normal that you, 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:47.320 Jesse are white. 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:49.320 It's a radio show. 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:55.279 But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:55.240 I didn't know that about Jesse. 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:56.000 You didn't know. 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:59.000 No, I was when you just said it, I got confused, 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:02.080 but I had to recounib you are white, Yes, yes, 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.960 I am w I learned something new every day. Man. 0:06:06.480 --> 0:06:10.080 The reason that the reason that's special is because. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:15.200 You know this, or rather this past year twenty twenty 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:20.120 has taught us a lot about ourselves and about each other. 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:23.719 And you know, I tend to do this, but you know, 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:25.640 it's my show, so I get. 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:26.000 I can do it. 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:30.200 You know, we're all brothers and sisters, and I think 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:34.200 that last year really taught us, at least some of 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.920 us approximately half of the more than half of us 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:40.240 that you know, we're here together. 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:41.200 We're in this together. 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.840 We we we laugh, we feel pain, We you know, 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.320 we want the best for our future and our posterity, 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.320 and it's okay to empathize with each other. And one 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:54.359 of the things that you know, you and I we 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.400 talk about all the time is that, you know, last 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.960 year when we were out on the streets, you know, 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:04.080 for all the protests, and we were you know, tuned 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:07.120 in into the media in a way that perhaps we 0:07:07.160 --> 0:07:12.200 never were before. You know, we saw, of course a 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:16.520 lot of black people, a lot of black people writing 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.400 their stories, you know, making sure that the stories were 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:25.200 written the right way. 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:25.800 Empowered powerful voices. 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:31.440 But we also saw a crazy number of allies who 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.720 looked nothing like us. We saw people from all faiths, 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:38.080 all walks of life, many of whom were white folks. 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:41.320 And so I think that it's. 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:44.960 Important, we both think it's important on this show to 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:50.720 celebrate allies, brothers you know that may not look like us, 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:58.600 but will take time out to help create a world 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:00.600 where there's a little bit more fairness, there's bring a 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:02.080 little bit more balanced to the universe. 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:05.960 And you know, I know that you know, folks listening 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:06.600 don't know the story. 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:09.600 But what happened was you reached out to me through 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:11.840 our social media, which by the way, follow our social 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:16.480 media at Civic Cipher on all platforms, and you know, 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:21.960 mention this Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association, and you know 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.360 you were asking about, you know, how can we be involved, 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:28.360 how can we support And I think above all else, 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:31.960 just kind of letting folks know what you're doing and 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:36.120 why this exists. I think that on some level it 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.800 empowers other folks to be an ally. It empowers other 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.560 folks to, you know, take the time out to try 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:46.040 to create something that brings a little bit more fairness 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:48.600 into the world. So me saying that you're white is 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.240 not just me saying it. Me saying that in that 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.559 way is because I think it's it's almost critical. You know, 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.920 there's you know, we were on the streets last year. 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:02.520 I would guess that there was maybe ten percent black 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.839 folks out there. Everybody else was all different colors of 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:08.400 people all and it was beautiful to see that everyone 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:09.360 was like, hey, these. 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:12.920 Deaths are senseless, and you know, there needs to be accountability. 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:14.240 These are these lives are precious. 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.559 These lives matter, you know, and that's the same energy 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:19.520 that I got from our initial interaction. So I thank 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:21.960 you for coming up on to the show to talk 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:23.920 about the Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association. 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.679 So thank you for having us, I mean, and thank 0:09:26.720 --> 0:09:30.000 you for welcoming me and putting me in a position 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:32.719 to talk about this organization with you know. 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:33.280 With chance. 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:38.480 Sure, sure, absolutely so. You know, one of the things 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:39.560 that we. 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.440 Didn't get to talk about in the past is that, 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:47.840 or rather with respect to black. 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:48.400 History, is. 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:55.440 The way drugs have affected the black community over you know, 0:09:55.640 --> 0:10:00.760 the centuries or over the decades, not centuries in this country. 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:05.000 And you know there was you know, if you do 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:08.520 your history, American history, you'll know you'll know that, you know, 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:12.440 once upon a time there was an association with Negro 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.560 jazz and marijuana cigarettes, you know, but there was no 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:21.320 real criminalization of that, and once upon a time it 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:22.480 wasn't even illegal. 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.080 There was a smear. 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:28.520 Campaign that I think was backed by big tobacco once 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:29.280 upon a time. 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.599 And the government to try to regulate. 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.479 Don't hold me to this because I don't know it's 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:38.640 not as fresh in my mind, but it was meant 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:46.400 to create a means to infiltrate, you know, certain communities, 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.800 and that's the same thing that has been done more recently. 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:52.840 In the eighties especially, one of the things that we 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:57.480 didn't get to talk about was the uh, the way 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:01.200 crack made its way into the the country. And I 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.600 know that we're talking about cannabis, but you know, I 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:07.480 think that in talking about the crack epidemic in the eighties, 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:10.880 we can begin to understand the way this war on 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:15.079 drugs that was enacted under the Reagan administration, if I'm 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:21.440 not mistaken, has adversely affected, you know, black and brown communities, 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:29.719 overly criminalized, overly policed, and economically disadvantaged further black and 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:34.120 brown communities. And so so that we can kind of 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.320 continue on with our Black history theme while we still 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.240 have the chance. For those that don't know, there was 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:44.200 a a gentleman by the name of Gary Webb. He 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:48.439 was a journalist and he wrote a story about how 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:52.240 in the eighties, the CIA helped finance a covert war 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.880 against Nicaragua's leftist government through the sales of cut ray 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:59.920 cocaine in south central Los Angeles. 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:00.520 Through rug dealer. 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.480 His name was Ricky Ross. If you know the name 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.520 Rick Ross. Then you know that Ricky Ross is where 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:09.280 Rick Ross got his name from. He was a big 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:12.560 time drug dealer and the CIA showed this guy how 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:17.079 to make crack cocaine, and you know, that's how that 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:18.400 crack epidemic started. 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.319 It was funneled directly into black neighborhoods. 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:25.600 And then, you know, we all know the story that 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.760 a little bit later, you know, the laws were changed 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:31.760 and new laws were enacted because this was a new 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:36.840 drug that gave harsher sentences. I think it was either 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:42.320 three or five times the amount of a sentence for 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:45.719 crack cocaine than it was for just regular cocaine. So 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:48.000 if you had crack cocaine, it was just more you 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:52.760 get more punished, more harshly, which was exceptionally unfair because 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.360 those two drugs almost you know, went along the color lines, 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.640 you know, regular cocaine. 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.520 No, not all, They didn't almost go along along in 0:13:02.600 --> 0:13:07.560 color corrected very very flavorly and very very intentionally drew 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.000 that line based on the color of the people that 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:14.000 were most affected by the different versions of the same 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:16.840 right exactly chemical. 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:19.200 And the crazy part about it is that you know, 0:13:20.679 --> 0:13:23.600 these people were taught how to make it by the government, 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.560 the same government that's sending them to the prisons for 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:31.760 these extended sentences, never recognizing that it's a health issue, 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:36.080 only criminalizing, and that led to the further criminalization of 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:40.559 black and brown peoples. That led to like a lot 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:46.160 of the the expansion of gang activity, the economic empowerment 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:49.480 of gangs, which led to more weapons and so forth. 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:55.080 And then you get these ghettos that were created artificially 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:55.880 by the government. 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:58.600 But you know, the optics if you don't know. 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:03.120 The story from a suburban white you know person, Look, 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.600 it looks like, well, if you get all these people together, 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.079 then they're just gonna act like animals and cages, and 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:12.679 we want nothing to do with that. And there's a 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:16.360 there's a disconnect where folks don't realize that, you know, 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:19.720 a government can pull the strings and create a situation 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:27.520 where that's the outcome. And so, you know, you can 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:35.800 see the direct connection between the government and the CIA 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.600 and them taking advantage of the War on drugs, which 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:43.320 was already I think that was right approximately around the 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:49.040 time when that was kind of enacted, and the the 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:54.040 increase in the prison population, so you know, one of 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.160 the statistics, so I went last week, and I got 0:14:57.160 --> 0:15:00.840 some information from the ACLU, and I'll just so we know. 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:05.400 According to the ACLU's original analysis, we're gonna talk about 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:09.640 marijuana now. Marijuana arrests now account for over half of 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:13.200 all drug arrests in the United States. The eight point 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:16.240 two million marijuana arrests between two thousand and one and 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:19.840 twenty ten, just as a sample, eighty eight percent were 0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:26.840 for simply having marijuana. And nationwide, the arrest data revealed 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:32.920 one consistent trend, which was a significant racial bias. Despite 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:37.160 roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are three point seven three 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.640 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana. 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:46.200 And that's a function of over policing in black and 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:47.080 brown neighborhoods. 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.200 And this is all before we get to the sentencing. 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:53.440 So I'm gonna pause here because I wanna talk about 0:15:54.480 --> 0:16:00.960 why the Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association, or rather what 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:06.359 the Black Arizona Black hender Bistrade Association can do to help. 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:09.000 Write these wrongs in the past. 0:16:09.720 --> 0:16:13.600 So, I mean, there's a couple things that correlate to that. 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:16.760 The statistics show in Arizona over the last thirty to 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.240 forty years, that numbers as high as four and a 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:26.480 half times, so as a black male in Arizona, if 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:30.360 you're part of an interaction with law enforcement that's based 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:34.400 around cannabis versus a white male in Arizona, all other 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:37.200 things being the same, as a blackmail you're four times 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:39.480 more likely to be arrested and spend time in jail 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.000 after that interaction. Sure, okay, And that's that's one of 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:47.000 the things that when you talk about social equity licensing, 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:48.520 and that's that's one of the things that I talk 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:52.600 to a lot of people about is just flat out 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:56.240 there's a disparity there, and that disparity needs to be addressed, 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.800 and there's a way right now that we can address 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:02.560 that is through these social equity licenses. They're gonna be 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:06.960 issued in Arizona. In terms of ABCTA, one of our 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:09.840 first order is a business and one of the things 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:13.960 that we're really looking to accomplish is to bring those 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.400 licensees together and make sure that the resources that are 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:20.440 produced with these businesses that are starting. These are very 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.480 valuable licenses and there's a lot of revenue generation that 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:27.399 goes on and being able to take those and enact 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:33.200 education is where I genuinely believe we can start some 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:37.680 social change in the right direction, and I think fear 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.639 of policing is one of the is one of the 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.280 big things that we can really educate people. What are 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:45.399 your rights now now that Prop two O seven has passed, 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:49.360 Now that it's legal to have cannabis in your possession 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:51.119 as an adult living in this state of Arizona. Now 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:53.960 that it's legal to grow plants on your property at 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.399 your home, what are those rules actually? You know that 0:17:57.560 --> 0:17:59.880 you can't just it's not a free for all, right, 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:02.840 there's rules about it. And then also on the flip 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:06.080 side of things, educating the police force. You know, I'm 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:08.360 sure every police officer in the state of Arizona got 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:11.639 a memo, has some briefing. But what is the real 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:14.720 interaction that's going on between the communities that are being 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.719 policed and the police that are policing them and what 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:19.760 the rules actually are, what the laws actually are. And 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:23.560 I think through ABCTA, we really aim to start the 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:28.320 ball rolling getting education into those communities and that's the 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:30.840 start of social change. It's taking some of the fear 0:18:31.000 --> 0:18:33.600 out of policing in the black community. 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:38.840 Sure, good, No, it was just just to follow up 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.359 what he said, that's the purpose is to get into 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.800 these communities and educate. It's educated what's going on with 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:49.200 the laws, because people within the communities don't know anything 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:52.040 about the cannabis laws or what's. 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:53.520 Going on within the cannabis industry. 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.160 So our main focus is is to penetrate the community 0:18:57.200 --> 0:18:59.480 and the least educate them so they know they have rights, 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:01.639 you know, and they can and they can move forward 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:02.000 from there. 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:04.640 So and I'm glad you mentioned that. There's two things 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:06.719 that I want to talk about there. One is the uh, 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:08.880 the education. We'll talk about that first. But the other 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:14.160 one is the. 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:16.639 Fear that there is. I think that the fear is 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:17.080 a two. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:19.439 Way street too with the black community and the police. 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.080 And I think that's the two way street because we've 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.000 seen how afraid the police are. That's been on full 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:27.400 display for a very long time. And then of course, 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:31.760 historically black people have really had no real rights or 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.240 real way of protecting themselves against the place. This is 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:38.240 why the Black Panthers, you know, rose to power, you know, 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:41.520 was because they were able to police themselves from the police, 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:44.440 because the police were the actual terror force in black 0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:47.280 neighborhoods in Oakland. Once moon a time and around the country. 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:52.120 But first, you know, you're absolutely right in terms of information, 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:54.920 in terms of you know what these things actually mean. 0:19:56.080 --> 0:20:02.760 There's an opportunity here for you to educate me and 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:09.040 you because we've never we've never done any marijuana related 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:09.600 things or. 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:14.000 Anything like that. So we've always followed the law. 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:17.280 Not that I'm going to, but if I wanted to, 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:19.640 like you said, grow something in my house, or if 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:22.159 I wanted to if I had something on my person 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:24.280 when I interacted with the police, what are some things 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.920 that you can share with us now at this point 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:32.159 that are legal versus illegal or you know, what do 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:33.399 I rights look like? Oh? 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:34.040 I'll go first. 0:20:34.119 --> 0:20:38.840 So under the old law, which is the medical marijuana Prop. 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:44.600 Two six, you're protected to have two ounces and if. 0:20:44.520 --> 0:20:47.159 You actually go see a doctor and get to have 0:20:47.480 --> 0:20:47.800 what's the. 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:53.320 Qualifying medical recommendation, medical recommendations, having a medical marijuana car. 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:57.040 So that protects you when you're interacting with the police 0:20:57.080 --> 0:20:59.040 first of all. So and then under the new law 0:20:59.080 --> 0:21:02.640 that just passed two seven, it's adult use twenty one, 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:05.720 twenty one and over, So anyone that's twenty one and 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:10.160 over can possess and have possession up to what a ounce. 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:14.439 One of the key pieces there is that it's for 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:19.040 adult personal use. So if you have announce of marijuana 0:21:19.080 --> 0:21:21.840 on you in your possession, you're interacting with the police. 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:24.840 They ask you what you're doing, and your response is, 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:27.119 I'm on my way to a party. Me and all 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:30.760 my friends are gonna smoke. You've now violated the law. 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:33.560 You know, to the letter of the law, you're allowed 0:21:33.560 --> 0:21:36.720 to possess marijuana for your own personal adult use. And 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:38.840 it's the same thing with growing. You're allowed to grow 0:21:38.920 --> 0:21:43.000 up to six plants for your own adult use as 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:44.520 an adult. You now have the right to make that 0:21:44.600 --> 0:21:46.840 decision if that's something that you want as part of 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.200 your life and you want to be able to use marijuana, 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:53.320 whether it's cannabis for medical use or whether it's something 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:56.919 that you consider recreational social use of marijuana, you now 0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:58.920 have the right to make that decision as a citizen. 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:04.040 But you can't just plant your entire backyard. Right you 0:22:04.040 --> 0:22:06.439 have the right to grow six plants, they have to 0:22:06.480 --> 0:22:09.520 be contained and they have to be locked. And then 0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:12.199 you know, there's a lot of when it comes to 0:22:12.760 --> 0:22:17.040 buying from a retail location, dispensaries there's over one hundred 0:22:17.040 --> 0:22:19.280 dispensaries now in the state of Arizona that have the 0:22:19.359 --> 0:22:21.919 right to sell to adults twenty one and over. You 0:22:21.920 --> 0:22:24.720 walk into pretty much any dispenser in Arizona. Now are 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:26.800 you a medical patient or are you a wrec patient? 0:22:27.160 --> 0:22:29.280 And there's two lines. If you have your medical card, 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:32.160 you go to one line. If you're there for recreational purpose, 0:22:32.200 --> 0:22:34.119 you go to another line. And the reason they do 0:22:34.160 --> 0:22:38.639 that is it's taxed differently if you're Yeah, so there's 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:43.639 restrictions on the concentration of THC in products that are 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:46.840 sold to medical patients. And then there's a sixteen percent 0:22:46.920 --> 0:22:51.480 tax that applies to recreational buyers that doesn't apply to 0:22:51.480 --> 0:22:54.160 people that are using their medical marijuana cards. So there's 0:22:54.200 --> 0:22:57.720 over two hundred thousand medical marijuana cards cardholders in Arizona. 0:22:58.200 --> 0:23:01.879 They're not going to be taxed an extra sixteen percent 0:23:02.359 --> 0:23:04.480 on their purchases of their medicine that they've been buying 0:23:04.520 --> 0:23:06.560 for the last four years or two years, or however 0:23:06.560 --> 0:23:08.879 long they've been doing it, because this law passed. But 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:11.600 that's where the revenue is being generated, is that sixteen 0:23:11.640 --> 0:23:14.359 percent tax. So they that's where they separate it when 0:23:14.359 --> 0:23:17.440 you go into a dispensary. And then you know, when 0:23:17.440 --> 0:23:23.520 it comes to concentrations to THC for recreational and social purposes, 0:23:24.200 --> 0:23:29.679 there are some very highly concentrated edibles and concentrates, you know, 0:23:30.119 --> 0:23:34.879 stuff that is deemed by Department of Health to be 0:23:35.920 --> 0:23:38.719 these concentrations are for medical use only. These are not 0:23:38.760 --> 0:23:41.440 for recreational and social use. So one of the big, 0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:44.679 one of the big thresholds for that right now is 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:48.720 ten milligrams per unit when it comes to edibles, and 0:23:48.720 --> 0:23:51.679 one hundred milligrams per package. So in most of the 0:23:51.720 --> 0:23:54.880 dispensaries you'll see a separation of the edibles where these 0:23:54.880 --> 0:23:57.760 are the medical grade edibles, these are recreational. 0:23:58.080 --> 0:24:01.440 I'm gathering that medical grade is something that's more powerful 0:24:01.560 --> 0:24:02.000 or more. 0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:04.720 Yeah, it's generally gonna be more potent, and depending on 0:24:05.040 --> 0:24:07.360 depending on the medical condition that people are dealing with. 0:24:08.760 --> 0:24:13.040 You know, the science and medicine, the science behind the medicine, 0:24:13.040 --> 0:24:17.600 excuse me is is really showing that when you start 0:24:18.160 --> 0:24:22.760 using cannabis for medical purposes, the general thinking behind it 0:24:22.840 --> 0:24:26.119 is start low, low dose and work your way up, okay, 0:24:26.200 --> 0:24:28.720 and kind of kind of figure out where your sweet 0:24:28.760 --> 0:24:33.600 spot is for whatever your specific medical need is. Everyone's 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:38.600 in no cannabi noised system receives THHC and CBD differently. 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:42.160 Everybody has a slightly different tolerance, if you will. Everybody's 0:24:42.160 --> 0:24:45.879 body responds differently, and so it's it's more art than 0:24:45.920 --> 0:24:48.680 science when it comes to dosing, and that's one of 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:51.640 the big topics of conversations. But the HS is, you know, 0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:55.960 through a couple of years of research and advisement, they've 0:24:56.000 --> 0:24:58.000 sort of made the decision. Okay, when it comes to 0:24:58.040 --> 0:25:02.040 adult use products, you don't need edibles that are concentrated 0:25:02.040 --> 0:25:04.600 more than ten milligrams per sure. You know that's that's 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:07.880 a fair dosage for adult use medical usage. A lot 0:25:07.880 --> 0:25:10.400 of a lot of medical patients like the edibles because 0:25:10.400 --> 0:25:13.639 they don't want to smoke. They found, you know, the 0:25:13.680 --> 0:25:15.760 way that they do. Some people cut them up micro does, 0:25:15.800 --> 0:25:18.400 and there's there's a million different reasons why. But there's 0:25:18.400 --> 0:25:20.280 a lot of medical patients out there that need just 0:25:20.359 --> 0:25:23.040 a much stronger dose to deal with the medical ailm 0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:23.680 at their deal. 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:27.040 Pin Sure, Okay, Well, if you're just tuning into civic 0:25:27.040 --> 0:25:28.680 ciche from host rams as Josh. 0:25:28.480 --> 0:25:30.399 Then call me q ward. That just so happens to 0:25:30.440 --> 0:25:31.560 be my name, And we. 0:25:31.520 --> 0:25:35.280 Are sitting with the Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association members 0:25:35.480 --> 0:25:41.399 Jesse mcquarie and Seanson Chambers, and uh, we're talking about 0:25:42.119 --> 0:25:42.800 some of the. 0:25:42.680 --> 0:25:43.880 Things that. 0:25:45.480 --> 0:25:51.919 The Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association is doing to, you know, 0:25:51.960 --> 0:25:57.679 bring some equity to U two black and brown communities 0:25:58.040 --> 0:26:01.800 to make up for some of the jest is that 0:26:01.880 --> 0:26:04.960 the War on drugs has created and the over policing 0:26:05.000 --> 0:26:09.000 and over criminalization of black and brown people historically by 0:26:09.000 --> 0:26:09.520 this country. 0:26:11.280 --> 0:26:12.879 Real quick, did you want to say something? 0:26:14.400 --> 0:26:16.640 Nothing in particular. There's there's a lot that I want 0:26:16.720 --> 0:26:19.840 to learn, but I don't have any specific questions. 0:26:21.440 --> 0:26:21.720 Okay. 0:26:21.760 --> 0:26:23.000 So one of the things that I did want to 0:26:23.000 --> 0:26:32.120 talk about, though, is money. So and I again, I'm 0:26:32.160 --> 0:26:34.119 not the most educated person when it comes to this, 0:26:34.160 --> 0:26:36.919 so I'm just gonna talk about what I know and 0:26:36.960 --> 0:26:40.800 then you guys can educate me. So there's been this 0:26:41.040 --> 0:26:46.360 conversation that's been happening now that many states are beginning 0:26:46.400 --> 0:26:55.080 to legalize or create pathways for folks to legally consume 0:26:55.119 --> 0:27:02.040 marijuana medically or otherwise. And I remember this is a meme, 0:27:02.320 --> 0:27:05.679 but I think it reflects the attitude somewhat of the 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:09.400 consensus that I've kind of been made aware of over 0:27:09.440 --> 0:27:13.399 the past few years. And this meme says there was 0:27:13.400 --> 0:27:16.560 something about this white woman and she's like, oh, whenever 0:27:16.640 --> 0:27:20.240 I smoke, when I smoke a joint, it makes me 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:22.800 a better mom. And then the response to it was 0:27:23.520 --> 0:27:26.879 it probably makes black men better dads too, but you 0:27:26.960 --> 0:27:32.920 keep locking them up, right, So you know, there's this 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:37.879 attitude I think that's prevalent, especially in black communities, where 0:27:38.760 --> 0:27:42.920 it's like, Okay, well now they're changing the laws and 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:47.080 you know, these guys can't provide for their families, or 0:27:47.080 --> 0:27:49.879 they can't relax when they need to or whatever, and 0:27:49.920 --> 0:27:52.359 then all the good guys are going to look like 0:27:53.280 --> 0:27:58.280 they're you know, white, you know, corporate or whatever. And 0:27:58.320 --> 0:28:00.320 then the bad guys will still look like criminals. And 0:28:00.320 --> 0:28:02.359 then all the people with all the money, you know, 0:28:02.359 --> 0:28:04.240 because we want to talk about the money, all the 0:28:04.240 --> 0:28:06.719 people with all the money are going to be white folks, 0:28:07.200 --> 0:28:10.520 and all the people who are you know, uh saddled 0:28:10.560 --> 0:28:14.160 with you know, court debt and you know everything. 0:28:13.880 --> 0:28:15.960 Else that poverty and all this sort of stuff. 0:28:15.800 --> 0:28:17.920 Fell in their convictions. Yeah, sure, there's. 0:28:17.720 --> 0:28:20.240 Still there's and and so what is it that the 0:28:20.280 --> 0:28:24.639 Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association is going to do or 0:28:24.760 --> 0:28:28.320 is planning on what what's the approach with respect to 0:28:28.520 --> 0:28:31.879 economic inequality or economic empowerment. 0:28:33.640 --> 0:28:36.199 I mean, I think it's I think it's almost a 0:28:36.240 --> 0:28:42.040 two part question because the expungement process and the prison 0:28:43.480 --> 0:28:46.760 process being you know, we're going to be releasing some 0:28:46.760 --> 0:28:48.440 some people from prison. One of the one of the 0:28:48.440 --> 0:28:51.440 other groups that I really really push people to look 0:28:51.480 --> 0:28:54.320 into is called the Last Prison or Project. That's a 0:28:54.560 --> 0:29:00.120 that's a nationwide organization and their specific goal is to 0:29:00.160 --> 0:29:04.120 be there to provide resources until every last nonviolent cannabis 0:29:04.120 --> 0:29:07.080 offender is released from federal prison. 0:29:06.920 --> 0:29:07.760 Real quick, real quick. 0:29:10.120 --> 0:29:13.640 Eighty eight percent okay, half all drug arrests, to quote 0:29:13.640 --> 0:29:16.280 what I said earlier. According to the ACLU, half of 0:29:16.320 --> 0:29:22.520 all drug arrests in the United States were from marijuana, and 0:29:22.600 --> 0:29:24.920 eighty eight percent of those almost ninety percent of those 0:29:24.960 --> 0:29:26.800 were for simply having marijuana. 0:29:27.000 --> 0:29:30.200 So, all right, continue, So right now, you know, as 0:29:30.360 --> 0:29:33.000 the people as yea, as it stands, there's you know, 0:29:33.240 --> 0:29:38.720 marijuana is still Schedule one. It's still a federally outlawed substance. Sure, 0:29:39.160 --> 0:29:45.000 and there's over forty thousand people currently incarcerated federally for 0:29:45.160 --> 0:29:49.680 nonviolent cannabis only offensives. So there's over forty thousand people 0:29:49.840 --> 0:29:55.320 that are in custody being detained in federal prisons for 0:29:55.440 --> 0:29:59.640 nonviolent cannabis only offensive and that's last prisoner project. Their 0:29:59.720 --> 0:30:03.360 goal is helping with that and then more locally and 0:30:03.440 --> 0:30:07.160 more specifically through the Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association. If 0:30:07.200 --> 0:30:11.920 you or anyone you know is in prison or is 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:15.440 in that scenario, is released from prison and has a record, 0:30:16.120 --> 0:30:20.719 and they need guidance, they need assistance from We've got 0:30:20.840 --> 0:30:24.000 lawyers that we work with. There's a lot of lawyers 0:30:24.040 --> 0:30:27.200 in Arizona that are really excited and really passionate about 0:30:27.240 --> 0:30:30.720 hoping with that process. From everything we've gathered, from everything 0:30:30.720 --> 0:30:33.800 we've heard from the state, it's not going to be 0:30:34.040 --> 0:30:36.160 an extremely labor intensive, it's not going to be a 0:30:36.200 --> 0:30:38.440 costly process. It's something that people are going to be 0:30:38.520 --> 0:30:41.360 able to fill out the paperwork, get it to the courts, 0:30:41.840 --> 0:30:44.360 and get their records exposed. And that's that's a big 0:30:44.400 --> 0:30:46.520 part of Prop two O seven. And you know, obviously 0:30:47.000 --> 0:30:49.320 with the stats, it's it's going to be a lot 0:30:49.320 --> 0:30:52.040 of people in minority communities that need that assistance. So 0:30:52.080 --> 0:30:58.600 that's that's really really something that this type of platform 0:30:58.800 --> 0:31:01.280 people that are listening. You know, if you're in Arizona 0:31:01.320 --> 0:31:03.840 and you and you need that assistance, you have questions 0:31:03.880 --> 0:31:05.560 about it, we can guide you to those resources. 0:31:05.560 --> 0:31:06.800 That's what we're here for sure. 0:31:06.840 --> 0:31:09.160 And and I want I want to make sure that 0:31:09.240 --> 0:31:13.440 this is this is stated now it's the Arizona Black 0:31:13.480 --> 0:31:17.360 Cannabis Trade Association, But as you mentioned earlier, you will 0:31:17.400 --> 0:31:20.480 help other people who are not black too. Oh yeah, okay, 0:31:20.680 --> 0:31:23.080 so even if you know someone who is not black, 0:31:23.560 --> 0:31:25.760 you can still receive help. You guys still have the 0:31:25.760 --> 0:31:29.200 framework for this. This is just created specifically to help 0:31:29.240 --> 0:31:29.920 black folks, but you. 0:31:29.920 --> 0:31:34.360 Will and I'm white. 0:31:33.920 --> 0:31:37.880 Yeah, And that's the good thing about the cannabis industry 0:31:38.000 --> 0:31:40.880 is diverse and you have and it just you know, 0:31:40.920 --> 0:31:46.560 it brings people together for a good call. So and 0:31:46.640 --> 0:31:50.560 for me personally, the a b c TA means going 0:31:50.640 --> 0:31:53.320 out and just being an example to the community. 0:31:53.480 --> 0:32:01.560 Okay, you know, Okay, So I want to still talk 0:32:01.600 --> 0:32:03.280 about the money. 0:32:03.320 --> 0:32:12.600 Now before you move on. The Arizona Black Cannabis Trade Association, 0:32:14.320 --> 0:32:18.560 the National Association for the advancement of colored people, historically 0:32:18.640 --> 0:32:24.280 black colleges and universities. The Black Panthers. I cannot recall 0:32:24.640 --> 0:32:28.520 an organization started with black in the title for the 0:32:29.560 --> 0:32:33.520 very specific purposes of helping and uplifting black people, ever 0:32:34.600 --> 0:32:36.680 isolating their resources to black people. 0:32:36.760 --> 0:32:38.360 Oh yeah, No, I just want to make sure we 0:32:38.400 --> 0:32:38.800 said it. 0:32:39.000 --> 0:32:41.040 I want to make sure I said that too. Yeah, okay, 0:32:41.680 --> 0:32:45.160 because in most cases, the reason that there's an Arizona 0:32:45.240 --> 0:32:48.240 Black Cannabis Trade Association and all those other organizations that 0:32:48.280 --> 0:32:51.160 I said is just because there is a lack of 0:32:51.240 --> 0:32:54.320 resources to black people, lack of opportunity to black people, 0:32:54.440 --> 0:32:59.280 lack of access to black people. Not hey, we're just 0:32:59.360 --> 0:33:01.800 helping black peop Well, no, no, no, no, no. Black 0:33:01.840 --> 0:33:04.400 people are just in very very severe need of our help. 0:33:04.760 --> 0:33:07.560 So we want to create something for them in a 0:33:07.600 --> 0:33:11.480 lot of cases by them. But every one of the 0:33:11.560 --> 0:33:14.680 organizations that I just named, the one that was the 0:33:14.720 --> 0:33:17.520 most radicalized and criminalized of them all the Black Panther 0:33:17.600 --> 0:33:23.120 Party at Man White People you know Google Rainbow Coalition. Yeah, 0:33:23.200 --> 0:33:27.160 that part started by the Black Panthers, and the whole 0:33:27.200 --> 0:33:31.280 idea was uniting as many people as possible to fight 0:33:31.320 --> 0:33:35.720 against racism, oppression, police brutality, and a long laundry list 0:33:35.760 --> 0:33:39.280 of other things. So please don't think that the ABCTA 0:33:39.960 --> 0:33:44.640 is exclusively helping black people. You know, I think, and 0:33:44.720 --> 0:33:48.479 I'm speaking assumptively on their behalf, that their whole mission 0:33:48.520 --> 0:33:51.840 is to help as many people as they can that 0:33:51.960 --> 0:33:56.320 need them. And I took those liberties without asking them first. 0:33:56.360 --> 0:33:57.960 But that's just the impression that I got. 0:33:58.920 --> 0:33:59.520 That's the energy. 0:33:59.800 --> 0:34:02.880 Yeah, generally the way it works. So yeah, thank you 0:34:02.680 --> 0:34:11.760 for adding that. There's thank you show. Good job dude. 0:34:12.960 --> 0:34:16.200 Okay, So another thing I wanted to add to that 0:34:16.360 --> 0:34:18.920 was that if you're gonna google, you know, we ask 0:34:19.000 --> 0:34:20.919 you to do your own independent research. If you listen 0:34:20.920 --> 0:34:23.680 to the show, you know this already google the Rainbow Coalition. 0:34:23.719 --> 0:34:26.120 It's a beautiful thing. Last week we were talking about 0:34:26.120 --> 0:34:31.920 the increase in tax on our Asian brothers and sisters, 0:34:32.560 --> 0:34:35.600 and we made our show available to anyone who had 0:34:35.640 --> 0:34:37.919 anything to share, anything any way that we can help 0:34:37.920 --> 0:34:40.920 them power our Asian brothers and sisters, who have you know, 0:34:41.719 --> 0:34:46.480 bore the brunt of this previous administration and their racist 0:34:46.520 --> 0:34:49.200 rhetoric about the China virus and all this sort of stuff. 0:34:49.239 --> 0:34:51.879 If you've got any pushback and you need to air 0:34:51.920 --> 0:34:53.080 it out, there's a space. 0:34:52.840 --> 0:34:53.359 For you here. 0:34:55.200 --> 0:34:57.760 So and in spirit of the Rainbow Coalition, I definitely 0:34:57.760 --> 0:35:00.759 want you to google that, but also google somebody named 0:35:00.840 --> 0:35:03.040 Fred Hampton if that doesn't come up in your Google search, 0:35:03.440 --> 0:35:05.399 and research that man as well. 0:35:06.680 --> 0:35:08.120 And you know, we got to do a show on 0:35:08.160 --> 0:35:08.680 Fred Hampton. 0:35:08.800 --> 0:35:10.800 We also have to do one on Malcolm X because 0:35:10.840 --> 0:35:13.799 you you saw what came out about Malcolm X the 0:35:14.080 --> 0:35:18.120 police officer. Absolutely yeah, that there was at which we 0:35:18.160 --> 0:35:20.680 knew the whole time, but you know, to have it 0:35:20.719 --> 0:35:24.359 actually be admitted by someone who took part in it was. 0:35:25.800 --> 0:35:28.919 I guess that's just how it goes. 0:35:28.920 --> 0:35:31.360 So we had to wait to have it be formally 0:35:32.080 --> 0:35:34.799 the truth, whereas before we just kind of just knew 0:35:34.840 --> 0:35:35.640 it in our bones. 0:35:36.719 --> 0:35:38.200 Now I don't want to get too far away from this. 0:35:38.360 --> 0:35:38.760 The money. 0:35:39.920 --> 0:35:46.160 Now, here's how it works, or this is my understanding 0:35:46.160 --> 0:35:47.800 of how it works. And again, forgive me if I 0:35:47.960 --> 0:35:50.800 don't have it quite as exact as it should be 0:35:50.920 --> 0:35:56.560 or I'm not as precise. There are there's definitely one 0:35:56.760 --> 0:36:04.279 huge company corporation that is getting all the licenses or 0:36:04.640 --> 0:36:07.919 you know, building the national infrastructure. Think of it as 0:36:07.960 --> 0:36:10.440 like the next Philip Morris or whatever. 0:36:10.480 --> 0:36:13.320 But for cannabis, right, this huge corporation. 0:36:15.040 --> 0:36:20.200 And there might be another couple of corporations, and what 0:36:20.280 --> 0:36:25.960 they do is they will basically build the industry in 0:36:26.080 --> 0:36:31.080 their image, right where historically, if somebody wanted to get 0:36:31.200 --> 0:36:34.160 you know, marijuana. This is maybe I'm being stereo, maybe 0:36:34.200 --> 0:36:37.040 I'm stereotyping, but in my mind, the way it used 0:36:37.080 --> 0:36:39.200 to work is, hey, I know a guy, let's go 0:36:39.239 --> 0:36:41.200 to the poor part of town. He's a drug dealer, 0:36:41.440 --> 0:36:43.560 and they go and they exchange their money. And that 0:36:43.719 --> 0:36:47.920 was you know, that was a big part of hood economics, 0:36:47.920 --> 0:36:48.439 if you will. 0:36:48.520 --> 0:36:51.359 Right, So, these big corporations are putting these. 0:36:51.320 --> 0:36:53.200 Little guys out of business, these little guys who have 0:36:53.520 --> 0:36:56.080 you know, learned their markets, These little guys who have 0:36:56.800 --> 0:36:59.400 you know, some of them were botanists themselves, you know, 0:36:59.440 --> 0:37:01.560 in terms of creating a lot of guys in Los 0:37:01.600 --> 0:37:03.480 Angeles have been on that tip for a long time. 0:37:04.320 --> 0:37:05.359 And other places too. 0:37:05.400 --> 0:37:07.480 I know in Michigan and Detroit there's that you know, 0:37:07.560 --> 0:37:09.520 that's a city where. 0:37:09.440 --> 0:37:13.680 New Jack City is about Detroit, Michigan. So if you 0:37:13.719 --> 0:37:18.120 guys are wondering how the drug industry is in Detroit. Again, 0:37:18.239 --> 0:37:20.200 Google is free, do your research. A lot of people 0:37:20.239 --> 0:37:22.320 think that's about New York because that's where it was filmed. 0:37:23.040 --> 0:37:27.680 The writer the story a true story based on some 0:37:27.719 --> 0:37:32.560 brothers from my hometown. So yes, Detroit, Michigan, New Jack City. 0:37:33.440 --> 0:37:41.160 So as far as these corporations, you know, moving into 0:37:41.200 --> 0:37:45.040 the community and changing the optics of how marijuana looks 0:37:45.120 --> 0:37:48.080 and how marijuana is used, and how it's celebrated and 0:37:48.120 --> 0:37:51.040 how it's you know, how the money moves around it. 0:37:52.280 --> 0:37:55.160 You know, there's a lot of fear that I've encountered, 0:37:55.760 --> 0:38:00.160 which is, Okay, well we got beat this thing, beat us, 0:38:00.239 --> 0:38:03.239 and then these other people are going to co opt 0:38:03.239 --> 0:38:06.640 it and it's going to be a cash count for them. 0:38:07.680 --> 0:38:12.239 So speak to those concerns with respect to the abc TA. 0:38:15.239 --> 0:38:20.840 Yeah, So I think the bigger picture right now in 0:38:20.920 --> 0:38:24.840 Arizona is what is that legislation going to look like 0:38:24.880 --> 0:38:28.799 when they issue those licenses? Okay, when department and it 0:38:28.840 --> 0:38:30.320 has to be said on a side to a Department 0:38:30.320 --> 0:38:32.480 of Health Services and the State of Arizona is doing 0:38:32.560 --> 0:38:36.200 an incredible job right now. Sure, And you know, between 0:38:36.520 --> 0:38:41.440 COVID and UH they actually implemented mandatory testing in the 0:38:41.480 --> 0:38:45.440 cannabis industry to kind of focus on cannabis. Having their 0:38:45.480 --> 0:38:48.160 hands full with dealing with the pandemic and all the 0:38:48.239 --> 0:38:51.080 things that they're dealing with, they've done a really, really 0:38:51.680 --> 0:38:55.919 good job up to this point. So right now they're 0:38:56.200 --> 0:38:59.719 tasked with they have to decide how these twenty six 0:38:59.840 --> 0:39:02.920 two twenty nine additional license And to put it in perspective, 0:39:02.960 --> 0:39:06.520 there's one hundred and thirty licenses currently in the state. 0:39:06.600 --> 0:39:08.879 That's licenses for dispensaries. 0:39:08.320 --> 0:39:10.480 That are that are dispensary licenses right now that are 0:39:10.520 --> 0:39:13.560 owned in the state of Arizona. So we're adding twenty 0:39:13.600 --> 0:39:16.400 six to twenty nine licenses through Prop two O seven 0:39:16.520 --> 0:39:18.839 for the adult use. They are supposed to be your 0:39:18.920 --> 0:39:22.239 mark specifically for social equity. They haven't defined what social 0:39:22.280 --> 0:39:24.920 equity means yet. So this window that we have right 0:39:24.960 --> 0:39:27.839 now and with chance and I and ABCTA, and there's 0:39:27.880 --> 0:39:29.759 lots and lots of people out in the world right 0:39:29.840 --> 0:39:32.360 now out in Arizona. There was actually a bunch of 0:39:32.360 --> 0:39:37.560 people down at the state today with a bill that 0:39:37.600 --> 0:39:39.239 came in front of the Senate. I believe it was 0:39:39.400 --> 0:39:42.440 SB one one two one that had a bunch of 0:39:42.520 --> 0:39:45.400 language in it about cannabis and where things were headed 0:39:45.400 --> 0:39:47.840 and what was going on with all that, and some 0:39:47.960 --> 0:39:54.040 of the big companies actually helped to say this, this 0:39:54.120 --> 0:39:56.120 isn't this isn't the best way to proceed with this. 0:39:56.560 --> 0:39:59.160 And SB one one two one was something that was 0:39:59.200 --> 0:40:02.520 going to greatly limit the ability of smaller operators to 0:40:02.600 --> 0:40:05.920 do well. It was gonna it was gonna limit the 0:40:05.960 --> 0:40:09.800 types of processes that could be used to extract marijuana. 0:40:10.000 --> 0:40:12.879 There's a lot of I wasn't there. I haven't read 0:40:12.880 --> 0:40:15.960 the build I just became aware of it today and 0:40:16.000 --> 0:40:17.399 I was just on a phone call on the way 0:40:17.400 --> 0:40:19.520 over here this evening with somebody that was down there 0:40:19.520 --> 0:40:21.239 trying to get as much information as I could. So 0:40:21.239 --> 0:40:22.680 I don't I don't have the details, and I don't 0:40:22.680 --> 0:40:25.480 want to misspeak about it. But when it comes to 0:40:25.480 --> 0:40:27.720 these twenty six twenty nine licenses, we've got a pretty 0:40:27.719 --> 0:40:31.000 small window. There's there's a couple of months when citizens 0:40:31.080 --> 0:40:33.759 and groups like ours and different people can step up 0:40:33.800 --> 0:40:37.279 and say these are some processes, these are some policies, 0:40:37.320 --> 0:40:39.560 these are some things that we'd like to see in place, 0:40:40.000 --> 0:40:43.080 so that these twenty six twenty nine licenses don't go 0:40:43.160 --> 0:40:46.440 into the hands of just just the big corporations that 0:40:46.440 --> 0:40:49.439 are already that are already doing what they're doing. They're 0:40:49.440 --> 0:40:53.120 doing a good job. And you know, corporations and corporate money. 0:40:53.360 --> 0:40:56.160 When it comes to something that's generating this much revenue, 0:40:56.680 --> 0:40:59.840 that's almost an inevitability, right, excuse me in out of 0:41:00.080 --> 0:41:06.560 inevitability function. Yeah, yeah, And so you know, our role 0:41:06.680 --> 0:41:09.280 is to make sure that these things that are supposed 0:41:09.360 --> 0:41:15.440 to be giving minority communities an opportunity get to those 0:41:15.480 --> 0:41:19.880 minority communities. And so when it comes to the money, obviously, 0:41:19.880 --> 0:41:21.680 that's that's a huge piece of it. These licenses are 0:41:21.680 --> 0:41:27.400 probably speculatively licenses right now, just just the paper license itself, 0:41:27.440 --> 0:41:30.320 without any cultivation attached, without a retail space attached to 0:41:30.520 --> 0:41:32.799 just the paper license itself is probably worth six to 0:41:32.800 --> 0:41:36.040 eight million dollars. So there is a lot of money 0:41:36.160 --> 0:41:38.200 on the line, and those corporations aren't just going to 0:41:38.280 --> 0:41:40.200 turn a blind eye to that money. 0:41:40.239 --> 0:41:43.319 Well, I'm curious, why are they so cheap? That's a joke. 0:41:46.840 --> 0:41:51.040 Yeah, So, I mean, how do you how do you 0:41:51.400 --> 0:41:57.279 legislate minority ownership for these licenses to go out? And 0:41:58.120 --> 0:41:59.799 you know, there's been a lot of speculation. A lot 0:41:59.800 --> 0:42:04.319 of states have tried to implement different social equity programs, 0:42:04.760 --> 0:42:06.239 and one of the things that's happened in a lot 0:42:06.280 --> 0:42:08.840 of places is they've they've done a merit based system 0:42:08.960 --> 0:42:11.479 where you put a group together, you put your group 0:42:11.480 --> 0:42:13.560 in front of the government, and you say, this is 0:42:13.719 --> 0:42:15.200 this is our group that wants to own one of 0:42:15.200 --> 0:42:18.960 these licenses. This is why we're qualified, and this is 0:42:19.000 --> 0:42:21.440 why we should be at the top of the list. 0:42:21.840 --> 0:42:24.160 And the government has to go through hundreds and hundreds 0:42:24.200 --> 0:42:29.920 and hundreds of applications and decide who they think deserves 0:42:31.480 --> 0:42:34.279 essentially a six seven million dollar lottery ticket based on 0:42:34.320 --> 0:42:37.360 the story that they tell. Now, that's that's a tough 0:42:37.400 --> 0:42:40.240 ask for the government. That's a tough ask for Department 0:42:40.239 --> 0:42:42.719 of Health Services. It's already dealing with pandemic and all 0:42:42.760 --> 0:42:46.439 these other things. So in Arizona, more than likely there's 0:42:46.480 --> 0:42:49.040 going to be a checklist. You're going to qualify through 0:42:49.080 --> 0:42:52.400 your application, and everyone that qualifies and gets a qualified 0:42:52.400 --> 0:42:55.960 application in is going to be considered a lottery. So 0:42:56.000 --> 0:42:58.120 they're gonna they're gonna be entered into a lottery, which 0:42:58.120 --> 0:43:02.279 is the same way that they issued medical licenses, you know, 0:43:02.800 --> 0:43:05.640 and it worked, okay. So what happens in the other 0:43:05.680 --> 0:43:07.600 states is they end up getting shooed and government doesn't 0:43:07.600 --> 0:43:09.360 want to get sued. They you know, the people that 0:43:09.400 --> 0:43:11.960 don't get picked, they come back. I think in Illinois 0:43:12.000 --> 0:43:15.080 there's about a billion dollars in the lawsuits right now 0:43:15.560 --> 0:43:18.160 that the government's got to you know, fight in court 0:43:18.719 --> 0:43:21.359 probably for the next ten twelve years. So Arizona wants 0:43:21.360 --> 0:43:24.520 to avoid that and understandably saw understandably self. 0:43:24.560 --> 0:43:26.440 And then with our group, we want to make it 0:43:26.719 --> 0:43:28.799 easy for him. You know, we want to put those 0:43:28.800 --> 0:43:32.000 applicants in front of them that that qualify. So since 0:43:32.040 --> 0:43:35.960 we're connected to the community and we know with me 0:43:36.080 --> 0:43:38.319 being a native here so we pretty much know the 0:43:38.400 --> 0:43:41.719 community that's that's been hard by the worm drug. So 0:43:42.320 --> 0:43:44.960 with ABCTA, that's what that's what we aim to do. 0:43:45.400 --> 0:43:50.600 Make it easier and communicate with hazy dhs and everyone involved. 0:43:51.360 --> 0:43:55.280 So with so in short, the way the money works is. 0:43:59.719 --> 0:44:04.240 It's still being what what social equity is is still 0:44:04.280 --> 0:44:08.319 being worked out. Yes, still being worked out. But the 0:44:08.400 --> 0:44:13.239 assumption is the operating assumption rather is that somehow or 0:44:13.280 --> 0:44:19.600 other the cell of marijuana will have a portion of 0:44:19.920 --> 0:44:27.400 the profits earmarked to benefit economically or otherwise black and 0:44:27.400 --> 0:44:31.960 brown communities, communities that have historically been wronged by the 0:44:31.960 --> 0:44:35.439 war on drugs. That's what Yeah, that's what I wanted 0:44:35.480 --> 0:44:36.520 to make sure that we got out there. 0:44:36.680 --> 0:44:39.000 And again, it's you know, it's a it's a difficult 0:44:39.120 --> 0:44:41.960 puzzle to try and put together for everyone involved. 0:44:42.000 --> 0:44:43.399 You know, that's ambitious. 0:44:43.640 --> 0:44:46.200 So how do you how do you regulate? How do 0:44:46.239 --> 0:44:50.040 you legislate what a company does with their profits? Right, 0:44:50.160 --> 0:44:54.120 and so it's again this small window right now before 0:44:54.200 --> 0:44:58.560 DHS issues these rules and decides this is what we 0:44:58.600 --> 0:45:01.919 are defining in the State of Arizona social equity. We've 0:45:01.960 --> 0:45:03.320 got to stand up and we've got to have a 0:45:03.400 --> 0:45:07.359 voice and people have to say this is reasonable. And now, 0:45:07.600 --> 0:45:10.320 you know, you have to have the money to start 0:45:10.360 --> 0:45:13.759 the business, and it's it's it's a costly undertaking to 0:45:14.160 --> 0:45:17.880 build an indoor grow facility to grow medical marijuana or 0:45:18.000 --> 0:45:22.200 recreational marija cannabis, to supply a retail store is a 0:45:22.320 --> 0:45:25.560 multi million dollar undertaking. You have to have access to capital, 0:45:25.640 --> 0:45:27.880 you have to have access to people that understand the 0:45:27.920 --> 0:45:31.719 process of building that type of facility. You have to have. 0:45:31.840 --> 0:45:34.200 There's a lot of security that goes into it, and 0:45:34.239 --> 0:45:37.600 so you know, it's not just twenty six people who 0:45:37.600 --> 0:45:40.120 are going to get a seven million dollar lottery ticket. 0:45:40.200 --> 0:45:44.160 It's it's got to be twenty six groups of individuals 0:45:44.440 --> 0:45:47.880 that understand the industry, that understand the business, and that 0:45:48.120 --> 0:45:51.600 have resources like ABCTA. You know, there's there's other groups 0:45:51.640 --> 0:45:54.960 in the state of Arizona that are based around cannabis 0:45:54.960 --> 0:45:57.520 that want to make sure that these groups succeed and 0:45:57.600 --> 0:46:00.399 have the resources to build their retail location, to build 0:46:00.440 --> 0:46:04.200 their cultivation, to hire the right staff. But it can't 0:46:04.239 --> 0:46:07.000 just be the biggest companies that have already done it 0:46:07.080 --> 0:46:09.719 ten times. You know, it's got to be opportunities for 0:46:09.760 --> 0:46:12.200 people that have seen it from a distance that they 0:46:12.280 --> 0:46:16.440 want to be involved and want to become entrepreneurs, become professionals, 0:46:16.560 --> 0:46:19.040 become you know, business people in this industry. Whether it's 0:46:19.560 --> 0:46:21.000 you know, twenty one year old kid and wants to 0:46:21.040 --> 0:46:22.960 learn how to grow the best pot in Arizona, Let's 0:46:23.000 --> 0:46:25.560 send them to community college. You know, MESA has an 0:46:25.600 --> 0:46:28.680 incredible agriculture program down there. Let's send them down there, 0:46:28.719 --> 0:46:30.920 put them on scholarship. You know, teach them how to 0:46:30.960 --> 0:46:32.960 grow the best pot in Arizona and then get them 0:46:32.960 --> 0:46:35.000 a job at one of these companies. That's that's gotten 0:46:35.040 --> 0:46:37.680 one of these twenty six licenses. And so that's that's 0:46:37.719 --> 0:46:40.200 where you can really impact it legislatively and make sure 0:46:40.920 --> 0:46:43.879 communities are getting opportunities. It's not just handing out twenty 0:46:43.920 --> 0:46:46.520 six lottery tickets and hoping they do something good with it. 0:46:46.520 --> 0:46:50.520 It's education, it's opportunity, it's you know again, the fear 0:46:50.920 --> 0:46:53.840 of policing and those things all coming together. 0:46:54.840 --> 0:46:58.239 So I have a couple of questions. One is from 0:46:58.280 --> 0:47:01.360 my there's a cynical space in my head that just 0:47:01.560 --> 0:47:04.880 is always occupy, so forgive me. And another is a 0:47:04.920 --> 0:47:11.680 more more from an educational place. Are there organizations that 0:47:11.760 --> 0:47:14.400 are the antithesis to what you guys are doing, like 0:47:14.400 --> 0:47:16.160 that are going out of their way to kind of 0:47:16.160 --> 0:47:20.040 squeeze minorities out of that space because they already are 0:47:20.080 --> 0:47:22.120 in it and they want to own it completely. So 0:47:22.200 --> 0:47:23.359 that's that's question one. 0:47:24.920 --> 0:47:27.880 From a capitalism standpoint, I'm sure that there's companies that 0:47:28.000 --> 0:47:29.480 it's in their best interests to. 0:47:30.960 --> 0:47:31.480 Competition. 0:47:31.560 --> 0:47:34.520 Yeah, I mean, but that's it has nothing I don't 0:47:34.560 --> 0:47:37.399 think I don't think, truly in my heart of ours, 0:47:37.440 --> 0:47:41.040 that there's an organization in Arizona that's fighting against minorities 0:47:41.080 --> 0:47:44.000 having opportunities in cannabis. I think there's probably a lot 0:47:44.000 --> 0:47:45.919 of organizations and a lot of companies that are looking 0:47:45.960 --> 0:47:48.440 out for their own best interest and are always going 0:47:48.520 --> 0:47:51.919 to fight to be on top of the mountain, right 0:47:52.440 --> 0:47:54.360 I mean, that's that's their job as a company, has 0:47:54.400 --> 0:47:57.319 to fight to be on top of the mountain. And 0:47:58.040 --> 0:48:01.560 I think there's probably there's probably certain companies that don't 0:48:01.600 --> 0:48:07.279 necessarily think about the collateral damage of that, you know what. 0:48:07.680 --> 0:48:13.560 I mean, every industry that's emerged in America has probably 0:48:13.560 --> 0:48:14.640 fought that same flight. 0:48:14.920 --> 0:48:15.080 You know. 0:48:16.160 --> 0:48:20.520 And the second question, and that this is more of 0:48:20.560 --> 0:48:24.640 a you educating me and our listeners. What would constitute 0:48:24.680 --> 0:48:27.279 a qualified group? You know, say I had a group 0:48:27.320 --> 0:48:30.239 of people that wanted to give me some money because 0:48:30.239 --> 0:48:32.520 they believed in me as a person, and I thought, 0:48:32.600 --> 0:48:36.520 you know, let me see what it would take to 0:48:36.600 --> 0:48:39.440 start a company that would be seen as or deemed 0:48:39.480 --> 0:48:43.640 worthy of receiving one of these licenses or at least 0:48:43.640 --> 0:48:47.000 a realistic opportunity. What type of capital would it take? 0:48:47.239 --> 0:48:49.279 You know, what type of liquid assets, What type of 0:48:49.719 --> 0:48:52.399 you know, professional background would the applicants have to have 0:48:53.080 --> 0:48:55.520 if I had a group of individuals or wanted to, 0:48:56.400 --> 0:48:58.120 you know, reach out to some people I know that 0:48:58.239 --> 0:49:01.080 are in the alcohol and spirit industry or the nightlife 0:49:01.080 --> 0:49:06.160 industry that or professional athletes that had the working financial capital, 0:49:06.600 --> 0:49:09.560 what other type of things and what amounts of money, 0:49:09.600 --> 0:49:12.640 if you will, What would it take for something like 0:49:12.680 --> 0:49:13.640 that to be realistic. 0:49:15.360 --> 0:49:19.240 So with us, it's about group economics, you know, coming 0:49:19.280 --> 0:49:23.920 together and pulling our resources together through ABCTA. So if 0:49:23.920 --> 0:49:26.360 you did have a group, I think a good starting 0:49:26.400 --> 0:49:29.680 point would be with us since we know pretty much 0:49:29.680 --> 0:49:32.759 what's going on and we can give you that information 0:49:32.800 --> 0:49:35.480 and give you solid numbers as far as what's gonna take. 0:49:35.880 --> 0:49:38.080 So and that's what we're in the process of doing 0:49:38.239 --> 0:49:42.400 vetting different people want a chance at a dispensary license, 0:49:42.560 --> 0:49:44.640 you know, because the more we have on board, the 0:49:44.680 --> 0:49:47.120 more powerful we are. So we are going to go 0:49:47.160 --> 0:49:49.920 through a vetting process with you know, with teaming up 0:49:49.960 --> 0:49:53.719 with other organizations or people that's interesting in being involved 0:49:53.680 --> 0:49:55.560 in the process. 0:49:55.880 --> 0:49:59.040 Yeah, and I mean to kind of address the numbers. 0:49:59.719 --> 0:50:03.320 That's a question that's asked in almost every single networking event, 0:50:03.440 --> 0:50:07.200 every zoom that I go to, somebody somebody asked that 0:50:07.239 --> 0:50:09.439 same question, and nobody really has the answer right now. 0:50:10.160 --> 0:50:12.799 There's a couple big factors at play. One is how 0:50:12.880 --> 0:50:16.239 much the application fee itself is going to be, which 0:50:16.280 --> 0:50:19.160 I think, you know, in reality, I think it's gonna 0:50:19.160 --> 0:50:21.920 be about twenty five thousand dollars per application, So essentially 0:50:21.960 --> 0:50:25.840 it's a twenty five thousand dollars lottery ticket. And that's 0:50:25.920 --> 0:50:29.879 that's probably the least expensive part of the equation. You're 0:50:29.920 --> 0:50:33.120 definitely going to need a lawyer services, and there's a 0:50:33.160 --> 0:50:35.520 couple of law firms here in Arizona that are specifically 0:50:35.600 --> 0:50:39.719 geared towards cannabis businesses. But you've got to do air 0:50:39.840 --> 0:50:43.680 tight partnership agreements, You've got to have all of your 0:50:44.280 --> 0:50:46.879 all of your partners, you got to do background checks 0:50:46.880 --> 0:50:48.560 on people, you got it. There's a lot that goes 0:50:48.600 --> 0:50:53.440 into establishing that application writers are are going to be 0:50:53.440 --> 0:50:55.720 part of the equation. And then one of the biggest 0:50:55.719 --> 0:50:58.359 expenses that we're not sure what DHS is going to do. 0:51:00.400 --> 0:51:04.720 For example, when they were issuing medical marijuana licenses dispensary licenses, 0:51:04.760 --> 0:51:07.840 you had to have the real estate you had to purchase, 0:51:08.000 --> 0:51:10.319 You had to own or have a lease agreement on 0:51:10.360 --> 0:51:12.960 the real estate where your dispensary was going to be, 0:51:13.080 --> 0:51:16.320 and it had to be zoned. So that obviously is 0:51:16.360 --> 0:51:19.520 a huge expense. You know, it's a huge expense to 0:51:19.520 --> 0:51:21.640 buy a piece of commercial real estate that's zoned for 0:51:21.760 --> 0:51:25.200 cannabis just to apply. And so DHS hasn't decided, they 0:51:25.239 --> 0:51:27.680 haven't put out the rules yet whether or not that's 0:51:27.680 --> 0:51:29.960 going to be part of the equation for social equity applicants, 0:51:30.520 --> 0:51:32.640 you know, but there's a scenario where you're gonna have 0:51:32.719 --> 0:51:35.320 to have a six seven, eight hundred thousand dollars a 0:51:35.400 --> 0:51:37.600 million dollar piece of commercial real estate just to put 0:51:37.600 --> 0:51:38.680 your application. 0:51:38.239 --> 0:51:40.120 And the real estate has to be pre zoned for 0:51:40.360 --> 0:51:41.480 commercial cannabis. 0:51:41.719 --> 0:51:44.319 That's the way they did it with the medical program. Now, 0:51:44.400 --> 0:51:46.040 whether or not that's going to be part of the equation, 0:51:46.160 --> 0:51:48.680 that's part of the conversation right now. That's the window 0:51:48.760 --> 0:51:53.279 that we have is to say, these things are going 0:51:53.320 --> 0:51:56.640 to lead to more true social equity opportunities for the 0:51:56.680 --> 0:51:59.360 people to get these licenses. These things are going to 0:51:59.480 --> 0:52:01.879 lead to the big companies getting their hands on most 0:52:01.960 --> 0:52:03.640 of them. So we got to kind of decide what 0:52:03.760 --> 0:52:06.640 direction DHS is going to go. They got to protect themselves. 0:52:06.719 --> 0:52:09.200 You know, the last thing anybody in Arizona wants is 0:52:09.200 --> 0:52:12.120 for twenty six people to end up with these licenses. 0:52:12.480 --> 0:52:15.040 In five years from now, three dispensaries have open because 0:52:15.080 --> 0:52:17.319 nobody has the capital or the know how to get 0:52:17.360 --> 0:52:18.080 them up and running. 0:52:18.440 --> 0:52:18.640 Right. 0:52:19.080 --> 0:52:22.120 So that's that's a fair question. But it hasn't been 0:52:22.160 --> 0:52:23.800 answered yet, and we got to wait for DHS. 0:52:23.920 --> 0:52:26.560 Okay, I'm also super curious to know, and this might 0:52:26.600 --> 0:52:30.160 not even be something that exists yet as far as information. Uh, 0:52:31.000 --> 0:52:33.280 for example, if the four of us started a group, 0:52:33.680 --> 0:52:35.440 would you disqualify us? 0:52:37.120 --> 0:52:40.319 Honestly, I don't know. I don't know. There's there's a 0:52:40.320 --> 0:52:41.920 lot of things to go into it, and that that 0:52:42.000 --> 0:52:44.560 questions come up obviously being the white guy as part 0:52:44.560 --> 0:52:47.320 of the ABCTA board, it's you know, it's a question 0:52:47.400 --> 0:52:48.400 that I love it. 0:52:48.400 --> 0:52:51.879 It's fair, you know, it's I asked that question though, 0:52:51.920 --> 0:52:55.840 because so you know, my my professional background is mostly 0:52:55.880 --> 0:52:59.160 in sports. Before I was a DJ, before I got 0:52:59.160 --> 0:53:03.160 into alcohol and spirits, I represented pro athletes as a 0:53:03.200 --> 0:53:06.440 marketing agent. A piece of advice that we would give 0:53:06.480 --> 0:53:08.080 because once upon a time, I'm not sure if this 0:53:08.120 --> 0:53:10.759 is still true, the federal government would give first right 0:53:10.800 --> 0:53:13.319 of refusal on let's say government contracts. If you were 0:53:13.360 --> 0:53:17.719 a contractor and you were black, you'd have first right refusal. Right, 0:53:17.840 --> 0:53:21.080 So one of our client's white friends that were in 0:53:21.160 --> 0:53:25.120 construction would would partner up with his black friend at 0:53:25.120 --> 0:53:28.799 whatever percentage was necessary to put himself in position to 0:53:28.800 --> 0:53:33.080 get that minority first right of refusal. I'd imagine that 0:53:33.760 --> 0:53:36.520 not someone like yourself, but someone white who saw that 0:53:36.520 --> 0:53:39.279 as a loophole would say, Okay, well I have some 0:53:39.360 --> 0:53:41.919 black friends or I know somebody black that I could 0:53:41.920 --> 0:53:44.400 give enough money to be the face of this so 0:53:44.440 --> 0:53:46.759 that I could get that license. So that's why I 0:53:46.760 --> 0:53:47.839 asked that question. 0:53:47.960 --> 0:53:50.960 And that's been the problem with a lot of social 0:53:51.000 --> 0:53:54.759 equity programs that ask Like another states, you know, those 0:53:54.760 --> 0:53:58.320 big operator raiders are coming in trying to get under 0:53:58.360 --> 0:54:02.080 someone give them the money, and you know, pretty much 0:54:02.200 --> 0:54:05.120 just give them a lower percentage of what of what 0:54:05.160 --> 0:54:09.279 they're uh what they supposed to be getting. So and 0:54:09.320 --> 0:54:11.480 that's what's gonna go on here in Arizona, is that 0:54:11.520 --> 0:54:13.520 we're gonna try that we're gonna prevent that and get 0:54:13.560 --> 0:54:17.399 the people that's really qualified and work with you know, 0:54:17.840 --> 0:54:18.719 that's our main thing. 0:54:18.880 --> 0:54:20.680 So the thing that makes that tough is that you 0:54:20.719 --> 0:54:23.719 do have honest people like yourself, where you know, we 0:54:23.760 --> 0:54:27.920 could honestly be best friends and really have each other's best interest, 0:54:28.280 --> 0:54:30.520 you know, at the forefront of everything that we're doing. 0:54:30.560 --> 0:54:33.239 And I think it be that's gonna be hard for 0:54:33.280 --> 0:54:35.400 them to regulate because I think it'd be unfair for 0:54:35.480 --> 0:54:38.880 us to be disqualified because my son's godfather, my daughter's 0:54:38.880 --> 0:54:41.320 godfather is white, right, you know what I mean. I 0:54:41.360 --> 0:54:43.440 don't use the person I probably most likely if I 0:54:43.480 --> 0:54:45.359 was doing something like this go into business with. 0:54:45.880 --> 0:54:50.040 I don't anticipate that Arizona DHS is gonna be able 0:54:50.160 --> 0:54:54.360 to disqualify anyone based on the color of their skin, Okay, 0:54:54.560 --> 0:54:57.000 I don't. I don't think that that's something that they're 0:54:57.000 --> 0:54:59.920 gonna that they're gonna wanna try and legislate. 0:55:00.160 --> 0:55:00.880 We want to touch that. 0:55:01.280 --> 0:55:06.680 Yeah, so other states and their speculation of well, if 0:55:06.719 --> 0:55:09.200 you grew up in this in this zip code, if 0:55:09.239 --> 0:55:11.800 you can prove that that's where you lived, and that 0:55:11.800 --> 0:55:13.880 that's an area of town it was over policed and 0:55:14.040 --> 0:55:18.040 et cetera, some people want to put forth legislation that 0:55:18.440 --> 0:55:21.120 if if you've spent time in prison or you've been 0:55:21.200 --> 0:55:27.279 charged and convicted of a cannabis crime, Okay, now you've 0:55:27.280 --> 0:55:29.520 got first writer refusal, you're going to the top of 0:55:29.520 --> 0:55:33.319 that list. But again, when you start sorting through all 0:55:33.400 --> 0:55:35.600 the little loopholes and all the little things and people 0:55:35.600 --> 0:55:37.280 can do to get to the top of that list, 0:55:37.800 --> 0:55:39.920 and then the state's got to make decisions and assign 0:55:39.960 --> 0:55:45.400 those licenses, you're talking ten twelve years of lawsuits and 0:55:45.520 --> 0:55:50.040 expecting an organization like a governmental agency like the HS 0:55:50.520 --> 0:55:52.640 to sort through all that is a big, big ass. 0:55:52.680 --> 0:55:55.160 So I think, you know, I think most of the 0:55:55.200 --> 0:55:57.719 smart money in Arizona right now is that there's going 0:55:57.760 --> 0:55:59.879 to be a list of qualifiers. You've got to check 0:56:00.040 --> 0:56:02.080 all the boxes. You got to have an airtight application. 0:56:03.200 --> 0:56:06.680 And once once you get to that point, you're it's 0:56:06.719 --> 0:56:09.160 a ping pong ball and you're pulling for the lottery. 0:56:09.200 --> 0:56:09.279 Man. 0:56:09.360 --> 0:56:11.200 Yeah, I think the rest of those boxes are harder. 0:56:11.239 --> 0:56:11.359 Though. 0:56:11.440 --> 0:56:14.040 The money is the easy part, yeah, right, because people 0:56:14.080 --> 0:56:17.759 are smart and they see, okay, we'll probably make six 0:56:17.800 --> 0:56:20.680 to eight million dollars doing this. It's easy to give 0:56:20.719 --> 0:56:24.120 people to get people to invest in something like that. 0:56:24.160 --> 0:56:26.480 So the money will be the easiest part. I think 0:56:26.560 --> 0:56:28.960 the other boxes on that on that checklist will be 0:56:29.440 --> 0:56:33.680 the things that are that are that narrow the pool 0:56:33.800 --> 0:56:36.640 a bit more than just the money. I think the money, 0:56:36.680 --> 0:56:38.520 the money part, I think will just keep people who 0:56:38.560 --> 0:56:39.840 aren't serious from applying. 0:56:40.000 --> 0:56:41.799 Yeah, and I think I think that's fair. And a 0:56:41.800 --> 0:56:43.600 lot of people, a lot of people look at that 0:56:43.680 --> 0:56:46.600 application fee, Oh well, that's going to disqualify people from 0:56:46.640 --> 0:56:48.279 applying for socialcation fee. 0:56:48.320 --> 0:56:49.800 When he said, then will kind. 0:56:49.640 --> 0:56:52.919 Of back that up, like if if you can't put 0:56:52.960 --> 0:56:55.680 up the twenty five thousand for the application fee, what 0:56:55.920 --> 0:56:58.440 was your plan for the eight hundred thousand dollars real estate? 0:56:58.480 --> 0:57:00.719 And and the two and a half million are build out? 0:57:00.760 --> 0:57:02.799 And then on the back end, you know, you gotta 0:57:02.960 --> 0:57:05.560 the cultivation is gonna be six or sex, Like, where's 0:57:05.600 --> 0:57:09.160 that capital coming from? You can't come from zero and 0:57:09.680 --> 0:57:12.920 expect to acquire that type of asset no matter what industry. 0:57:12.960 --> 0:57:13.239 It does. 0:57:13.520 --> 0:57:18.720 Absolutely, and it's good that there's organizations like the Arizona 0:57:18.720 --> 0:57:24.360 Black Cannabis Trade Association to educate folks. And I believe 0:57:24.400 --> 0:57:26.440 in power folks, the folks who need it the most 0:57:27.920 --> 0:57:29.880 and who have been hurt the most by you know, 0:57:29.960 --> 0:57:33.600 previous policies, and so of course we can't you know, 0:57:34.160 --> 0:57:37.040 get into everything. But if if folks have a question 0:57:37.160 --> 0:57:39.040 for you, if they want to, you know, you guys 0:57:39.040 --> 0:57:41.040 have social media or any way they can reach out 0:57:41.320 --> 0:57:43.840 to learn more, be more educated. 0:57:44.000 --> 0:57:52.200 Yeah, we're on Instagram, Arizona Black Cannabis, Uh, Facebook, reach 0:57:52.240 --> 0:57:53.200 out email. 0:57:53.840 --> 0:57:55.880 It's Arizona Black Cannabis. 0:57:55.720 --> 0:57:58.280 Arizona Arizona Black Cannabis. 0:57:58.520 --> 0:58:01.840 All right, and Jesse has anything for folks to. 0:58:02.160 --> 0:58:02.680 Reach out to you? 0:58:03.480 --> 0:58:06.560 Yeah, I mean, I don't know if it's I can 0:58:06.600 --> 0:58:08.240 just put my cell phone number out on the air. 0:58:08.240 --> 0:58:10.320 If that's you can put it whatever you want your 0:58:10.360 --> 0:58:10.760 social media. 0:58:10.800 --> 0:58:12.480 So yeah, if you want to reach out to me directly, 0:58:12.480 --> 0:58:15.160 my my number is four eight zero eight eight one 0:58:15.480 --> 0:58:18.280 two six three seven, And that's always going to be 0:58:18.320 --> 0:58:20.840 the easiest way to get a hold of me. You know, 0:58:21.200 --> 0:58:24.840 if if you send an email, Uh, we can definitely, 0:58:24.960 --> 0:58:26.520 we can definitely get to it that way. 0:58:26.360 --> 0:58:29.800 Too, Okay, absolutely, and that's going to do it for 0:58:29.880 --> 0:58:32.280 us here on Civic Cipher once again, I'm your host, 0:58:32.360 --> 0:58:32.960 rams Is John. 0:58:33.000 --> 0:58:35.600 They called me q Ward and uh. 0:58:35.360 --> 0:58:37.400 You know, hit up, Hit us up on our social 0:58:37.480 --> 0:58:40.720 media again at Civic Cipher, hit the website civic cipher 0:58:40.760 --> 0:58:44.800 dot com. Submit all your questions, any topics you want 0:58:44.840 --> 0:58:49.080 us to cover. Download previous shows on all podcasting platforms, 0:58:49.600 --> 0:58:53.040 and of course, donate, donate, donate, consider becoming a Patreon. 0:58:53.080 --> 0:58:54.480 It really helps us out here a lot. 0:58:55.880 --> 0:58:59.960 And yeah, Rams, this's Jift for president or mayor at lead. 0:59:00.560 --> 0:59:01.280 That's way too much. 0:59:01.880 --> 0:59:03.320 But I'm just saying the question. 0:59:03.440 --> 0:59:04.640 All right, we'll see that next week