The Suits

Posted on November 17, 2022 View all news

Joe Tilton

February 22, 2018

“The suits are coming,” a person attending a Montcalm Township meeting on marihuana said. Sure enough, a quick glance to the left revealed several well-dressed people walking in to take a seat at the table.

The “suits” were seen again in Lansing at a meeting of the Michigan House of Representatives’ hearing on money and marihuana. The suits at that meeting were on both sides of the issue – the state, marihuana merchants and attorneys representing them.

Why wouldn’t they? This is big money we’re talking about. Since so much attention is placed on Colorado, it’s worth taking a look. That state collected $247,368,473 in taxes from pot in 2017 from the sales tax of 2.9-percent. That means over $1-billion worth of marihuana has been sold there, crossing that number in July last year.

No kidding, the suits are going to show up, dressing bureaucrats, attorneys and high-rolling business tycoons that smell the money before smelling the pot.

While covering efforts to legalize dispensaries for medical marihuana distribution in Montcalm County, names have been voiced that would surprise even the most liberal-thinking citizens. One business “suit” has a chain of 92 businesses across Michigan that turns who knows how many millions each year, but that’s not enough. This person is already spending big bucks to get into the pot business. Inside the money circles of marihuana promoters, locations are being discussed, looking for villages, cities and townships more welcoming of the trade.

There has been a situation where the promoter dressed down to match the members of one council to make his approach for permission to open a dispensary. That’s not a new tactic. Many courtrooms in Texas are loaded with lawyers in cowboy-style dress, and definitely boots.

So, they’re successful. They were in Colorado where the homeless rate has doubled. Take $247-million plus out of the economy for more government, from people who may not be able to get a job because they can’t pass a drug test, and there’s no wonder more homeless show up. Who thinks those millions go back to pot smokers for social services like Habitat for Humanity? Michigan already has a problem finding potential employees that can pass drug tests. The more digging into the subject the more alarming local statistics become. While economic development efforts focus on high school students, we learn that some high schools have a 40-percent user rate for marihuana, according to officials. The number two drug is alcohol. Put them together and we see more youth die. Still, the “suits” are planning for duffle bags full of cash to be delivered to the State House in Lansing.

Without question, there are medicinal benefits from the marihuana plant, but not THC. And, as long as the plant and its products are Federally illegal, we may never know about the true benefits. What’s the process then? How do we become mature enough about marihuana to make it work correctly for us? Law, science and finance has rushed to conclusions—on both sides of the issue. We are not ready to progress past what Michigan Law is now to let citizens binge on THC, nor are we prepared to clean up the cost, such as homelessness or dumbing-down our workforce.

There’s more, a lot more information to digest before the November vote on legalizing “recreational pot” for Michigan. This is one case where the public, with the power to legalize you “lighting up,” does not have enough detail. Low-information voters can subvert the state’s future and not even realize it.

Be as informed as the “suits.” Demand government do what’s right for our state over the anticipated bags of cash. Should both be the best for us, okay, yet as of this date we do not have that answer.