07TH March 2019

Angel Investor - Family Office - Social - Timely - Uncategorized

Update on the Devils Lettuce

Had to blame it on someone…

The NY Times had a recent feature on the family behind Charlotte’s Web. Yes, a family story, about the family business. It’s truly amazing how legitimized the industry is becoming, while Opioids have become the pain management whipping boy – this Samantha Bee takedown is epic, and hilarious.

I’ve watched from a distance as the cannabis market has growth it’s way across the US and Canada. Well, actually, Canada is totally covered at this point. And it looks like the states are smelling the tax revenue. (I have one CBD investment I manage, and no relationship with the substance in question). I’m not sure where all the health concerns, gateway arguments, and the like pan out, but I’m fascinated by the history of cannabis and the US. I’ also rewarded to seek out new and different ideas, and this is certainly one, but hard to get aboard. We’ve come a long way in some respects… and haven’t changed a bit in others.

I like to go back to what I think the tipping point: widely regarded as the worst film of all time, “Reefer Madness” sparked nationwide anti-cannabis hysteria from the late ‘30s through the ‘50s that led to a series of severe and discriminatory laws – many of which remain in place today. Originally financed by a church group and intended as a morality tale, the film depicts scenes of what happens to teenagers after trying cannabis for the first time. But the absurd plotline would backfire decades later as the film became a campy cult classic, helping pave the way to legalization and, ultimately, The New Normal. “Tell Your Children” was the original title and was initially screened at PTA meetings. The film debuted in 1936 when “economic anxiety” had fueled resentment of immigrants and fostered paranoia about the “evil weed” associated with them.

Check it out. See what you think. In 1972, cannabis advocacy group, NORML, began screening the film on college campuses to fundraise for legalization initiatives. No word on whether brownies were served at the screenings.