THE CURRENT ISSUE IS SIMPLE: THERE
ARE TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN.
EVERYONE IS ASKING FOR THE SAME THING,
BUT THE SIGNAL IS BEING DROWNED OUT
BY THE NOISE. REGULATING THE INDUSTRY
WOULD MAKE EVERYONE MORE MONEY.
At this time, I see three main groups involved in the process:
government, consumers, and businesses. The purpose of a lobby
would be to educate and promote changes in the government on the
behalf of businesses and consumers. The current issue is simple:
there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone is asking for the
same thing (for the most part), but the signal is being drowned out
by the noise. Regulating the industry would make everyone more
money.
have the ability to ensure that one person is not dictating the
direction of policy for everyone else. Instead, it would become a
more collaborative process for the good of everyone. This would,
effectively, merge lobbying and groundswelling into a single
package, letting voices be heard at the table.
When Michigan first voted on Right to Work, unions bussed in
people from all over the state to advocate against the change. As a
result, the group Freedom Fund was formed to counter individuals
who were fighting Right to Work. Beyond that, Freedom Fund was
able to spend time working behind the scenes to educate lawmakers
on how little effect this would have in their districts. By educating
the people who ultimately make decisions, they had a groundswell
larger than the one backing the view opposing theirs, resulting in
Right to Work passing.
What does this mean? Well, for one thing, it doesn’t mean that a
lobby is required. It does mean that by not having a lobby you are
going to have a lot more difficulty getting your voice to the table. If
you want to have a voice in the government process, you either have
to have some kind of lobby to speak on your behalf or you need to
be part of a massive groundswell to attract attention to yourself.
It’s simply a necessary part of working with the government. While
no individual can have a sway, a group speaking on behalf of many
individuals can. Everyone has a special interest. Everyone has a
label. Often, the extent to which a special interest can speak is
based entirely on their lobby and their message.
That story is the perfect example of what happens when the
right group of people get together to work toward a common
goal. Creating a well-funded organization with a clear mission and
focusing on the issues that need to be tackled first is essential. That
organization would also be able to hire people who are talented in
engaging in exactly that process.
For more information about the Cannabis Trade Association,
contact us at [email protected] or facebook.com/
Michigan-Cannabis-Development-Association.
A lobby—in this case, the Cannabis Trade Association—would
mean that companies belonging to the group would be able to
have a consistent message within the industry. They would also
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