Great interview.  I’m glad some realities were brought to light surrounding this plant for the community.

As regulation and legalization slowly rolls out spreading here and there, you are starting to see movement towards (often ignorant and clumsy) legislation roll out which does sometimes include testing standards.

One has to wonder if store bought strawberries, celery, potatoes, or mushroom products, were put under the same strict regulatory testing and standards as hemp & cannabis, would our food system crash in flames like the Hindenburg?  Gross negligent double standard perhaps?

I’m all for testing to prove a product is clean and safe for consumption.  I also think it comes down to knowing your farmer; their practices, their inputs, from seed to harvest… or better yet from soil to harvest to assure a clean and healthy product.  Perhaps co-ops of small farmers or small farms with producers could collaborate to manage the costs of testing to offer the best product for consumers and patients.  I don’t think we would want a situation where merely big Ag companies were the only ones able to afford legislatively imposed arbitrary testing standards, because we know the picture that model likely paints.  Loss of 92.5% of genetic plant diversity on average over a handful of decades anyone?

And on future legislation… whatever that legislative language is no matter how “shiny, happy, feel good” it sounds, you can bet it all will come down to taxes and government getting its cut of the monies in that market which up to this point was mostly untouchable except through law enforcement and incarceration. Upgrade, gonna get his money!  Unless of course people support their producers and small farmers and get involved.

Thanks for the show!