A Boomer and GenXer Walk into a Bar
Wit and wisdom, some smart assery, and a Mother and Daughter questioning “Are we even related?”
A Boomer and GenXer Walk into a Bar
From Pain To Policy: A Mother–Daughter Debate On Cannabis S:2E:24
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What happens when a Boomer mom and her Gen X daughter take on the cannabis debate without flinching? We start where policy meets pain: fibromyalgia, daily function, and the search for relief that doesn’t wreck a life. That lived reality pushes us to ask better questions about reliance vs addiction, the real impact of today’s higher-THC products, and where responsible adult use ends and risky daily habits begin.
Safety runs through the whole conversation. We put teen brain development center stage, separate tested, regulated products from mystery vapes, and call for harm reduction that actually protects kids. Then we confront the equity gap: similar usage across races but very different arrest rates, plus licensing and capital structures that can squeeze out small operators while big brands scale up. The “green rush” brings tax dollars and new jobs, but we weigh those benefits against social costs like impaired driving and workplace incidents, and we look at early signals that violent crime can fall when legal markets displace street sales.
Our takeaway lands in the hard-won middle: adult freedom with real guardrails. It’s not about hype or fear—it’s about building a framework that respects people in pain, protects kids, and reduces harm while acknowledging that cannabis is neither a miracle nor a menace. If this conversation made you think, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review telling us where you stand on national legalization.
email: boomerandgenxer@gmail.com
Welcome everyone to today's show. A Boomer and a Gen X are walking to a bar coming to you from the Rabbit Run studio, where you, as our listeners, will experience some wit and wisdom, some smart asshery, and a mother and a daughter questioning. Are we even related? Man, we've questioned that a lot this week. My name is Jane, and my co-host is my daughter Bobby. And for the next few minutes, uh, probably 25 minutes or so, we're gonna entertain you. How you doing, Bob?
SPEAKER_00Doing good, doing good. Enjoying the sunshine.
SPEAKER_03Hey, I understand it's a little warmer up north, but hey, uh, where'd you get that lesbian haircut you got going on there?
SPEAKER_01Uh lesbians are us, 1399.
SPEAKER_03We will cut any hair for 1999. Just step on in. No, it's pretty darn short.
SPEAKER_01I didn't just get one haircut, I got all of them cut.
SPEAKER_03I see that. I see that. And it looks like you got some shaved there. Is there anything you needed to tell me? I mean, are we doing the big switcheroo or what's the scoop there? You just don't want oh god no. You just no, see, everybody keeps you know, did you get lice or is she is she jumping ship from being on team penis over to another team? I don't know, I don't know. I mean, or did you have some type of you know, lice or something? What's the scoop there?
SPEAKER_01So it went back to short. And I really did like my long hair, but I learned um that uh it can't get ripped out when it's this short.
SPEAKER_03Oh, so you did a uh career change move here with your hair, I guess. I don't know, but you cut your hair all off so that you don't have one of the residents where you work rip your hair out. Am I understanding that correctly?
SPEAKER_01Okay, yeah, because it did happen once, and that was that was painful both physically and emotionally.
SPEAKER_03Because that came out in a chunk, right?
SPEAKER_01It did, yeah. It all came out, it left a little tiny chunk. But listen, hey, if sexuality was a choice, trust me, I would be switching to the other team because I I can't stand these men right now. But unfortunately, I don't think it's a choice because there's no way I could deal with another vagina above my own. Mine is complicated enough. I I don't need another one in the middle.
SPEAKER_03Mine is really mean right now, anyway. So I don't know. I didn't know if anybody wants to visit it, Bobby. Anyway, it's fair though.
SPEAKER_02What's he say? If I don't follow the Oh, this ought to be interesting.
SPEAKER_03If you were what? If you were what?
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna stop.
SPEAKER_03No, go ahead. Hey, listen. So let me ask you this. Since we're talking about lesbians, so if you were a lesbian, who would you be attracted to? Because I can tell you right now, when I back in my younger years, I used to say, if I was a lesbian, I would go after Joan Jett. She was she was not only talented, that bitch was hot, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and there's a lot of women that I'll look at and be like, wow, she is fine. And if I was gay, that would totally be like, you know, in my bag.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and people go, I and I have asked this to people, you know, have you thought about being gay or you know, being lesbian or being, you know, gay? And they go, no, and I'm going, liar, because you had to think about it in order to determine what you are. You know, I mean, you you had to think about it. And I, yeah, I mean, I thought about it like we talked about in another episode uh on our podcast. You know, I was a tomboy, you're a tomboy, and people were like, you know, are they gay? No, no, I'm her mama. No, I'm her mama. She's my doctor.
SPEAKER_02To be a lesbian, you have to be butch.
SPEAKER_03No, I no, not at all. There's some beautiful women that don't have short hair, and there's some beautiful women that have short hair. And, you know, I mean, I don't think the length of your hair, but I will say, you know, that it does look a little butch, you know, when you cut your hair that short. But I understand your reasoning, Bobby. I wouldn't want it my hair hanging down for somebody to grab either.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, I mean, I'd be swinging around like a dead catch right now.
SPEAKER_03So swing you around like a dead cat on your job. You look more like your dad. You've always looked like your dad, honey bee.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03So um, hey, what are we? I'm still curious as to what Dr. Domain was gonna say. What thought about what?
SPEAKER_01Huh? What? Probably he thought about if he was a woman.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know. I if I was a woman, oh yeah, I'd be a lesbian in heartbeat. Yeah.
Switching Topics To Marijuana
SPEAKER_03That's funny. Um, what are we talking about today, Bobby? So we had a few topics out there, and I think you did the big old switcheroo on me today.
SPEAKER_01I did because one of the topics we were gonna talk about, um, I'm actually waiting for some more news to come in on it, uh, because I I'd like us to be as up to date as possible.
SPEAKER_03Um the one that we were going to do, right?
SPEAKER_01Right. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_03So, what are we doing today?
SPEAKER_01Today we are going to uh have a little debate about marijuana over.
SPEAKER_03Wait a minute. He's still thinking about vagina. I had to look at the button and make sure that he wasn't laughing because he didn't start the recording. Uh so thank goodness that's not it. What are you laughing about?
SPEAKER_02No, you gotta share because No, I and I I apologize. That was an outburst I shouldn't have had.
SPEAKER_03You're laughing.
SPEAKER_02I thought maybe she maybe she's giving travel tips to Mexico or something.
Legalization Basics And Federal Roadblocks
SPEAKER_03Oh my gosh. Jesus. Yeah, that's kind of a shit show down there right now, but thank goodness it's there and not in the United States for a change. But uh anyway, go ahead, Bobby.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we're gonna talk about we're gonna have a little debate on marijuana.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Hmm. Whether we're pro-con or what our reasoning is or legalization or what.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I think we're gonna touch on all of it. Um, I I did quite a bit of research on this, and I have researched it before, even before um, you know, a lot of the states had had gotten into legalizing it. And let let's all remember, folks, state legalization does not equal federal legalization. So that that's a huge, huge wall that we're facing right now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, we know that because people jump borders to go get stuff, right? I mean, right, you know, yeah, you're gonna go to Illinois or somewhere else to get your stuff.
SPEAKER_02And yeah, for drinking and drinking age, we'd always do that too.
SPEAKER_03When we were younger, we'd go to another state.
SPEAKER_01Oh, we do it for tattoos. I mean, because you know, a lot of states around us, the tattoo age is 16 and not 18.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, there's an age limit on tattoos, yeah. I wouldn't have to have your parents' permission if you're a just for certain states. I think so. Yeah. I yeah, yeah. So anyway, back to marijuana.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so so you know, you and I are kind of, you know, it's funny because, and I'll tell the listeners this my mom for for a long time, and she still is mostly, but she's you know, anti-drug, you know, uh clean edge type living and clean edge cleanage.
SPEAKER_03That almost sounds like it's you know, like hygiene things. Yeah, she's got a lot of cleanage going on.
SPEAKER_01And and in your in your formative years, you know, you were against us kids, uh, you know, doing any type of drugs, let alone marijuana and things like that. And I think that your view has kind of changed with with age and with um some of your disabilities, I guess I would say, the chronic pain. Uh, I think that your views have kind of changed on that. Is that right?
Pain, Fibromyalgia, And Self-Medication
SPEAKER_03I would say you're right. I mean, I am still, you know, very much uh against uh drugs, with the exception of I think marijuana is a natural thing, and and I think I think there's some benefits that have been proven. And now we have fibromyalgia, and and all three of us do. My other daughter has it also. And for anybody who is not familiar with fibromyalgia, I always tell people there's a picture out there online and it says this is what fibromyalgia would look like. And I always tell people, if you were in a really, really bad car wreck yesterday, but you didn't break anything and you survived, and you woke up the next morning, that's how fibromyalgia feels. And it's like your body is so sore and it's hard to move. But the concern is you have to keep moving with fibromyalgia. And people will sit back in easy chairs and they go, Well, I just can't do anything today. No, you've got to. You've got to stay mobile. If you don't, it is going to make you dehabilitated. And and so the what I have learned, and and when I was working, of course, we were drug tested, and we could have a random drug test at any given time. And and I didn't do anything. But I will tell you, after you and I talked about the fibromyalgia and all the pains that I have because I also have arthritis, I said a couple years before I retired, I said, when I retire, the first thing I'm gonna do is roll me a big fat one and get out of this pain. Um, because I don't like taking other drugs, even if they're over the counter. I don't like taking them.
SPEAKER_02So is the criteria it has to be natural? That's why you're accepting marijuana.
SPEAKER_03Well, give me another example. I mean, like Opium. Cocaine. Yeah, opium is natural.
SPEAKER_02Magic shrooms, those are natural.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, cocaine is natural.
SPEAKER_02Toad licken, whatever toad licken. Whatever you want.
SPEAKER_03Um, I don't know about that because I think those are harder drugs, and I think that they do lead to drug abuse. And so, you know, that can cause addictions. I don't think now I'm gonna say I don't think marijuana does that, but I was looking at statistics, and you're probably gonna disagree with me, Bobby. But roughly one in ten adult users develop an addiction, and that rises significantly from one in six for those who started using marijuana before the age of 18. So daily users have a 30 to 50 percent chance of developing an addiction, and that's I believe that that's the newest information. Now, a lot of people will say, oh no, it is not a gateway drug. A gateway drug, yeah. And but uh as it turns out, it kind of is, and so I think you have to be careful with that uh as to when you you start using it and how much you're using it. If you're using it daily, not just for pain, you got an issue.
Dependence, Addiction, And The Gateway Debate
SPEAKER_01Well, anybody that uses it really has an issue one way or the other, but I I don't think that it's so much of a gateway drug as people who do use it daily, you know, they do build up that tolerance, they they they have a new normal, is basically what it is. And and especially for chronic pain patients and things like that, you know, we really got screwed by the war on opioids. And I'm gonna say it like that because I took opioids for many, many years. But I wasn't addicted. No, see, and here's the difference. Here's the difference people don't understand is that I wasn't addicted to the drug, I was reliant on it to feel normal.
SPEAKER_03But I think that's what addiction is. I think it puts it.
SPEAKER_01If I didn't have it, I was sore, but it's not like I was out behind a dumpster, you know, sucking some guy off for some more opioids. Uh I never had that. It was more of a I was reliant on it in order to to have that normal.
SPEAKER_03And you're saying to function because of pain, is that correct? But that's how a lot of addictions start, Bobby, because there are, you know, there is a connection with uh with the use for depression, for anxiety.
SPEAKER_01And so I'm not I'm not saying there's not. I'm just saying that, you know, for a lot of chronic pain patients, it wasn't the addiction to the high or the way that it made us, you know, feel funny or happy or anything like that. It was just that it brought us to a level of normal that we could function every day. I could get up and I could clean my house. I could go to work, you know, a full-time job, I could be interactive with my children, you know, to whereas when they took it away from me, it was really hard to find something to replace that. And unfortunately, with marijuana, you know, it is a Schedule One drug. And a Schedule One drug means that the government doesn't think that it has medical value and that it has a susceptibility for abuse. And so I think that that's a huge problem. You're not going to schedule marijuana uh, you know, on the same page that you're gonna schedule heroin and fentanyl and things like that. And that's exactly what they did.
SPEAKER_03I don't, I don't disagree with part of that statement, but when you talk about it made you functional, you know, there's functional alcoholics out there, there's functional uh uh meth users. There's hey, I had a functional meth user working on my house when they built it. And he I remember that, you know, and he goes, Yeah, I use meth. I go, Are you serious? You know, because I'm thinking, how are you working on my house? Very functional, smart cat, did a great job. And he said, I've been doing it for years. I, you know, and and I go, every day? He goes, Yeah. And it's like, oh my goodness. And so there's functional, you know, cocaine users. So it isn't, you know, I I guess I have to argue that point where you said it made me functional. And so that right there, I mean, uh here's one of the other things that I want to mention is when back when we were in high school, and yeah, I did try it when I was under 18, you know, but yeah, I did. I was in high school, and but I didn't like it, and I so I didn't I had nothing to do with it. And Dr. Domain, did you ever try it in high school?
SPEAKER_02Try what?
SPEAKER_03Marijuana. No, oh no, because he was a straight shooter and he got good grades and he was there every day to learn to actually learn. I was he's giving me the stink eye right now. Yeah, but the here's here's the old big difference is he's pretty darn smart, and I'm not. Um, but one of the things that uh we have to understand is the modern products of marijuana often feature significantly higher THC concentrations than previous decades, right? So those risks of addiction um do help turn into mental health issues, you know, some cognitive decline, and physical problems, especially if they're using it on a daily basis or long term. So I think it's changed over the years. So I, you know, it does have a higher level. It's it's like meth. You know, you watch Breaking Bad. You got certain levels of meth, right? Um of the purity of it. And uh it it it's you know, I mean, it makes a big difference.
SPEAKER_01And so, you know, I Well, yeah, because I mean we're not talking about the the Iowa ditchweed that we used to get, you know, when we were in high school that literally grew in ditches from people throwing their seeds up.
SPEAKER_03That's not why. Do you know why in the Midwest? Because it was grown to make rope in the war during the wartime. Well, that was the hemp. That was hemp. I'm sorry, that was hemp. But yeah, it that's where the ditch weed came from. It wasn't from people throwing it out, it was because it was grew as a m as a farming agricultural for the government.
SPEAKER_01So I found to disagree because we had our own little crop going. Okay.
SPEAKER_03You may have had some stash out on rural route 20. She was out making rope. She was out making rope.
Potency, Teen Brains, And Safety Risks
SPEAKER_01Yep, I was out making rope, absolutely. But you know, the thing is, is you know, we have all these states that are are progressing in the fact that they are legalizing marijuana use, whether it be for medical or recreational. And and I'm gonna put this on the table. I don't think anybody under the age of 21 should be recreationally using marijuana, period. I believe that it is something that is akin to I I won't say it's as bad as alcohol, but there are changes that happen in your body and in your brain. And I don't think that anybody who's under the age of 21, honestly, I don't think anybody who's under the age of 25 should be using this stuff.
SPEAKER_03I don't disagree with that. And when we compare, you know, the use of marijuana, which really stimulates you and kind of you know makes you, hey, dude, we're just depends on the strain. We're gonna hang out to somebody who's drinking alcohol and now is starting fights, going downtown, you know, driving cars. You yeah, yeah. I think that there's but but no one is doing anything about alcohol, but all of a sudden marijuana, you know, you have a little bit and they're gonna throw you in jail for you know five years.
SPEAKER_02That's becoming more acceptable, though.
SPEAKER_03We gotta agree that it's becoming more acceptable in some states.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, dope's becoming more acceptable in our society.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02My prediction, and I've said this for a long time, is that marijuana will be legalized countrywide. I believe that. And then right behind it will be cocaine or other illicit drugs. I know it sounds like a reach, but I don't think we're gonna be that far off from that.
SPEAKER_03I think you're probably I don't think so. I think you're probably right.
SPEAKER_02Look at the European countries. I mean, they're they're already starting to slide down that slippery slope, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, that's but I mean, even with the states, you know, legalizing marijuana for either personal or medical use, we're still having, you know, in 2021, the amount of uh possession arrests in those states where it's legal was almost 200,000 for the year.
SPEAKER_02Hold on, hold on. Why are you getting arrested for something that's legal?
SPEAKER_01That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_03It's because of the amount. I'm looking at it right now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's it's the amount, it's distribution, it's do you have a gun on you when you are carrying that marijuana? And that's one thing that I had brought up to mom, um, you know, because she when she first started uh dabbling, I will say, in in pain relief with uh marijuana, she she just like all of us, we are gun owners and we have um legal guns, you know, things like that.
SPEAKER_03And I had to tell her that because I said, easy, sister. I'm just kidding. Well, we have guns. Yes, we have guns.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I and I had to tell you that, you know, federally, mom, marijuana's still illegal. You're not allowed to have firearms while you have a medical marijuana card. You gotta pick one or the other.
SPEAKER_03And I think and and that's an excellent point because when you told me that, I was like, hey, what? So my medical card is a good, you know. I mean, I can go across borders and get medical, you know, get medical marijuana, although they limit it, you know, in other states. Um, but the uh requirement not to carry a gun if you have that certification for medical marijuana is federal. Uh what I did was I let my medical marijuana card go because I can get it anywhere. Let's face it. I mean, you know, really I only do gummies when I'm in pain. Uh, I don't really smoke anything because it hurts my chest. Right.
SPEAKER_01And everywhere around Iowa has legalized for recreational use. Right. I mean, right. We're smack dab in the middle of the states surrounding us that do not have restrictions, and our state has like the lowest THC that can possibly be produced for medical use.
SPEAKER_03So just so to clarify, one of the reasons why the states where it's legalized, why they're going to jail, has to do with the quantity. It has to do with being under the influence out in public, would be no different than alcohol, um, under the influence while driving. And um whether you're selling it. So those are the reasons they're still going to jail for that. Now, if it's just for possession on under personal use, I don't think they're going to jail, Bobby. I'm not really seeing that. But I did want to ask you as of January 2026, how many states do you think have legalized medical use of marijuana?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, medical use? Yeah. Uh 21, 20, 20, 30? I want to say twenty one.
SPEAKER_03Forty.
SPEAKER_01Forty.
SPEAKER_03How many do you think have legalized recreational use?
SPEAKER_01Oh legalized and not decriminalized forty.
Decriminalized vs Legalized And State Variations
SPEAKER_03What do you think, Dr. Domain? For recreational use.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01We're talking legal.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's only 24.
SPEAKER_02Only 24. But what was it like a year ago or two years ago or three years ago? It was a lot less.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was a lot less. And I don't have those stats for those previous years with me. It's proving my theory. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So but I mean, one thing we have to realize though is there's a huge difference between decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana. Yeah. A lot of states have decriminalized it, meaning that the police forces have, you know, they're they're kind of, well, you'll get a ticket, you'll pay a fine, but we're going to let you go on your way because we don't want to clog up the prison systems with this, you know, lower level stuff. And and but you're still going to get fined. You're still going to have that on your record. You're still going to have issues with it. And that, you know, the ones that legalize it are are, I mean, there you can't get a fine for having a personal use on you if you're not under the influence driving type of thing.
Guns, Banking, And Federal Conflicts
SPEAKER_03Right. And I I think that when people look at, you know, well, these people are still getting arrested and they're still going to jail. You have to look at those other conditions, right? I mean, you there are conditions associated with it. But um, you know, I mean, proponents argue for pro-legalization, proponents argue that, you know, cannabis is safer than alcohol or or tobacco, and that's legalized, uh, you know, and it's allowed for under government regulations. You know, I don't the whole thing is is the reason it's problematic is because the government doesn't control it right now and they can't tax it. That's the whole problem. And so that's why it's such a big deal. But all marijuana is not the same, just like every cigarette's not the same, just like all alcohol is not the same. I mean, you may be getting some that's you know, not free of pesticides, has dangerous uh additives to it. I mean, some marijuana comes with fentanyl in it. So I I think you have to pay attention to those things too. So where are we at, I guess, in this whole thing, I did want to mention though, that study some studies have connected, you know, cannabis use to depression, anxiety, and in some cases suicidal thoughts, especially among teenagers. And I think that's important to say because there are parents out there that go, oh yeah, my kid uses little marijuana, you know, and uh you don't know how much little marijuana he's using or she's using. And you have to understand that we've got other things that are causing depression in our kids. I mean, social networking should be outlawed really for kids, but it's not. Um, some cognitive impairment, you know, short-term effects include impaired memory. Let's face it, when you're feeling pretty good because you've taken a gummy or whatever, I can't remember crap. But um, but it does reduce your attention span. You've got slower learning. You know, I think it's important that people understand I'm not against gummies or the use of this stuff recreationally, or if you've got to use it for pain. But for God's sakes, don't go out and inspect a bridge tomorrow. Um, and don't, you know, fix my car. And uh, I don't need you to be my brain surgeon while you're taking this stuff. And so there has to be some restrictions on it, Bobby.
SPEAKER_01Right. And that, you know, that's what I started talking out or talking about when we first started out is yeah, there do need to be restrictions. There needs to be age restrictions, of course. And you know, you talk about um, especially teenagers who are getting either the flour or these vape cartridges, they're getting them second, third, fourth hand. These are the dangerous ones, these are the ones that are not regulated, that are not sold, you know, through they're not inspected by anything. And these are the ones that have the fentanyl laced in them. These are the ones that are there, I call them bathtub vapes because, you know, just like with the bathtub meth, you don't know what's in it. It could be rat poison mixed with it, right? And you're over here inhaling it, yeah, it's gonna cause a lot of damage. And even if it is regulated, even if it is, you know, a pure flower that was organically grown by one of the safest farms in America. If you're a 14-year-old child who is smoking this constantly, and let's be honest, when once these kids get a hold of it, they're gonna want to feel how they feel every day. Right. You know, they're they're gonna want that high. If not more. Right. And so you're gonna have problems. I mean, these kids' brains are developing until they're 25 years old, and to introduce something like THC to the receptors that that govern not only emotions, but emotional stability, logical decision making, things like that. There's gonna be problems. And we as parents, I think we need to step up. Yeah, kids are gonna get a hold of stuff. Kids have gotten a hold of stuff since day one. I mean, I remember, you know, being a very young teenager drinking in a cornfield because we were at a rave. Who got us the alcohol? Nobody knows, but by God, we were out there drinking it.
SPEAKER_03But I think that's what Why do you have to confess everything on this podcast?
SPEAKER_01You're 45 years old, statute of limitations is over.
SPEAKER_03But as people listen to our previous podcast, there was one where you admitted something that I just this up, I know, because it bothered me that much.
SPEAKER_01You just admitted to smoking weed in high school.
SPEAKER_03Well, it wasn't like I was doing it all the time. I did it if I did it to try it. That's what I said. Well, and I didn't like it.
SPEAKER_01Unfortunately, God bless his soul, that man um actually doesn't have the proper receptors to be able to use cannabis um because it doesn't affect him at all. Oh and thank God he didn't pass that down because boy, I'd have been pissed.
SPEAKER_02But he maybe he was smoking with Obama. He didn't inhale.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Is that it?
Policing Disparities And Arrest Data
SPEAKER_03That's right. That's why it was not effective. Um, I do want to go back to though, Bobby, too, you know, you talked a little bit about pro-legalization. And um, I know that that there are advocates out there that emphasize that marijuana laws are dis uh proportionately enforced, and you mentioned that too. You know, based uh based on, you know, if I'm carrying something personal, you know, I shouldn't be going to jail for that. And one of the things, whether we like it or not, um, it is in dis uh disproportionately enforced with black individuals being far more likely to be arrested than white individuals, whether we like it or not, that does happen. Now, listen, I'm not advocating for anybody. I don't care what your race is, I don't care. But when you see those numbers, you kind of go, is it because you're out raising hell and you know, causing issues? And, you know, I would have to look further on that to see were they under the influence while they were driving, were they selling? You know, what was the situation? And people focus on this, you know, the fact that it's enforced more with black individuals, but let's really go to the root cause here. Why were they arrested? Not just for having personal use, but was it because you were doing these other things? Now, I don't know. I don't know. I'm just saying that, you know, when you want to take a side, look at everything.
SPEAKER_01Well, I mean, let's look at a few of those numbers. Um, because despite so there they've done a lot of studies on this, especially recently, and they have found that um, you know, the usage rate across the racial groups is pretty similar. So it's it's not that one race is using it more um than another race, they're actually really close in in usage, but you know, uh black people are 3.64 to 3.73 more time times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.
SPEAKER_03But then again, uh what I just said is were they just doing personal use or were they selling it or were they under the influence while they were driving? I you know.
SPEAKER_01I'm just doing some numbers. Okay and and so, and then you look at states such as Montana and Kentucky, black individuals are over nine times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white individuals. So that study actually showed that white people were more likely to get a ticket and be able to move on than to be arrested and be detained and taken to jail.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I would like to see if everything was equal. You know what I mean? Was the situation equal? I would just like to see.
SPEAKER_01They have done, you know, especially the ACLU, they have done a lot of studies on this. And a lot of times they have gone, you know, toe to toe, black person versus white person, black male versus white male. They're both carrying, like let's throw a number out. They're both carrying an ounce of weed, okay, in their in their pocket. Yeah, and they're driving down the road. And let's say they both have a tail light out. I mean, they have actually done studies for this, they get pulled over for the tail light. Well, there's a lot more times that that black person is pulled out of the car, searched, and arrested rather than the white person pulled out of the car, searched, and they said, Okay, we're gonna give you a ticket for this. You have to show up to court, but we're gonna let you go.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. And, you know, I I think again, there's a lot of conditions here. Um, and behavior makes a difference also. You know, you get pulled over, Bobby, and you act like an asshole. Um, I say take her to jail.
SPEAKER_01You know, I do you see the body cams? What are you doing here?
SPEAKER_03I I get pulled over and I'm really nice to the to the police for doing their jobs and I'm thanking them. I'm not going to jail, okay? Uh I'm I I really do think behavior plays a role too. So yeah, I am looking at the body cams, Bobby. Um, but uh one other thing that I wanted to mention also is we've got a lot of big corporations that are now, you know, have that big marijuana industry. And one of the concerns is that they prioritize corporate profits over the community well-being. And so, you know, potentially exploiting the same communities that were previously harmed by the prohibition. And so I think, you know, there is a conflict of interest. What are you laughing about?
SPEAKER_02In fact, this is news. I mean, they they did totally have no concern over the community in the first place.
SPEAKER_03Well, that's true. That's absolutely true.
SPEAKER_02I mean, look at our food. Government anything, yeah.
SPEAKER_01They're not gonna have concern over us.
SPEAKER_03That's true, but when you get bigger corporations involved, it's like the big pharma, right? They don't give a crap about us. You know, the medical industry doesn't really I truly believe they don't want to make us h uh healthy, they just want to make money. And so, you know, once you get the big corporations involved, and now you've got states that legalized it, they're going, oh, you know, we can make a profit off this, even though the community may be harmed by it. Um, and again, the government gets its tax money. It's just a big shit show.
Corporate Cannabis And The Green Rush
SPEAKER_02It it's just I I Well, it's surfacing already, if you recall. So in Des Moines they have this huge farmers market, and it's like one of the best in the nation. Anyway, there was a guy there that was selling dope of some form, and he was starting to feel the squeeze because the government was starting to jerk him around in terms of quantities and stuff like that. And all the while, there's a large corporation that's building itself up to do all of this production, and they're squeezing the little guy out.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_02So that is that follow the money.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_02There's money to be made in the dope business.
SPEAKER_03That's called that's actually got a term that's been coined here called the green rush, and it's created a new tax base um with hidden costs associated to the regular farmer as opposed to the corporate company that can get tax breaks.
SPEAKER_02But the gentleman we were speaking to at the farmers market, he said, This is this is it, this is my last year. I'll be doing this just because of this. And it's it's really sad. Very sad because you've got entrepreneurs out there that are trying to make their way into this industry, and just like any other you know, thing that's that's destined to make a mint, they're gonna get squeezed out.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I get it. You know, on the other side.
SPEAKER_01They're they're pulling in billions in revenue over the legalization of uh of just leisure marijuana use.
SPEAKER_03Well, they're not even medical, right? They're bringing in billions of tax dollars too. And some could argue that that funds schools, infrastructures, roads, that sort of thing. Now, on the other side, though, the offset of that is the social costs of the increased addictions, workplace accidents, you know, arrests, um, uh, you know, drugged driving incidents. So it's like it there's always a counterbalance, right?
SPEAKER_01So you know the same with alcohol.
SPEAKER_03Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, totally agree.
SPEAKER_01So and uh it was, I mean, you know, the prohibition kind of showed us that it and there's a marijuana prohibition too, you know. Don't get me wrong, but the alcohol prohibition showed us that, you know, when you take when you take the free reign of that alcohol out of the hands of the, you know, the companies who make it and the people who make it and the people whose livelihoods depend on it, they're gonna find a way, one way or the other. They're gonna find a way to get that into the people's hands. Yeah. And the safest way for the government to do this is to partner with them, is to say, you know what? We're gonna make it legal, we're gonna tax it, we're gonna get a little bit off of it, but you know, we're gonna make it safer because you're looking at crime rates actually go down in the states that it's legalized for personal use. Crime rates have gone down. Um, violent crimes have gone down in the states where they have personal use that is legalized.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I get it. So it's just gonna be an ongoing conflict for quite some time. But uh again, I think as every situation comes up, and when you go to argue it, um you know, you need to look at everything, not just you know, uh what's on the surface. What's on the surface of the law? And people go, oh, they got legalized. Let's look at everything, let's read that law, let's read how it got into the system, let's read how it got voted on, um, who was voting on it, and uh, you know, who's gonna benefit from it? And so I think that's really important.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, hey, a quick question. Did you know why most marijuana businesses, even in the legal states, are cash businesses? Do you know why that is?
SPEAKER_03Does that have to do with a uh commerce uh uh federal uh there's a federal commerce clause out there about favoring or they're about not favoring um local farms and local businesses for licenses? Is that am I way off base on that?
Social Costs, Tax Revenues, And Crime
SPEAKER_01You're you're kind of way off base. So so get this, because marijuana is not legal at the federal level. Most banks are at the federal level. You know, they have the FDIC insurance, things like that. Right. So banks will not open accounts for these businesses since marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. And guess what? Handling money from marijuana sales is considered money laundering at the federal level.
SPEAKER_03I did read that. I did read that.
SPEAKER_01Isn't that crazy? And by making them be cash-only businesses, that opens them up to robberies and things that that don't need to happen if the if the federal government would just get on board and start protecting these big businesses, allowing them to have bank accounts for this money, for these profits, for these businesses. It's like they're setting up they're setting them up to fail. Let's just be honest, they're setting them up to fail because the government just you know doesn't know what the heck is that. But yeah, money laundering. Can you believe that?
SPEAKER_03That's crazy. Go ahead, Dr. D.
SPEAKER_02I always say it makes sense.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, open a car wash. Yeah, open a car wash. Yeah, launder that money. Yeah, yeah. We'll open that up. But um, I truly believe cash is still king. Uh until the government starts spending our money the way they're supposed to be spending it, and we're finding out a lot of fraud's been going on, and a lot of our money has been going where we didn't want it to go. And you know, people are pissed off, and and it's like, leave us alone, leave us alone. You know what? We're the ones paying those taxes. So um I think it's I I think it's important to know where that money's going. Anyway, that's all I have to say about it, Bobby. What else you got?
SPEAKER_01Hey, all I can say is, you know, we are for we are pro do what you're gonna do, but be responsible. Right. Okay, right, keep these kids out of it, keep it out of these kids' hands. Let let's let's start uh getting the the bad stuff out of it and let's start actually enjoying life and and and honestly, government.
SPEAKER_03Here, here, here, here, I'm all for that. That's gonna be bleeped out, I'm pretty sure. But um, I doubt it. I'm pretty sure the one word will be, but anyway, here we go.
SPEAKER_01But hey, listen, that is all the insanity that we have for everybody today. But we do appreciate you joining us at the Rabbit Run Studio. Please be sure to follow us, find us over on Facebook at the uh Boomer and Gen Xer official podcast page.
SPEAKER_03And share, share, share.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, share us. Share us with your friends, your enemies, your dealers, whoever you want. I mean, we'll take them. But we do look forward to spending time with you each week. And if you have like a topic idea, a question, uh, constructive criticism, drop us a short email at boomerandgenxer at gmail.com. And if you have hate mail, well, send it to me. I'll just roll it up and smoke it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So until next week, I'm Bobby Joy.
SPEAKER_03And I'm Jane Burt, and you're stuck with us. Peace out.