R.I.P. SKYMINT: Yet Another ‘Big Weed’ Monopoly Firm Bites the Dust

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Mar 162023
 

Friends,

God is good, and Karma is real. Recent news in the Michigan cannabis industry only confirms that reality. There is justice in the universe.

Skymint – one of the biggest marijuana retailers in the state of Michigan – is on the hook for an astounding $127 million dollars that they are unable to repay their creditors. They own 24 cannabis dispensaries across the state, and despite their PR spin to the contrary, it is only a matter of time before the entire enterprise goes bust considering the state of the cannabis industry in Michigan.

Even though it is unfortunate that hundreds will lose their jobs, we should be crying no tears for Skymint’s fall as it is well-deserved.

Skymint was one of the major players that were behind the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA), which pushed for the Big Weed monopoly in Lansing during last year’s legislative session. The Michigan Caregivers Association (MCA) dropped a nuclear bomb on the MCMA, blowing up the monopoly plans that they hoped they could fast track and push through without the public realizing what was occurring. We put dark money lobbyist Steve Linder’s ugly rat face in the newspapers, retiring his sorry ass in disgrace, and put the MCMA out to pasture. The organization was forced to close this year.

Of course, we were not alone in this fight, and many joined us on the front lines to hold off the Big Weed takeover. There were thousands of cannabis-freedom advocates fighting diligently on behalf of the caregivers and the medical cannabis patients. But we were leading the way with the talking points, blazing the trail with an aggressive no-holds-barred approach, dragging the bad guys through the mud with reckless abandon, making the fight as ugly as possible, and shining an inescapable light on the lobbyists and corporate interests who were using fraud and deceit in an attempt to monopolize the industry.

We changed the narrative from “cannabis safety,” which was the centerpiece of the talking points crafted by the Big Weed lobby. They wanted us to argue about the supposed problem of unlicensed growers supplying cannabis product to people without regulators or government officials inspecting the crops. This is how the cannabis industry worked for years and thrived despite prohibition. Rather than humor their nonsensical concerns, we inserted ourselves into the public debate and blew their entire argument up. We put the bad guys on the defensive. In the end, no lawmaker wanted to touch the bill.

And now Skymint is screwed as a result!

Without a government-granted monopoly propping them up, firms like Skymint cannot dominate the marketplace. Hell, they cannot even stay afloat. Cannabis consumers by and large do not want to buy product from dirty, disreputable corporate whores. With a huge diverse marketplace out there, cannabis consumers chose to go to other dispensaries, buy from trusted sources, or simply grow their own rather than hand over their money to a demon. This is the essence of the free market. These bastards at Skymint were unethical and are being run out of business in a well-deserved failure.

Rumor has it that more firms are going to be biting the dust in short order. It has been alleged that PURE in Lapeer, owned by the greasy attorney Mikey Bahoura, recently laid off many of its workers, and other locations are on similarly shaky ground. PURE may be the next domino to fall, and then other monopoly firms will come next. They are reaping what they have sown. It didn’t have to be this way, but they insisted on the rules that have made their profit-seeking unviable.

We warned what would happen if the large-scale cannabis licenses granted by the state were not capped. There would inevitably be an excess of investment into the industry, resulting in oversaturation, and the golden goose of the cannabis industry would be killed. That is what is happening now. The corporate daddies who hated the industry and tried to stifle it for years eventually saw big money in it, and tried to gang rape the cannabis cannabis like they have so many other industries in America. But unfortunately for these villains, cannabis is an industry unlike any other.

Cannabis is not like McDonalds. Cannabis users care deeply about the plant, how their products are made, the quality of those products, and the ethics behind the sale. The best caregivers have been able to weather the storm within this tumultuous marketplace because their patients have stood strong and demand the best quality. The best growers and best products are sought out by consumers. Reputations in this industry matter, and that truth is being felt – good and hard – by the wannabe monopolists now. Without the government able to prop them up, they are getting bitch slapped by the invisible hand of the market.

Even though there is a great deal of turmoil in the cannabis industry, the turmoil is not hurting the customer. According to FOX 17 West Michigan, the price for an ounce of cannabis has dropped from an average of $516 in December of 2019 to an average of $81 as of January 2023. This is happening during a time of widespread inflation in virtually all other economic sectors. Would this have happened if the Big Weed gangsters gotten their monopoly like they planned? Of course not!

Now, there is a push to cap licenses, to close off the industry because of the “problem” of oversupply. Is oversupply a problem for the cannabis consumers? Is that a problem for individuals who are frequenting cannabis dispensaries? Is oversupply a problem for medical marijuana patients who need cannabis to sustain their lives? These aren’t the people complaining. It is the forces who tried to game the system and failed miserably due to their greed and avarice who are now begging for the bailout.

We say: HELL NO to that! We need to make sure that the interests who set this system up to enrich themselves at the expense of the many suffer mightily for their misdeeds. Let them all go the way of Skymint. They must suffer the losses. It is time to let the big guys, the rich guys, the banks who put up the loans, and the wannabe monopolists take the hit. Put all of their broke asses on the unemployment line.

The only reform that should be coming from Lansing is allowing caregivers to sell their product on the broader market. Allow them to get the market share they deserve. This way, the dispensaries will be rewarded that use the best products, the monopolists will lose even more of the market share they have not earned, and the small guys will prosper.

The way forward is a restoration to what built the cannabis industry into a powerhouse. Marijuana did not become America’s #1 top cash crop because of corporate backing or because of government regulations. It became a powerhouse in spite of every government and corporate obstacle imaginable. We need to keep the industry strong by limiting government and corporate overreach. The MCA will be fighting diligently for those ends, on your behalf, moving forward.

Sincerely,

George Brikho

Legislation for the Caregivers—House Bill 6474—Defeats Municipal Attacks Against Medical Cannabis System

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Nov 162022
 

Friends,

I am proud to announce the formation of House Bill 6474, legislation that would ban attacks from municipalities against the medical cannabis system.

The bill stops local communities from passing any ordinances that would do the following:

  • Restrict caregivers from hosting/receiving patients
  • Require permits to grow at one’s residence
  • Restrict outdoor grows if they are in compliance with the requirements of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008
  • Restrict square feet of an indoor or outdoor grow
  • Require an inspection
  • Require any fees
  • Restrict limits on plants or possession of product that is fewer than the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008
  • Restrict grows to any accessory buildings, detached garage, barn, any other building on the same or adjacent property of the residence of the caregiver from having a grow
  • Restrict or imposing a fee to dispose of organic material specifically from a cannabis plant
  • Restrict caregivers or limiting caregivers as to the right to grow for patients at their residence
  • Classify caregivers as a “home occupation” or similar designation

Thank you to Representative Steve Carra for stepping up and doing the right thing and getting this bill introduced. We are building the foundation for pro-caregiver legislation to take hold in Lansing. The Michigan Caregivers Association (MCA) has been toiling behind the scenes to get this legislation introduced.

We pushed for it to be introduced this year to upend any scheming and plotting that may be going on with corrupt lawmakers and lobbyists during the lame duck. We wanted our vision known for how medical cannabis and the caregivers system should be regulated. It should be regulated to help the medical patients and their caregivers above all else. Government officials and law enforcement cannot go backward to the days of prohibition. These policies have failed, and prohibition cannot be rebranded with the caregivers and medical patients demonized.

Unfortunately, many Hydro stores and other industry organizations have not had our backs throughout this fight. The Michigan Caregivers Association has largely been funded by me, and I have continued to fund the MCA even as we have hit a recession. Hydro stores are hurting because of various economic factors. Big corporate weed is coming out to stomp on the small growers. Caregivers are living in fear as law enforcement are encouraged to raid more small grows due to the lobbying efforts of villain groups like the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturing Association (MCMA).

Through our hard work and dedication, the MCA has tossed out Steve “Little Dick” Linder from his position within the MCMA and forced him to essentially resign in disgrace. Mr. Tiny Dick has been in the news as a disgraced dark money lobbyist connected to coke-and-whores incest fiend Lee Chatfield, the former GOP House Speaker. He has been flushed like yesterday’s shit, but the MCMA is still very dangerous. They have former LARA regulator Shelly Edgerton running them now, in a clear conflict of interest that makes a mockery of ethics and transparency, as well as Democrat spin doctor Mark Fisk, who is directly tied to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The MCMA is still dangerous and still plotting to destroy the rights of the caregivers and create their Big Weed monopoly. If they are not plotting their takeover during the lame duck, then they are certainly lobbying newly-elected lawmakers to get them on board with their sinister agenda. The fight will continue onward through next year and beyond. Those who care about liberty and justice need to be willing to fight alongside us. We cannot roll over and let the cannabis industry become like every other monopoly in Michigan, run by corporate greed. You can donate to help the cause here.

Additionally, feel free to check out my deals at Edenz Hydro. You can buy your Hydro supplies from providers who don’t care about the caregivers and have given up on the cause OR you can buy your supplies from me at better prices. The choice is clear. Check out the best deals I have available here. Buy online or join my webstore. These are tough times and we all have to support each other. Support small businesses. Support good people who care about the community. Don’t let your hard-earned money go into the pockets of corporate vultures who will happily sell you down the river. Keep our communities strong. Keep the fight going. Daddy has got your back.

Shop Edenz Hydro!

Support the Michigan Caregivers Association!

Sincerely,
Big George

Terrapin’s Failure Shows the Greed and Avarice of Corporate Cannabis Kingpins

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Jun 142022
 

This weekend, Terrapin, a national marijuana giant, announced that they will be closing all of their operations in Michigan effective immediately.

Terrapin was one of the wannabe cannabis monopolists operating under the umbrella of the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturing Association. They are one of the many big money firms who thought they could waltz in, take over and rake in the cash while putting their competition out of business with government force.

They thought wrong.

Many individuals with business sense (or common sense) who have been in the cannabis industry for longer than a cup of coffee could see this coming a mile away. If the corporate cartel had any foresight, they could have taken simple supply and demand into account. Instead, they were too busy trying to gangrape the industry at warp speed to take a second and think straight.

When I founded Evergreen Management along with my partners in 2015, we fought the good fight to stabilize the medical marijuana industry. There was an attempt to regulate the caregiver system out of commission, and it was rapidly gaining momentum. We were able to insert ourselves in the process and throw a wrench into it. It’s what we do best. We gummed up the works, and the problematic bills in their initial form were killed.

The legislative process is never perfect, as a matter of fact it is always ugly and muddy. We eventually landed at compromise legislation that enacted some rules and regulations on the medical marijuana industry but none were too onerous and the industry could remain intact. That was a huge victory for us, and one that is often unheralded. We do not like to brag, but we put up the time, money, effort and capital to save the industry. We stepped up when it mattered most.

Another major project for Evergreen was  proposed legislation that would have capped Class C licenses. Some accused us of trying to institute protectionist measures and control the industry. But what we were really doing was trying to save the industry. Too many Class C licenses would allow for an overabundance of product, putting everybody in jeopardy. Without a cap, it would free up every greedy interest to come in and overproduce in an attempt to maximize their profits without taking anything else to concern.

If the proposed Evergreen reforms had gone into place, the caregiver system would have been protected, and there still would have been room for the big money players to come in and make money after legalization as well. Only, they would have had to innovate and provide products and services preferred by the consumers. They preferred the government-granted monopoly route. We remember what lawmakers dropped the ball and folded to the pressure. Shame on you for what your weakness has wrought on a noble industry.

While it would be easy and fun to shit on Terrapin and laugh about their immolation in Michigan, the unfortunate reality is that many people lost their jobs amidst a recession and massive inflation because of their failure. Many more will lose their jobs because of corporate greed and how it is enabled by our reprehensible and soulless elected officials of both parties. Lawmakers in Lansing refuse to pass legislation protecting the caregivers and putting caps on corporate raiders who want to come in and swallow up the industry. It is beyond sickening.

The Michigan Caregivers Association has sent a caregivers’ rights survey to all elected lawmakers and prospective lawmakers during this 2022 election cycle. The MCA wants to make sure that we get individuals into office who care about individual rights and want to save a sustainable industry from being cannibalized by Big Business. The MCA knows the recipe that will get Lansing to break: sustained public pressure and the possibility of losing their cushy jobs in the Capitol.

We learned during the Evergreen Management days that treating lawmakers like they are human beings, talking with them, educating them, supporting them, holding their hands, giving them pleasure rather than pain, is largely a dead end because there is always someone with a bigger checkbook coming in from down the block, and these political whores will get on their knees for whoever has the most money. This is the nature of politics, and every elected official in Lansing, with only exceedingly rare exceptions, falls into this category.

This is why caregivers, medical marijuana patients, and other advocates for this industry need to have the correct mindset. Our lawmakers do not want to learn about the healing nature of the cannabis plant and its transcendent power of the mind. Our lawmakers do not care about the negative aspects of prohibition and why it is a failed public policy that must be stopped in order to save lives. They only care about campaign contributions and getting re-elected. We cannot win the money game, but we can sure as hell make it more difficult for them to get re-elected by lobbying the public with the facts and the hard-hitting information that is being suppressed by the establishment.

The MCA’s tactics have worked at getting monopoly bills HB5300-02 stalled in the State House. The lobbyist agenda was exposed. The issue went from being about “public safety” to being about a crony corporate takeover. No mercy should be given while operating within this den of vultures. Only once we are feared will we be respected. Once we have cultivated that fear, the lawmakers will fall in line, and the caregivers shall be protected. This is the only model of success that is achievable. This is the only path toward victory, and I hope you will walk it alongside me.

Remember: These corporate cannabis kingpins will take down every small grower in their pursuit of the almighty dollar if we let them get away with it. They will blow the whole thing up because their indulgence is limitless. They will not stopped until there is a law in place stopping them, or if the public forcefully says no more. There is absolutely no reason why we should be gentle with these monsters, and the lawmakers who they control. We can sleep soundly at night only knowing that we used every tool at our disposal to win this battle. There is no honor in accepting defeat to the forces of pure evil. The time for war is now. Let’s be smart, let’s be cunning, let’s be ruthless, and victory shall be ours.

 

Viva la revolución,

Big George

Why Does Republican Lobbyist Corruption in the Michigan Marijuana Industry Go Unpunished?

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Oct 202021
 

Friends,

I have embarked upon a journey in recent months, through my organization, the Michigan Caregivers Association, fighting corruption in Lansing.

Sadly, there are members of both major political parties that are engaging in this illicit and unlawful process. Certain Republicans and Democrats are in on it and taking money from the bad guys to sell out the industry.

This is why House Bills 5300, 5301 and 5302 are moving at a lightning pace through the process. These monopoly bills have bipartisan support, with Democrats and Republicans down on their knees for reviled lobbyist Steven “Dr. Evil” Linder, the Chamber of Commerce, and other villains out to steal the marijuana industry from the caregivers, medical patients, small businesses, and other entities that have built it into an economic powerhouse.

This is a takeover by the interests that have opposed marijuana for decades. They fought for prohibition until they saw dollar signs after the marijuana industry started to take off. A great example of this phenomenon is former Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, a Republican who opposed marijuana until he realized he could enrich himself through the industry. Then he whored himself out to the highest bidder while probably breaking the law while doing so.

Meekhof appointed Rick Johnson as chairman of the Michigan medical marijuana licensing board. As part of what appears to be an evident quid pro quo, Johnson gave three licenses to medical marijuana concerns that had bought off Meekhof. He admitted in emails that were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that he was in communication with Johnson during the licensure process that ultimately favored Meekhof’s clients.

This seems to be in apparent violation of a 2016 law barring representatives of medical marijuana applicants from lobbying licensing board members. Meekhof’s clients, Chesaning Elite, Lapeer Infused and Power Play Sports 2, benefited from paying off Meekhof and his lobbying associates. Their licenses went from being denied to being approved. This is part of the same money-driven agenda of unfairness that is driving support for HB5301, HB5302 and HB5303.

A Detroit News article noted that Meekhof aligned “with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce on 93% of its top issues in 2017 and 2018.” It should come as no surprise that the Chamber, a crony-capitalist institution that lobbies for corporate dominance, was at most recent committee hearing lobbying for the Linder monopoly bills. It is such an incestuous network and they all work together in concert to preserve the corrupt system because they know it benefits them at our expense at the end of the day.

Keep in mind that this is not anything new. These revelations did not come out yesterday. This has been open knowledge for years. It has been widely reported since 2019 that one of the most prominent Republican leaders was involved in an apparent pay-to-play scheme to abuse the rules, in a possibly illegal but certainly immoral act, in order to create a marijuana monopoly. There has been no accountability from the attorney general on this issue as well.

It appears that the powers that be are looking the other way, even though these are Republicans acting in an obvious conflict of interest, in a blatantly corrupt manner, and not even attempting to hide it. Everyone is seemingly lined up at the same trough for the corporate special interests that want to dominate the marijuana industry. This whole incestuous system is incredibly immoral and disgusting, but that is only a reason to fight harder.

There are certainly a handful of Republicans and Democrats who stand for the caregivers against corruption, and God bless them. But there are far too few. This is why the Michigan Caregivers Association does not lobby our lawmakers based on their consciences or their good faith. It usually does not exist. We instead prefer to lobby the people, inform them on what their lawmakers are doing, and then force the legislators to deal with the fallout if they refuse to do what is right.

The Michigan Caregivers Association has set up a web portal making it very easy to oppose monopoly bills HB5301, HB5302 and HB5303 in Lansing. That portal can be accessed at mi-caregivers.com. For additional information, visit our main website where you can make donations to this noble cause and check out our Facebook page where there are daily updates about the fight to prevent a corporate monopoly and stop the Uniparty system from strangling our freedoms and suffocating our livelihoods.

Sincerely,

Your Friend,

George Brikho