No matter their age or position of power, bullies are all the same. When staring down an inevitable loss, the last desperate attempt to turn things around is always an empty threat hurled at their enemy with malicious intent.
Chuck Edwards is using H.B. 5323, the Stop Pot Act, as such a threat. It’s an amendment to US State Code 23 to withhold 10 percent of Federal Funding to any State or Federally recognized tribe with a recreational cannabis program.
Representatives from states with already established recreational programs passed on co-sponsoring this bill. Outside of Congress, support comes from two far right-wing organizations responsible for the infamous anti-drug PSAs of the 80’s and 90’s, the Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Christian Action League.
I’m sure dreams of damaging the political relationship between the EBCI and the NCGA, along with visions of God-fearing, America-loving protestors marching towards an EBCI dispensary chanting “Stop the Pot” have brought a smile to Edwards’s face. They will remain just that though, only dreams, as this bill lacks the support it needs to become reality.
A dream that does have enough support to become a reality is one shared by many NC residents. A dream of massive crowds outside a tribal dispensary, eagerly awaiting its grand opening. Residents are no longer forced to die in the dark, but thanks to the EBCI, can now live in the light by having safe and consistent access to cannabis for their chronic conditions.
Chris Suttle
Chapel Hill, N.C.
