Those we elect to create laws and set policy have a profound impact on how the legalization of drugs like marijuana transforms our cities. Unfortunately, their own self-interest often gets in the way of implementing sound policy that carries out the will of the people. That’s because, too often, it is their own special interest of legalizing drugs that led them to political office in the first place.
What typically happens is those sharing the special interest of legalizing drugs partner together and prey upon the consumers, using them as their foot soldiers, so that they can increase their influence, and achieve financial gain. This is easy for them to do, because rather than getting involved, most non-consumers go about their busy lives, trusting politicians to carry out their will, not paying attention until one day, they go outside and do not recognize their own hometown. Then they wonder what happened.
Decriminalize Nature Entheofest 2021 was an event that took place at the University of Michigan. The 3.5-hour festival featured an endless number of stakeholders with a desire to legalize entheogenics (psychedelic plants and mushrooms). Understanding the speakers and their motivations, provides great insight into what takes place behind the scenes when special interest groups work together to influence lawmakers in ways that are not necessarily in accordance with the desires of the general public.
During Decriminalize Nature Entheofest 2021 the following people were among the stakeholders that gave short speeches supporting the legalization of entheogenic plants.
Yousef Rabhi - Washtenaw County Commissioner for District 8 and former Michigan 53rd House District Representative
Jeff Irwin - Michigan State Senator
Dana Watson - East Lansing City Council Member
Anne Bannister - former Ann Arbor City Council member
Jeff Hayner - Ann Arbor City Council Member
Victoria Burton-Harris - Washtenaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor
Eli Savit - Prosecuting Attorney for Washtenaw County
Kat Ebert - Board Member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Jamie Lowell part of first cannabis dispensing operation in Michigan, First Cannabis Association of Michigan, and author of the MRTMA, the law that legalized cannabis in Michigan, Vice-Chair of Michigan Americans for Safe Access (ASA), Michigan Cannabis Freedom Coalition, Great Lakes Expungement Network, director of equity for Botanical Company
Moss Herberholz – Therapist at Radical Well-Being Center
William Leonard Pickard – LSD Specialist
Larry Norris - co-founder of Decriminalize Nature (DN)
Ayana Iyi - Decriminalize Nature Detroit
Michael Williams aka Myc O. Phile - Co-Director of Decriminalize Nature Michigan
The main messages from the speakers to the consumers were: medicine should not be illegal, plants that have cultural significance should not be illegal, and the pharmaceutical industry has largely suppressed entheogenic plants. I tend to agree with these sentiments.
Ironically, the politicians often pointed to the business opportunists as the problem, while the business opportunists pointed back at the politicians. The reality is, more often than not, these two groups of people are partnering behind the scenes to achieve their personal political and financial goals. Although not everyone involved is an opportunist, it is speeches like those given at Decriminalize Nature Entheofest 2021 that motivate consumers who just want to be vindicated, to take action. Unfortunately, the people being encouraged to take action do not always recognize the ulterior motives of those encouraging them to take action. Nor do they recognize the likely outcomes these actions will have on society.
(4:04) Yousef Rabhi, Washtenaw County Commissioner for District 8 and former Michigan 53rd House District Representative pointed the finger at big business. “Greed works against nature in some of the worst ways, and one way that it has done that is the greed of the pharmaceutical industry in this country and across the world. [] They are the real criminals here. [] Let us today take a stand against greed. Let us today take a stand for nature.”
(7:45) Larry Norris, co-founder of Decriminalize Nature (DN), and co-founder of Entheogenic Research Integration & Education (ERIE) a non-profit organization, encouraged people at the festival to sign letters of support for house bills to decriminalize nature using the emotional cultural heritage argument to persuade festival attendees. “We obviously are rebuilding culture. A lot of this has been stripped away from many of our cultures; our ancestors cultures for 1000’s of years.”
(18:11)-East Lansing City Council Member Dana Watson, and advocate for social causes acknowledges a team working together. “I’m excited to see this momentum, and be a part of this momentum, and understand what I can do in my city, as a city council person, to move policy for our city.”
(18:55) The event MC stated, “We need advocates in Lansing and beyond.”
(29:00) Prosecuting Attorney for Washtenaw County Eli Savit talked about his role and urged consumers to get involved. “Our policy is that we do not prosecute the youth for possession of entheogenic plants county wide. [] So what’s next? I echo what our amazing chief assistant Prosecuting Attorney Victora Burton-Harris said, we need to keep up this fight. [] We need to support that legislation.”
(53:00) Michigan State Senator Jeff Irwin played on the emotions of consumers with the healing and cultural heritage arguments, and urged consumers to get involved. “I introduced this legislation recently, senate bill 631, and I did it because these entheogenic plants and fungi have tremendous promise for human beings, to provide medicinal benefit. I introduced this legislation because these plants and fungi have a long history that stretches back to the beginning of human civilization of religious significance; cultural and spiritual significance to people. [] We have an incredibly strong argument here, and I’m going to ask you to make this argument to your city council people, to your mayors, to your prosecutors and sheriffs, and to your state legislators.”
(1:12:40) Jamie Lowell an individual with a long list of marijuana credentials that includes non-profits, for profits and writing legislation talked about activists working with politicians. “A very awesome group of activists, [] had a discussion with the city council, and that ultimately resulted in the city council voting unanimously to make entheogenic plants the lowest level enforcement priority; [] The last election has also brought us a new prosecutor, Eli Savit, you heard from him. He was joined by Victoria Burton-Harris, and my mind, creating sort of a SUPER-TEAM here. You heard what their stance is for prosecuting people for entheogenic plants is, and hopefully they can be an example for other county prosecutor offices, and maybe they can rub off on our attorney general too. So, we have the state house representative, Yousef Rahbi, who we have already heard from. He has been a long-time friend of this movement, just being sensible in general with the policies.”
Speakers at Entheofest 2021 clearly explained how they are forming “SUPER-TEAMS” of people that share the special interest of legalizing entheogenic plants and are working behind the scenes to make it happen. They are following the playbook that worked to legalize marijuana in many states across the nation and is still being used to legalize the sale, processing, and growing of marijuana in municipalities.
Currently, the City of Grand Haven has legalized the sale of recreational marijuana through a limited number of dispensaries but has not given permits for growing or processing of marijuana. In Grand Haven, there appears to be a SUPER-TEAM of people who share interests in profiting from the marijuana industry working diligently together behind the scenes. When politicians work together behind-the-scenes to achieve special-interest goals, they are not being transparent. Grand Haven residents should take the time to understand who is involved and what is happening behind the scenes, because the decisions made by those stakeholders will transform the community right in front of us.