Good Lord.

I lived through the politically correct halcyon days of the ’90’s – when a wave of professional apologists came through to demand that absolutely everyone had to atone for sins that most people didn’t know they had.

As far as the 21st Century goes, ‘political correctness’ (PC) remains a partisan driven “I know you are but what am I” level discourse. Where insult and the insulted become singular, and everyone (other than oneself) just isn’t ‘doing it right‘.

Not to be conflated with ‘BLM‘ – which reflects recent societal discord around public safety and the role of the state in delivering it, nor, serious claims about the failure of modern policing to deliver justice (rather than punishment) – the ‘PC’ movement typically nibbles around the edges of smaller-and-easier-to-land fish. Certain language will no doubt run into Karens defending their anti-mask-liberty-and-freedom-fighting righteousness – as easily as non-‘PC’ speak will strike the bow of some virtue-signalling-suburban-upper-middle-class-soccer-mom-demanding-lower-taxes-while-complaining-that-Canada-doesn’t send-enough-foreign-aid to Tuvalu annually.

Sadly, legal cannabis is not immune to political correctness. Nothing is.

As I’ve said before: There are 2 kinds of people in this world: those who want to control others, and those who want to be left alone.

In cannabis, we have 2 different sources of cannabis: black market, or legal.

For the past couple of years, the ‘black market’ has been clothing itself in the garb of ‘the little guy left behind’. You know, the ‘warriors’ that did the legwork but aren’t appreciated like they should be. I mean, why should one have to come into the system and get themselves licensed? Don’t the regulators know how these ‘freedom fighters’ paved the way for the Bay Street ‘suits and bros’? ‘You owe us, man’.

To my ear, it’s a refrain from any self-identifying victim culture not willing to become a part of the change that they induced. But weed is legal..so what’s the deal? Are these simply malcontents, or perhaps just entitled?

The black market (or sometimes called ‘legacy’ by the politically correct) don’t often mention that they’ve had 5 years to choose whether to move across the aisle. Indeed, some have done little to do so, while others had no intent to cross it from the get go. Fair enough.

The black market – and the consultants who charged large amounts to fill out government forms by weaponizing fear as a sales tool – pretty much leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves who to support. Sounds about as ‘capitalism’ as ‘capitalism’ can get to my ear. It’s not mentioned often that a DIY micro got itself a license for about $15 grand on the regulatory side – all by themselves. Contrast that with the pitch decks nested in the fear/uncertainty/doubt one gets back doing a cursory look at the idea. Check out a few of those links if you are in doubt. Believe me: they are sales tools meant to induce concern. Even if the author was well intended in construction, the editor will ensure that it’ll be shaped it into a tool. Modern media and all.

Anyhow, a quaint & trendy retailer in Suprette stepped outside the guardrails that the cool kids had set up, and paid for it in social media blood.

I mentioned in our latest structure on $FLWR that TheCannalysts are noticing a disconnect between the raging claims of demand served up on social media – against actual sales. That the loudest aren’t necessarily the most popular. Business is not high school, and business serves folks who are willing to part with money for perceived value. Whether popular or not, what moves……moves.

Just a caution that marketing comes in many flavours and forms. And that yells from the cheap seats don’t have as much impact on the game as some would like to think. An engaged investor should always go to source data, find someone trustworthy to dissect it if help is required, and accept no claim on its’ face.

It’s the reason TheCannalysts exist.

The preceding is the opinion of the author, and is in no way intended to be a recommendation to buy or sell any security or derivative. The author holds no interest in being a cool kid.