Hey TFN:
Good to see that you're still here :). I agree with your sentiments, as usual! It's a shame that we haven't seen the mega returns we've been looking for, but we can, I think, take solace in some of Canada's shifting polity... The government's breaking apart on the MMJ end, with the dispensaries being controlled/regulated in BC, a new NDP premier in Alberta, and a forthcoming federal election (Oct.).
This project is WAY too huge for it to be dumped. I don't think Stadnyk was a good front man for this show anyway. His talk at last year's Conference revealed his MJ know-how: it's better that Fowler & Herberger run the show, methinks. HC will get them licensed, and soon enough there will be more 'patients', as long as the Allard trial falls our way.
However, dispensaries, I think, are a fundamental piece of the puzzle, too. You need those Mom & Pop shops that are able to provide the customer care that folks need -- but the BEST dispensaries will want to hang onto a variety of product. People love the community feel of a dispensary, and while the LPs are integrating terrific customer care programs, there's still the inevitable distancing that happens with mail-order MJ...
Like my earliest posts on this board suggest: the LPs will become our mega suppliers that stock these places, and the dispensaries can purchase kilos, add a mark-up, and sell to 'patients' / rec-users, whatever. Everyone will get a slice of the pie, I think.
People who need to eat a 14gram cookie before bedtime will, undoubtedly, always remain an exception. No wonder why these folks would like to grow their own medicine; it makes perfect sense. They, I believe, will need to fall into a special category. Just like in Washington state, we'll see a drop in medical users when they break into a legal market; the REAL medical users (using ounces per day to mitigate pain) will need to be reclassified, and in collaboration with their medical professionals!
Otherwise, I don't think HC will want to contend against the hundreds of companies that will be ready to litigate, assuming this all goes South! Lots of big money moved up here for this thing, and this is only the beginning.
I agree with your thoughts: the chips are down, so we've gotta see the river!
Just my .02 anyway! I've been lurking, reading, and thinking a lot about where we're headed from here. I'm looking for exponential gains over the next five to ten years, though, so I'll be around :) I might be a little more happy-go-lucky, even as a bag-holder through and through...Lol.
Good luck, everyone!
