Prior to these new laws, finding high quality marijuana was difficult. Now, with store front dispensaries with delivery services, high quality potent cannabis is available with the THC content listed on the bag. Moreover, as was discussed earlier, new and stronger routes of administration are being developed daily. Even the most fanatical drug dealer would never dream of operating a marijuana shop the way the Kings did prior to the establishment to the medical marijuana laws. A modern cannabis dispensary, as was outlined in this chapter, is far beyond anything on the illegal market today, and far beyond what drug dealers sold prior to these changes. Recent shifts in cannabis laws have led to an increase in delivery services and a decrease in dispensaries. While medical marijuana is legal in the state of CA, it is illegal federally and the DEA has consistently targeted large-scale dispensaries for raids. Cease and-desist letters has led to many dispensaries closing shop one place and opening up under another name another place; others have given up on storefronts all together and switched over to strictly delivery services. Delivery services are much more dangerous than dispensaries and many female bud tenders consider it to be a dangerous a line of work. Delivery services are dangerous because of the lack of security guards, security precautions and the inability to control the environment. The Kings told me many stories of delivery drivers being robbed for their cannabis.The Kings established a functional, vertical grow rack competent growing operation that led to a functional, safe and profitable medical marijuana dispensary.
Unlike common perceptions of drug users and sellers as indolent potheads, crazy meth addicts’ urban gangbangers, my researcher has shown that cannabis users and sellers are normal in practically every way. During my ethnographic observations with the Kings, I did not see any shootouts, never saw instances of white slavery,14 and never saw a stickup kid attempt a jacking, I never even saw the police. Unlike the images perpetuated in the media of gang violence and drug fueled beefs , this market was relatively subdued plain and quite normal. Instead of black and Latino gang members shooting at each other over a bad drug deal, there were pasty white people buying cannabis in sanitary shop from a cordial, happy and inviting bud tender. The overemphasis on drug markets that reside in broken down inner-cities that lack social control and police trust has led to a mental blinder on the rampant drug use present within upper-middle class white communities. Moreover, this type of narrow research by criminologist has furthermore led to a pathologizing of the communities within which these studies take place. In a type of voyeuristic gaze, white Americans love stories of street violence in communities of color and seek to attribute them to drugs while dismissing the real social structural and economic barriers that give rise to this type of violence. Truly, what this chapter shows is that drug markets are neither inherently violent, dangerous, nor pathological, especially when they are legal, taxed and regulated.Occasionally their girlfriends would attend the meetings and smoke along, other times they would just hangout and not partake of the rituals. Having known their girlfriends quite well I found it surprising that they never brought their kids along. All of the members seemed to believe the experience gained from marijuana is sacred knowledge for which children are not ready.
It was never clear when they believed the appropriate age to start smoking, as they themselves started at a young age. But what is clear, is that they take various steps to keep their children away from Ganj until they reach the appropriate age. Friends, acquaintances, and old smoking buddies would frequently be called to these sessions. They would tickle in slowly; however, the four members were usually present. There was a set series of practices that were strictly adhered to and deviations were sanctioned. The sessions always began after 10pm. By that time, their children were in bed, the collective was closed and everybody could meet. Although some would consider it nothing more than a smoke out session, the group took it seriously and used it as a time to discuss business and other important matters. The first time I was invited to a board meeting, I showed up to Dorian’s house at 10pm on the dot. Dorian answered the door and said, “You’re early.” I told him, “You said 10pm.” He replied, “We’re stoners, everybody is gonna be late. Let’s chill.” He explained that he recreated the holy drink Soma. I did not know what he meant, or what he was talking about so he told me to wait. He explained to me that it is like a chai tea milk cannabis infused drink. As stated earlier, the Kings were vegetarians and were strong raw foodist. He told me he recreated the famous drink Soma from the Rig Veda. He called it Holy Soma and used it as a way to keep the smoking high going for long periods of time. He stated, “It also helps with cotton mouth.” Cottonmouth is a common side effect of cannabis consumption. The ingredient list he used was raw milk, raw honey, cinnamon stick, cannabis and peppermint. He put the cannabis in a pot of milk and boiled it for 30 minutes. The cannabinoids found in the plant are fat-soluble so when one wishes to make a liquid drink, they must decarboxalate the drink in a fat substance. Milk fit this bill. He told me holy soma is frequently consumed when they smoke together. He said it would be sacrilege to drink Soma without the other group members present. The living room was cut off from the kitchen with hanging beads. His music was blaring form the speakers and his living room was decked out in black light Bob Marley and Shiva posters and beanbag chairs. The self-produced music was an infusion of reggae and futuristic beats.
There were no words in the song, just a trippy rhythm that was meant to be heard while high. However, as I entered the most noticeable thing was the centerpiece of the entire room, The Shiva. The Shiva, as the group calls it, is a five-foot green glass on glass bong with an ash catcher, arm percolator and down stem15. The Shiva was all green except red and gold ribs every foot marking the bongs height. Dorian told me his friend made it for him as a gift. They originally had it at the dispensary as a decorative piece but moved it out of fear a patient might break it. I asked him why they called it the Shiva and he told me because it is the “Destroyer of Worlds.” In the Hindu tradition, Shiva is a God that is responsible for the destruction of the world. The Kings play off this metaphor by claiming the bong, combined with cannabis destroys and transforms their conception of the world. In the Hindu tradition, destruction opens the path for a new creation of the universe. Moreover, many Sadhus believe a chilam is a representation of Shiva himself. The bowl piece is Shiva’s head the stem is his torso and limbs. Natty was the first to show up. TBC and High-C showed up shortly after together.In addition to discussing cannabis and its revelatory properties, hydroponic shelf system the Kings would occasionally use the meetings as corporate board meetings. They discussed their own business, legalization, and general market dynamics and trends. Monthly meetings were held by the Kings to discuss various issues related to the operation of the dispensary. The Kings, Lucy and another recommending physician who was an early investor with the Kings sit in on the meetings. They physician would always skype into the meeting, he never attended in person. The meetings typically proceed with Natty giving a report on important issues relevant to the operation of the dispensary. New types of sample buds and other types of products that could be sold at the collective, changes in ordinances that effect the dispensary and occasionally employee compensation was brought up in the executive report. Natty would frequently distribute the various forms of sample provided by vendors to the rest of the Kings to try. It may be the first and only corporate board meeting where the drugs were openly passed around as samples and used. The board would vote on whether or not the dispensary would carry the product based on the strength and potency of the product. However, the Kings were willing to give any product a shot to see how it would sell before they dismissed it. Different shelf heights let patients know about differences in the potency so potency, or lack thereof, was not a deal breaker. Lucy would give the financial report on the dispensary. Everybody had access to the finances of the collective because of the MMJmenu system the Kings employed. However, the expenses of the dispensary frequently went beyond the accounting of product. Some of these other expenses included security for the dispensary, banking needs, employee , rent, electricity and other incidentals.As discussed prior, Dorian, Lucy and Natty and a handful of volunteer bud tenders are primarily left to run the dispensary.
However, the other Kings and other investors not named and unbeknownst to me invested in the collective and enjoy periodic updates on the functioning of the dispensary. As loosely illustrated in the previous chapter, cash is the only source of currency accepted at cannabis dispensaries. As a result of this, the money collected at the end of each day must be handled by a private security guard and deposited to a bank from which it is dispersed to the Kings and investors. A video monitor feed of the dispensary is accessible by all of the Kings and investors through an internet connection and the dispensaries accounting is kept and tracked on the MMJmenu website which is also accessible by the investor group. One interesting feature about the operation of the dispensary is that despite the high markup on the price of cannabis, the dispensary does not make a huge profit. After factoring in the cost of running the collective such as rent, advertising, employee compensation, security and the like, the dispensary hardly makes a profit. As Lucy explained to me, “The money has to go to a lot of places before we can turn a profit. The dispensary always makes a profit, but when considering all the competition and the cost of running a legal dispensary, it is not the green rush I think people may think it is.” It is intriguing that the Kings engaged in this risky business when their profit margins are so small. However, the Kings motivations are not as much financial as social and spiritual as will be explained below. Notwithstanding, the investors main objective was to make money and the keep tabs on the operation of the dispensary.Each member grew their own side stash at their house. And although they ran a grow-op together, they used the grow-op for the collective, and they smoked their own personal stashes during smoking sessions. Each member of the group is expected to chip in equally, similar to an offering. They all gathered around the Shiva and one by one took their sack out and placed it in the community smoking pot. It was expected that members bring their best weed and share their weed freely. Reciprocation was a vital part of the session and signs of stinginess were heavily frowned upon. It was also crucial that the Kings brought their best product as individual members were judged on the strength of their grow. Much of the interaction was symbolic and did not serve a purpose other than the meaning the group members created for themselves. But the symbolic purpose was important to the group. And any indication that a member brought swag weed to the session, or was stingy with his weed, would cause a demotion in one’s status and prestige within the group. Having weak weed would indicate the member did not know how to grow or no longer prided himself on the grow, and being stingy would be a hint that the member could not yield the same level of bud as other members. Smoking status is an important component of the Kings identity, and thus, the Kings employ various mechanisms to maintain that status.