CNMI loses again

People continue to ask me about the marijuana law and why it is taking so long before they can legally plant and use marijuana. From my perspective, the governor couldn’t care less about marijuana legalization now that he has been elected because he did not listen to my advice and its obvious now that we are dead last behind Guam and Hawaii on legalization. I can remember over six years ago warning our GOP leaders that legalization is a race for the cannabis tourism market in our region of the world. I continued to warn them right up until the bill became law but I just gave up after that and its clear to everyone that has kept up with the issue that we are floundering again! Finishing what they start is one of the major problems with our GOP and the proof is in the details of our society that is experiencing the same quality of life they experienced 10 years ago and our economy that continues to go up and down like a roller coaster.

I hate to say it but entirely too many voters fell for the GOP’s ploy on legalization that was only done to get votes and to set things up for big business, not for locals. The GOP has even changed the law to make sure locals can’t compete and gain real ownership in the cannabis and hemp industries. The Legislature is flip-flopping on what needs to be done and the governor isn’t providing any leadership on the issue as to what really needs to have been done last year! Yes, the GOP promised a companion bill last year but, like I said, the GOP has a miserable record of finishing what they started. I also gave the governor a “plan and means” to get our legalization efforts started the day the bill became law but the GOP does not listen to outsiders unless it’s one of their high-paid consulting firms in the U.S. mainland who don’t care squat about the local people.

In case readers didn’t get the news, Hawaii has now decriminalized marijuana, making it easier for recreational users and they already have some of the best strains in America, which means Guam and Hawaii are now far ahead of the CNMI and poised to capture the Southeast Asian market for cannabis tourism and we are now dead last in a race that we could have easily won. We continue to be losers to Guam and Hawaii. When will our leaders, potential leaders and voters learn? The CNMI may never be able to compete for tourists seeking to use cannabis now. It’s so sad and to think we could have been first and so far ahead that Guam and Hawaii would have been chasing us. Readers need to ask why did the Legislature forego allowing the people to vote on the issue in the name of expediency if they were just going to let Guam and Hawaii beat us. I’ll tell you again. Like I said before, it was about getting votes during election season, not getting a solution and finding prosperity for the local people. So if you don’t mind continuing to be a loser, just keep voting for and supporting the GOP but if you truly want to make our government a winner and life better for you, then you need to seriously consider running as a Democrat, supporting the Democrats, and voting for Democrats.

Ambrose M Bennett
Kagman, Saipan