Let’s look at the facts: the cannabis plant is a leafy green that uses photosynthesis to grow from a seed in the ground. How did it come to be worth so much? There are some high-quality cannabis eighths on dispensary floors, with their beautiful trichome-laden buds and gassy scent that wafts into the nostrils, priced at upwards of fifty dollars. Although here at Major Bloom our budtenders can attest to the fact that the quality matches the price point, there’s no denying the gentrification of cannabis as it hits retail floors across the nation.
The Commodity Form
The commodity form — the worth of a product or service based on the social, objective characteristics of its production. According to Sohn-Rethel’s theory, the commodity contains immaterial values, such as emotions, sensations, and ways of life, which are transferred from those who work along the value chain. These values become embedded in the leaves of the commodity (pun intended), merging it with a biological-political stance and giving the product or service life. In other words, objects are given meaning by the people who construct them and people make decisions about their purchases based on this meaning-making. This raises the question, who’s cultivating the cannabis, trimming its leaves, and packaging it up in a neat little paper cone? Those individuals shape how the consumer views the product. This is even truer when it comes to the retail associates who hand the product across the counter. Did they recommend something? Are they smiling, warm, friendly? All of these aspects come into play when looking at cannabis as a commodity.
Major Blooms Role
Major Bloom is a social equity cannabis business. This means that our roots are intertwined within the state of Massachusetts’s technical assistance and training program that looks to create a sustainable pathway into the industry for those who have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. This is an enormous win for those who have been criminally charged or have lived in disenfranchised and over-policed communities. A trust fund exists in MA that is administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, making financial assistance available to eligible participants for the encouragement of entrepreneurial endeavors within the industry. These entrepreneurs can take hold of the plant that has uplifted them and their culture, celebrating this association in the wake of horrendous scrutiny from the government.
The Intersection
Now, circling back to cannabis as a commodity form, you may be asking how this ties into our position within social equity. The two have the potential to cheer each other on. Those working in the space who have been disproportionately affected by cannabis laws now have the opportunity to get their hands on a product that they care deeply about and that simultaneously provides them an opportunity to profit off of a shared love of its existence. Knowing that the buds have been cultivated by those who have been historically brought down by its presence allows dispensaries, like our own, to mark a turning point in the status quo.
Understanding that something like a marijuana plant has such a complicated and empowering relationship as a commodity form begs the question of how many other lenses this can be filtered through. Angela Davis, an American political activist, author, professor, and former member of the Black Panther Party, proclaimed that “The lack of critical engagement with the food that we eat demonstrates the extent to which the commodity form has become the primary way in which we perceive the world”. Cognitive capitalism! Instead of being conscious of how the food and other various items that we buy interact with our well-being and the greater good of society, the focus has been shifted to call upon knowledge, science, and technology. We disconnect cannabis culture from its roots in ancient practices and grounding states, even its connections to social equity, by taking advantage of its commodity form in a convoluted context that is steeped in capital gain and popularity.
Our social equity cannabis roots bring forth the plant’s commodity form in a positive context, yet are broken down by the consistent reach to view it as said commodity. It is equally important to understand how the plant itself exists and gives life to so many things, just like any plant that grows in our surrounding environment. Bridging this philosophical gap between social equity, the commodity form, and an ontological (reality of being) perspective will allow us to interact with our use in a healthier, more robust way. Every dollar spent becomes more worthwhile, every puff more satisfying.
When you begin to conceptualize the true breadth of what the cannabis plant offers, it becomes both easier and somehow more difficult to consider spending those few extra dollars on that new eighth of flower that everyone is raving about. There’s a tear between the monetary value that has been stamped onto the product and the reality of what the buds offer on a social, nature-of-being level. This creates a polarity between leading with knowledge and leading with care, performance versus practicality. If we continue to emphasize the side of care and practicality, the package of monetary value that encapsulates e
ach eighth, pre-roll, concentrate, and so forth will begin to disintegrate. What does good ol’ Mary Jane do for you? What kind of relationship do you share with her? We are working to bridge the gap between the plant and its commodified form.
It is the commodification of nature, occurring all around us with just about every kind of plant and natural resource that you can think of. Cannabis should be in the hands of whoever chooses to curate a relationship with its growth in the same way that you can foster a garden of flora and fauna in your very own backyard. No paperwork. No repercussions. Yet here we are, setting up retail stores around the country, placing it in a retail setting, and attaching a price tag. At Major Bloom, we’re doing our best to articulate cannabis’s existence as a commodity and balance this with giving back to our community that has continually faced hardships, curating an adverse effect; fighting back against the commodification that continues to prosper. Let Major Bloom provide you with the smoke that is acknowledged for her beautiful, complicated, and natural existence, produced with care, and sold with flair.
