Today marks a huge milestone for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as the first 2 recreational marijuana shops opened for business in Northampton and Leicester this morning, which are 2 places in the middle of fucking nowhere. Personally I would think it would make sense to open a shop or 2 in the eastern part of the state, seeing as that’s where 80+% of the population lives, but I’m not the one calling the shots around here (Yet). This comes over 2 years after the citizens of Massachusetts voted to legalize weed way back in 2016, but thanks to good old fashioned Massachusetts politics, delays were to be expected. I mean, we already have a thriving medical marijuana system with numerous dispensaries that could have swiftly and easily doubled as recreational shops, which is what every other state that legalized it did, but that logical move would have made too much sense for a state that loves making things harder and more costly than they need to be. Anyway, this is yet another huge step forward in the much needed movement to legalize marijuana nationwide. Citizens can now walk into a store and buy whatever specific cannabis products they desire, but if you’re like me, you’re just gonna keep buying weed from your dealer instead.

As fantastic as it is that we now have stores where adults can walk in and walk out with weed in a matter of minutes, my friend Shawn has been running a much more efficient operation for years now. I’ve been buying weed him Shawn since I was about 14, and as his friend it would be rude to stop buying from him now. I believe in a little thing called customer loyalty, and it’s that loyalty that his kept his plant based business venture thriving for all these years. Watching his meteoric rise from selling dime bags to selling pounds makes me proud to call him my friend, and I’m not about to change my drug buying tendencies just because “The Man” decided to open some fancy shops. After all, is “The Man” willing to drop off an 8th to my house at any time of the day? I think not. Is “The Man” willing to front me some weed if I have a bad week of betting and only have a few pennies to my name? Snowballs chance in Hell. These pot shops are kinda like a chain restaurant moving into a small town: They might be good, but the experience just isn’t the same as the reliable mom and pop places that have been there forever. Call me crazy, but I prefer my drug purchases to be illegal.

As I mentioned above, I do still consider this a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but if we’re being completely honest the only people that this really affects is old people and nerds that somehow couldn’t manage to find weed in a state that’s flooding with it. Buying weed in Massachusetts is as easy as texting anybody you know and saying, “Hey, do you or anybody you know have bud?”. Next thing you know, you’re smoking a joint and watching Family Guy. Simple as that. So although the concept of walking into a store and picking out exact types of weed based on name and THC content is rather cool, and I probably will take a trip to a store someday for the fuck of it soon, it just isn’t for me. So if you live in Massachusetts, go exercise your rights and buy some legal weed. Or if you’re like me, keep going to your neighborhood drug dealer who has always had your back with reasonable prices, multiple drug options, and convenient delivery service. And Shawn: If you’re reading this, just know I only have about a gram left right now so expect a call tomorrow, and if you read my betting results blog today you know I’m probably gonna need that on the cuff because money is tight. Thanks buddy, you’re the best.