I believe the reason or reasons behind dispensary shutdowns could be one or several combined.
The Feds don't want cannabis in any form. Polls show a majority of American's are either in favor of or don't care one way or another. Some States having made it legal on the State level for medicinal uses somewhat delegitimizes the Feds position if they do not take some action now and then just to remind the nation that at Federal level it is still illegal.
The Feds would likely be in favor of killing medicinal marijuana in one fell swoop if they could, and they might be looking for any and every possible, even very minor, infraction, and compiling data to use to try to get legislation to pass some new Federal law closing down all dispensaries at one based on the (trumped up) "high percentage" of them involving "illegal activity."
That or they may figure that they can't kill it, that it will only spread and are now trying to find a way to get a larger piece of the pie. They might say, OK, from now on it is nationwide, but there is an unacceptable level of quality of service provided, no industry standards, etc. and the government might say if it's going to exist, we the government, will run the dispensaries (either on the State or Federal level for actual daily operations. Like how some States have ABC stores, State controlled stores for hard spirits) and then the government can, and would, not only tax the hell out of it but add 'fees' for doing so.
Then of course anyone who supplied dispensaries would have to be fully legal to do it and meet stringent government requirements, which likely means 1000% more paperwork than would be needed, and of course transaction 'fees' on top of the taxation on the sale to the dispensary.
If that would be the case the system would be designed to squeeze out the current providers so then the government could either sell allotments to their chosen winners/major political contributors and it goes big business, or, even yet worse, the government decides to cut out the providers and grow it all themselves and totally control prices from day one to sale.
I have vague memories of someone trying to float legislation that would allow major pharmaceutical corporations to legally purchase and research marijuana for possible new drugs. Part of the legislation was the major pharmaceutical corporations could only purchase their marijuana from one single grower/supplier ..... Uncle Sam .. yep, the government wanted to do a "Green Acres" thing. But the idea probably was that major pharmaceutical corporations would likely pay any price, no matter how high, to be able to legally research and to have a constant supply when needed And if one of them does hit on some new wonder drug they can just do like they do now, price it at $100.00 per pill rather than $1.00 per pill like they otherwise could and make as much profit, and make it up off sick American's, or at least those who have insurance or can just afford to pay $100.00 per pill.
When you think about the various things that have at least been muttered about in meetings among members of Congress to what might be thought at The White House, what's been going on with dispensaries could either be a new normal routine working in the system or it could be something slow but amazingly detailed and devious at play.
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