In a wide-ranging interview with HiBnB’s Editor and Music Journalist Jon Wiederhorn (Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax) M. Shawn Crahan aka Clown of Slipknot discussed how he got into the challenging and ever-changing world of Cannabis. His pre-rolled packs of Clown Cannabis are just a stepping stone in his master plan to spread awareness the health benefits of the plant. Slipknot is about to hit the road on leg two of the Knotfest Roadshow, and Clown shared a lot of his personal journey with Cannabis and what he sees as a bright future.
An excerpt from the interview:
Many individuals in the conservative mainstream are so set in their ways that they don’t even want to learn about the many benefits of cannabis. If people from that world decide to take a leap, they often do so without education or information. If they’re nervous and want something to relax but they don’t know how much to use and they aren’t aware that there’s a difference between — say — Indica and Sativa, they might have a really horrible experience taking a strain that makes them jumpy and paranoid.
This is an interesting battle and something that I’m onto very heavily these days in my life. I agree with you 100 percent. But if you think about the plant, the flower itself, there are so many benefits, probably more than we know about. From the stems to the bark to the leaves to the chemicals, the genetics of the plant are remarkable. So there’s a lot to learn, but at the same time, we’ve come really far and there’s still a real interest in discovering more.
There’s so much money to be made in the weed industry that all kinds of businesses are hopping on board. And as soon as a state legalizes weed, the government steps in and taxes it heavily, causing financial hardship to growers and killing the underground network.
I know some people might get turned off by this, but I think we’re a little bit too hard on the government. A bigger concern is what’s going to happen when all the pharmaceutical companies get their hands on cannabis. I’m trying to make the point that large corporate brands that everyone knows are going to come get some once to government says. “Okay, everybody. We know everything we want to know about this,” which means they know everything about the plant and they have for years. But they haven’t known how to get every dollar, probably, and how to tax it. There’s their big problem, right? And then the pharmaceuticals are like, “Great, we’re set up for all this. And we got supply and trucks and doctors making these things, trying to stay above the curve. So, you’ve got this natural plant that has become tangled with all these different business interests.”
It’s yet another case of capitalism sucking out all the lifeblood from whatever it attaches its teeth to.
Well, I think these things always start slow. I lived in Colorado for a moment. My sister-in-law lives there and we were just hanging out. And I remember the government came in and seized a bunch of product from all the dispensaries and closed some businesses down. But, most importantly, they took all the strands and everything and then they tested it all and gave the information to the general public. They were basically looking out for [people’s] health and the facts they discovered were scary. There was some bad stuff there.
There’s the argument to be made that the gray or underground market is the wild, wild, west and there are some disadvantages to that. When you buy on the street, you don’t always know what you’re getting and what impurities might be in the cannabis?
Right. You just think you’re getting flower, but who knows, man? It’s like, “Okay, great. We can just go in here and get some weed.” Well, come on, man. Everyone’s got a real responsibility in this new venture of openness of this medicine that’s going to really revolutionize humans because it’s not just the normal person that’s involved. In the past, it was always the doctors and scientists who said, “Oh, no. Don’t do it.” Give me a break. They’re just perpetuating the stereotypes and misconceptions. I love the whole thing you’re doing with HiBnb because it takes the taboo out of the process. You’re not dealing with the people who don’t understand and aren’t open-minded enough to get it. You’re going straight to the source. So, basically, no one is getting mad about what’s been going on from the beginning of the process. And, God, that’s great because that kind of thing happens all day, every day, everywhere. And it’s just unnecessary. So, anything that cuts out that part of the process is really beneficial.
Read the full interview at HiBnb
https://www.hibnb.us/read_hi/slipknot-co-founder-clown-cannabis/
(Editor’s note – HiBnb is an affiliate partner of Ghost Cult. Check out what they have to offer!)