Home grown marijuana has become a wedge issue in states where legalization is being considered. Legislators and law enforcement generally are opposed while the industry seems to have mixed feelings about it. The bottom line is If people grow for themselves, there may be less profits for the business operators.
In July, South Park lampooned marijuana retailer MedMen as "corporate banker types" in an ad for the fictional Colorado company Tegridy Farms. That was a lead-in to the Comedy Central series' Season 23 premiere episode, "Mexican Joker."
Tegridy's owner Randy Marsh is unhappy when he finds out some of his cannabis customers have started to grow their own instead of buying his products.
Along comes two guys from Med Men looking to make a deal.
"So you want to team up and piggyback on the good will of the legalization movement?" Randy asks as they pass a joint. "I'm totally in."
Why pick on MedMen? Why not? The multi-state operator currently has 33 stores in California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Illinois. They're being sued by several former employees. In February, they were booted out of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association.
The episode also tackles the nasty issue of ICE rounding up people - in this case, migrant gardeners and their families - and placing them in detention camps.
Towelie plays the episode's conscience. "Those guys are posers," he says about the MedMen dudes. "Weed isn't supposed to be some money-grubbing business model. It's a gift from God and not something to be exploited."
Watch the episode here.
