Plant Medicine Advocacy And Revenue Discussion In Washinton DC. 10/25/2023
It can be tempting to sit at home on the weekend and catch up on your latest podcast or TV show. It can also be tempting to think we are informed based on the industry sound bytes we receive from our favorite news outlets. That said, there is no experience like skipping the pajama session and putting your boots on the ground.
Saturday, October 21st, 2023 marked our first Advocacy-focused gathering for plant medicine leaders in Washington DC and surrounding areas.
For anyone operating in a restricted plant medicine category, you already know the challenges of operating a profitable business in the space. If this idea is new to you, it’s important to recognize there is money being made. But by who, when, and how?
Oppressive taxation and ineffective regulation have created a challenging environment for passionate entrepreneurs determined to bring these compounds to their communities. The Saturday morning roundtable consisted of industry veterans and hopeful college graduates alike. While their specialties varied, one thread that united everyone at the table was a personal story of healing and transformation that plant medicine provided for them or a loved one.
Where do you stand?
It’s tempting to become frustrated as a plant medicine leader and pioneer.
Repealing years of bad policy takes time and resources, but we feel it’s a task worth uniting behind. It’s the reason we started Inner Circle in the first place.
If not now, when?
If not us, then who?
The good news is that the science is on our side and the evidence is mounting, but there is still much work to do.
In summary, the industry veterans at our roundtable taught us about the layers of influence guiding policy in Washington behind the scenes.
Corporate interests are standing in the way of legalization, decriminalization, and de/or rescheduling the growing list of compounds that are clearly proving to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits.
As with many things in Washington, setting policy often has more to do with profit than public health.
A Consumer Driven Revolution Is Upon Us
If money is what moves the needle, then it would be unwise to fight the existing paradigm, so why not embrace it? The public is demanding alternative therapies and treatments in record numbers. As the emperors of the Western “healthcare” system continue to demonstrate their absence of clothes, nature, backed by good science is proving we needn’t rely on a bloated, money-driven system to access the mental and physical health benefits nature readily provides.
A new paradigm is ours for the making. It doesn’t require violence, anger, poster boards, and marching in the streets. It requires smart people to keep a cool head, act strategically, educate like crazy, and continue to pile up evidence.
Einstein is believed to have said “Science advances one funeral at a time.” and I think the crafting of public policy is no different.
That said, there is money to be made while positively delivering benefits to our communities.
Billionaires Leverage Federal Dollars – Why Don’t We?
Their profit margin (and lack of efficacy) in today’s insurance and “healthcare” systems is our advantage.
If we can prove a significantly improved quality of life and better health outcomes through natural and alternative solutions, we can just as readily lobby for federal dollars as any other organization.
It will take both a foundational shift in the way we measure quality of outcomes and it will require many of us to continue to plant seeds for trees we may never directly stand in the shade of, or benefit from.
The sooner we get organized and collectively pool our resources, the sooner we can assist society at large to escape from the prison of for-profit drugs and surgery.
I have no problem with making money and absolutely nothing against the committed practitioners at the ground level who do their level best to serve their patients with the tools they are given, but the cat is out of the bag, and a new paradigm is upon us.
What side of history will you be on?
We created Inner Circle to share resources and best practices among plant medicine leaders who want to ensure they and their children have safe, reliable, and affordable access to nature’s pharmacy. Our industry needs your voice.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead
Is Inner Circle Right For You?
Kyle Dammann
Kyle Dammann is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, team builder, and automation expert. After a family member fell into a life-threatening addiction to prescription medication and his own experiences with plant medicine, he decided to dedicate his time and skills to legitimizing and accelerating the birth of the plant medicine industry. Kyle believes that access to nature’s pharmacy is a fundamental human right and that all adults should have safe, reliable access to these proven and safe compounds.
