Is Egbe More About the “Green” of Money than Advocacy or Health?

Tom Anderson ~ It’s fascinating to watch the evolution of notoriety, and in some respects infamy, as Charlene Egbe overtly moves forward hoping to open the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary on February 24th. How lucky for her to have the fortune of a statewide TV news report to cover her story. She says it’s not about profit.

But could she be headed for criminal charges and arrest with such a decision?

Egbe (AKA “Charlo Greene”) is obviously premature in her effort to enter the Alaskan marijuana market, targeting sales long in advance of the promulgated regulations and legislative direction required by the ballot measure that passed in November of 2014 legalizing recreational marijuana. State legislators, now in session in Juneau, are still trying to figure out and deliberate on an administrative and oversight plan to comply with the measure.

What’s intriguing is the attitude conveyed by Egbe, first unveiled publicly by her spectacle on air when she extinguished her journalism career because of an F-bomb and abrupt walk-off during a live report on KTVA-CBS 11. Now Egbe, recalcitrant and absent contrition, essentially thumbs her nose at the regulatory agency that could oversee marijuana commerce in the state, the Alcohol Beverage Control Division.

Egbe claims the need for a medical dispensary is exigent for those seeking pain relief with cannabis, and that she is the person who can deliver the remedy. The reality is that there are myriad professionals, ranging from medical providers to experienced entrepreneurs abiding by the law, who will better serve consumers of cannabis in Alaska. You probably haven’t heard of them, because they’re patiently awaiting direction by state and local lawmakers before they announce opening their businesses.

The big disappointment is what Egbe is doing through juvenile antics. She has degraded the efforts of the many groups that have been legally working with and advocating to policymakers to build an appropriate cannabis industry in Alaska. What is likely to happen with her lampooning the process is the unleashing of heightened scrutiny and enforcement, the very things the measure was intended to alleviate.

Cheech & Chong and Snoop Dogg, though entertaining, shouldn’t be the role models for marijuana regulation. Nor should Charlene Egbe. Thanks to social media, Egbe is basking in some temporary fame and attention. The hubris and disregard for process, however, may come back to bite her.

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image credit APEonline