You’d think by now, the cannabis industry would be riding high on success, literally. Legal markets are growing, mainstream acceptance is widespread, and infused kombucha is just an aisle over from the seltzers. But behind the haze of progress, a bitter fight is brewing – one that threatens to unravel the entire movement. And Steve DeAngelo, elder statesman of cannabis culture and father of the legal cannabis industry, says we’re missing the whole point.
It’s not prohibitionists or DEA raids this time. It’s cannabis vs. hemp; the industry is at war with itself.
“We didn’t fight for 50 years just to be arrested through regulation, where regulation becomes the new prohibition,” DeAngelo emphasizes. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happening.
A House Divided
This battle, at its core, comes down to market share, regulation, and the legal definitions of who gets to legally sell a high. Legalization was supposed to be the (albeit compromised) finish line. Instead, we’re watching a full-blown identity crisis unfold.
Today, the cannabis market is fractured into three rival sectors:
Licensed cannabis operators: Overregulated, overtaxed, and overpriced.
Hemp Industry: Wild West retail vibes booming thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill.
And legacy growers and sellers: Old-school pioneers. Still criminalized. Still hunted. Still shut out.
“We’ve got licensed cannabis trying to ban hemp. Hemp fighting back by opposing cannabis legalization. And legacy folks? They’re still getting busted,” DeAngelo says. So instead of one thriving cannabis community, we have three silos – with lobbyists, lawyers, and lawsuits – fighting for survival in a war that no one asked for.
Meanwhile, in Florida, both the licensed and hemp sectors spent a combined $20 million trying to put each other out of business over Amendment 3– a cash bonanza for anti-cannabis politicians like Governor Ron DeSantis. “Every dollar they spent on that fight came from cannabis consumers’ pockets,” DeAngelo added. “That’s political malpractice.”
Florida’s Amendment 3 is a textbook example of what’s wrong. On the surface, it would’ve legalized cannabis and stopped arrests. Great! Except, it would’ve also handed every recreational license to the folks already holding medical ones, a monopoly wrapped in legalization’s clothing. No new entrants, no competition, and no small businesses.
So what happened? The hemp industry torpedoed it because they were afraid they’d get shut down in return. The measure failed. “Each side acted directly against the interests of their consumers,” Steve says. “If they had united, Florida could’ve been the model for the country. Instead? We got nothing; no legalization, no protection, no progress.”
A Radical Idea
“Let’s stop trying to destroy each other and create a unified cannabis market that works,” DeAngelo urges. “We need a complete policy overhaul and a return to true legalization.”
The answer lies in a simplified, unified, and smartly regulated industry where everyone can play nice. Inspired by cannabis attorney Rod Kight, DeAngelo champions a new regulatory model, one he calls the Three Golden Pillars, and the only regulation we really need:
Testing. Know what’s in the product. Keep it safe.
Labeling. Tell consumers what they’re getting.
Age Verification. Keep psychoactive products away from kids.
That’s it. No million-dollar licenses, no regulatory acrobatics, no “track-and-trace or die” software. Under this model, all cannabis could be widely accessible like hemp-derived products, sold affordably in everyday outlets, and could ultimately be free of monopolistic gatekeeping and corporate capture.
“These companies have been trying to destroy each other via government intervention instead of improving on their business model. Don’t be a party pooper,” Steve says with a chuckle. “Just give people quality cannabis at a fair price and let them buy it like they buy beer or gum. Everyone wins.”
Remember What We Fought For
The limited license model that dominates today’s cannabis landscape wasn’t the dream; it was a strategic compromise. “When the feds were locking us up for decades, the idea of getting any licenses at all felt like a victory,” DeAngelo explains. “But we can’t confuse that compromise with our end goal. It was a step taken in an era of fear – and our goal was always freedom, not gatekeeping. It was our way of saying: Let us prove this can work. Let us prove cannabis helps communities, not harms them. But now that we’ve proven it, it’s time to move on.”
Too many cannabis companies today, he says, have forgotten that. “They’re in bed with people who actively hate cannabis. They’re trying to weaponize the law to eliminate competition. That’s not what this movement was built on,” DeAngelo continues. “We didn’t go to jail so corporations could get exclusive rights and neighborhood dealers could go extinct.” 
For decades, limited licenses and tight restrictions were a necessary evil – a way to inch toward legitimacy. But they were never the dream. The dream was access. Freedom. Fairness. Healing. “We’re confusing our compromises with our end goals,” he warns. “The way forward looks more like hemp than a $2M dispensary license.”
The 2018 Farm Bill might now offer the clearest path forward, not the Controlled Substances Act, and not half measures like the SAFE Banking Act and rescheduling cannabis. “Don’t change the Farm Bill definition of hemp,” he says. “Keep it as is. And stop trying to eliminate one part of the market to protect another. Let’s just create one fair, unified market.”
This is a pivotal time, and DeAngelo is clear: We unify. Around the Three Golden Pillars. Around the Farm Bill model. Around the idea that safe, affordable cannabis should be available to everyone, not just those with investor backing or political clout. He’s also calling on the entire industry – from smoke shop owners to dispensary chains to everyday consumers – to contact Congress and kill harmful legislation like the Ron Wyden Bill, which threatens to shut down the hemp industry altogether. And most importantly, push for regulations that serve people, not corporations.
“Every person I’ve spoken to – from the hemp world, the legacy market, the legal side – they all say the same thing: ‘Of course this makes sense,’” DeAngelo says. “Then they say, ‘But it’s not realistic.’”
And now, 50 years after he began his crusade, Steve DeAngelo is ready to fight again. He pauses and adds, “They said that 50 years ago, too. And now cannabis is legal. So don’t tell me it’s not possible.”
Connect with Steve DeAngelo online at stevedangelo.com or on Instagram at @stevedangelo to follow his story in real time.
