Why don’t they just ask somebody a question?

Two issues found their way into my consciousness this morning. They are issues that seem very simple on the surface but become complicated and controversial whenever partisan politicians get involved. In my mind, both of these issues could easily be reconciled if someone would just pick up a telephone and make a call.

Please allow me to explain.   

First is the issue of medical marijuana in West Virginia. In 2017, the West Virginia Legislature—that bastion of progressive thinking—passed a law that made cannabis legal for medical use on July 1 of this year. But wait! According to my calendar, it’s July 14 already and I don’t see any medical marijuana businesses opening up in the state. Furthermore, just today, I read in my local newspaper that the first sale of medical marijuana is still several years away.

Seriously? Years away? All we’re talking about is allowing the sale of something that already exists, not researching, designing and creating a whole new product from scratch. This isn’t inventing the telephone or sending a man to Mars, it’s opening a few stores. It’s already been two years since the bill was passed, so what could possibly be taking so long?

Well, according to state officials, they have been unable to identify a bank or banks that will handle tax revenue from such sales because, while West Virginia has authorized the sale of medical cannabis, marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so banks are reluctant to get in trouble with the feds by handling the funds. In addition, state health officials claim it will take at least two years “to implement permitting and licensing for patients and those who want to start businesses within the industry.”

And, of course, the initial crops will have to be grown, because I’m certain that no one is growing marijuana in West Virginia right now. (Wink wink, nod nod.)

Meanwhile, in Colorado and 32 other states plus the District of Columbia, the use of marijuana has been legalized in some form, and in 11 states and D.C., pot is legal for recreational use. In Colorado, anyone age 21 or older can now legally possess one ounce of marijuana, including the flower or bud, many types of concentrates, edibles, topicals and so on. Cannabis seeds are also available for sale in Colorado.

Only residents who apply for medical marijuana cards need to even register with the state.

According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, since 2014, the state has netted $1,043,961,209 in taxes, licenses and fees resulting from the legalization of marijuana. That’s one billion dollars plus, for those keeping score at home. Last year alone the state took in $266.5 million, and Colorado has already collected $136.5 million in the first half of 2019.

Does it sound like they have any banking problem out there?

So it begs the question: If West Virginia can’t figure out how to implement a law that was passed two years ago and only applies to medical marijuana, why doesn’t somebody pick up a telephone and call Colorado? They seem to have figured it out quite nicely, thank you very much. Perhaps they could offer some suggestions on how to get around that pesky federal law thing—like they apparently did. Better yet, why not hire someone from Colorado as a consultant to come to West Virginia and administer the program so we can get this show on the road. (The number to call at the Department of Revenue is 303-205-8411.)

I mean, hey man, like, we could have, like, cannabis in the medicine cabinet before you could say “Cheech and Chong.” It would be, like, far out, man.

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Second is the matter of universal health care coverage.

Universal coverage refers to a health care system in which every individual has health coverage. Presently, at least 32 countries offer some form of universal health coverage, including some of our best friends on the planet. Many have had it for decades. For example, Norway—the first country to offer it (and Trump’s favorite nation of white people)—has had it since way back in 1912.

According to the internet, “Universal health coverage is a broad concept that has been implemented in several ways. The common denominator for all such programs is some form of government action aimed at extending access to health care as widely as possible and setting minimum standards. Most implement universal health care through legislation, regulation and taxation. Legislation and regulation direct what care must be provided, to whom, and on what basis.”

Universal health care is financed and administered in different ways around the globe. In some countries, universal health care is funded entirely out of tax revenue. In others, tax revenue is used to fund insurance only for the very poor or for people who need long term chronic care. In the United Kingdom, the government manages the health care system through the National Health Service, but many other countries use a mix of public and private systems to deliver universal health care.

In most European countries, universal health care is provided by a network of private insurance companies that are regulated by the government, which sounds a little like a better, broader version of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. That European model would seem to contradict the argument by opponents of universal health care that it would bring about the end of private insurance companies nationwide.

At any rate, there are clearly any number of ways that universal health care could be administered in the United States, especially when you consider that it’s been working in Norway for 107 years. So here’s an idea: Instead of holding White House summit meetings to complain about Facebook and Twitter, or dredging the bottom of the swamp to find a way to harass undocumented immigrants, maybe the White House could invite representatives of countries where universal health care is a success and let them advise us on how to get it done.

Then our faux-president could send Congress a health care plan that would actually be a plan and not a plan to have a plan once somebody comes up with a plan. I mean, c’mon, Don, they have universal health care in Cyprus, Slovenia and even Luxembourg. How hard can it really be? Use your phone for something other than a Twitter propaganda device. Pick a country; make a call. What could be easier than that?

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To assist you, here is a list* of the 32 countries that currently offer universal health care systems:         

1.   Australia

2.   Austria

3.   Bahrain

4.   Belgium

5.   Brunei

6.   Canada

7.   Cyprus

8.   Denmark

9.   Finland

10. France

11. Germany

12. Greece

13. Hong Kong

14. Iceland

15. Ireland

16. Israel

17. Italy

18. Japan

19. Kuwait

20. Luxembourg

21. Netherlands

22. New Zealand

23. Norway

24. Portugal

25. Singapore

26. Slovenia

27. South Korea

28. Spain

29. Sweden

30. Switzerland

31. United Arab Emirates

32. United Kingdom

* Source: New York State Department of Health.