Welcome to Illume
This is the Story Overview, from which you can find general information and statistics about your story.
Use the list at the lower-left to filter and view the passages of your story, and click on a passage to open it in review mode. While reviewing a passage, you can make changes in-place, compare your changed version to the original, revert those changes if needed, and flag a passage as reviewed to help you keep track of which passages have been reviewed and which ones remain.
You can use the links at the top left to view a change list, which shows all changes made to all passages, or export it to a file. You can also save a copy of this illumination for later use, or export your story in twee source format.
For more information about Illume, visit the Illume web site.
Stats
| Format | SugarCube |
| Orphans | 3 |
| Dead Ends | 3 |
| Pass-throughs | 35 |
| Passage Count | 71 |
| Word Count | 4865 |
| Average Links | 2.26 |
| Average Words | 68.52 |
These do not reflect changes made during review or by macros during play.
Review Summary
| Total Passages | 71 |
| Changed | 0 |
| Reviewed | 0 |
| Review Completed | 0% |
Passage Summary
| Character Select | 49 | 13 (10/3) |
| Credits | 86 | 7 (0/7) |
| J W10 S | 22 | 5 (4/1) |
| J A4 B | 51 | 4 (1/3) |
| M T2 B | 86 | 4 (1/3) |
| J A1 B | 104 | 3 (1/2) |
| J A2 A | 151 | 3 (1/2) |
| J A3 B | 105 | 3 (1/2) |
| J A3 D | 118 | 3 (1/2) |
| J A4 C | 40 | 3 (2/1) |
| J W1 B | 154 | 3 (1/2) |
| J W2 C | 72 | 3 (1/2) |
| J W2 D | 106 | 3 (1/2) |
| J W3 B | 97 | 3 (1/2) |
| J W4 B | 103 | 3 (1/2) |
| J W5 A | 43 | 3 (2/1) |
| M T1 A | 135 | 3 (1/2) |
| M T2 E | 102 | 3 (1/2) |
| M T3 A | 146 | 3 (1/2) |
| J A1 A | 138 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A3 A | 56 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A4 D | 94 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A5 A | 61 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A5 B | 53 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A90 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W00 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W00 S2 | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W1 A | 78 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W20 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W2 A | 68 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W2 B | 90 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W2 E | 64 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W2 F | 91 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W3 A | 113 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W3 C | 112 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W3 D | 97 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W4 A | 105 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W5 B | 76 | 2 (1/1) |
| J W90 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| Jamal Washington | 26 | 2 (1/1) |
| John Anderson | 21 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T00 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T20 S | 22 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T2 A | 60 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T4 A | 119 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 A | 51 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 B | 75 | 2 (0/2) |
| M T5 C | 31 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 D | 13 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 E | 20 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 F | 17 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T5 G | 92 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T6 E | 73 | 2 (1/1) |
| M T80 S | 20 | 2 (1/1) |
| Michael Thompson | 32 | 2 (1/1) |
| J A00 S | 22 | 1 (0/1) |
| J A10 S | 22 | 1 (0/1) |
| J A3 C | 47 | 1 (0/1) |
| J A3 E | 40 | 1 (0/1) |
| J A3 F | 51 | 1 (0/1) |
| J A4 A | 94 | 1 (0/1) |
| J W1 C | 89 | 1 (0/1) |
| J W1 D | 59 | 1 (0/1) |
| J W6 A | 101 | 1 (1/0) |
| M T2 C | 34 | 1 (0/1) |
| M T2 D | 36 | 1 (0/1) |
| M T6 A | 92 | 1 (0/1) |
| M T90 S | 22 | 1 (0/1) |
| Start | 284 | 1 (0/1) |
| Story Caption | 1 | 0 (0/0) |
| Story Init | 1 | 0 (0/0) |
Tags
| JA | 19 |
| Crossover | 4 |
| MT | 24 |
| JW | 26 |
| Special-Passage | 2 |
Tips
Tag a passage "illumeIgnore" and it will be totally ignored by Illume for all purposes.
If a passage is not being modified, tag it "illumeReviewed" to set its initial state to Reviewed. The editor can still refer back to it if needed.
This is the Story Overview, from which you can find general information and statistics about your story.
Use the list at the lower-left to filter and view the passages of your story, and click on a passage to open it in review mode. While reviewing a passage, you can make changes in-place, compare your changed version to the original, revert those changes if needed, and flag a passage as reviewed to help you keep track of which passages have been reviewed and which ones remain.
You can use the links at the top left to view a change list, which shows all changes made to all passages, or export it to a file. You can also save a copy of this illumination for later use, or export your story in twee source format.
For more information about Illume, visit the Illume web site.
Tag a passage "illumeIgnore" and it will be totally ignored by Illume for all purposes.
If a passage is not being modified, tag it "illumeReviewed" to set its initial state to Reviewed. The editor can still refer back to it if needed.
<<set $sysdis to 0>>
<<set $legal to 0>>
<<set $wealth to 0>>
<<set $health to 0>>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Introduction</h2><hr><h1>Choose Your Character</h1></div>
<img src="images/TRIP.PNG" alt="Michael Thompson, John Anderson, and Jamal Washington as young men.">
Jump in and experience all three characters in whichever order you like.
Every ending will bring you back to this page.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Michael Thompson]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Jamal Washington]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[John Anderson]]</div></div><div class="notebox">
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>General</h2></div>
Created using Twine 2.10.0
and the SugarCube 2.37.3 story format.
Proofing provided by Illume 1.0.5.
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Code Snippets</h2></div>
Base styling is "Dark Ice" by [[Darthsuki|"https://darthsuki.tumblr.com/search/dark+ice"]]
Bottom Bar snippet by [[HiEv|"https://hiev-heavy-ind.com/Sample_Code/Sample_Code.html#Bottom%20and%20Top%20Bars"]]
Speech Box System by [[Chapel|"https://twinelab.net/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2/#/speech-box-system"]]
Keyboard Navigation by [[HiEv|"https://hiev-heavy-ind.com/Sample_Code/Sample_Code.html#Keyboard%20Link%20Navigation"]]
Click to Proceed by [[Cyrusfirheir|"https://github.com/cyrusfirheir/cycy-wrote-custom-macros"]]
Video Helper by [[Subjunctive Games|"https://subjunctivegames.com/sugarcube-custom-video-macro/"]]
Popup by [[Chapel|"https://twinelab.net/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2/#/dialog-api-macro-set?id=macro-ltltpopupgtgt"]]
Status Meters by CTLD
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Contributors</h2></div>
Produced by Shannon Donnelly
Directed by Michael Rupert, CTLD
Coded by Dawson Lee, CTLD
Image Wrangling by Will Austin, CTLD
</div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2000s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 02-Gun' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931854&node=56003407&a=186132793&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA2A]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2010s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 06-Flat' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931856&node=56003409&a=212608908&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA3A]]</div></div><img src="images/JA0A.JPG" alt="John is a young white man with wavy blond hair, light facial hair, and sunglasses, smiling confidently in a casual gray t-shirt."/>
You just graduated from Cornell with a business degree.
Money has never been a worry for you. Your dad inherited his dad's real estate business, and they expect you to continue this tradition. It's a safe option but you have dreams of something else.
You see the writing on the wall. You know Colorado is poised to legalize cannabis within the next few legislative sessions and you hope to get in on the ground floor, maybe start your own empire.
Your dad disagress with your plan, he knows theres no risk in his real estate business. He asks to talk to you when you get back to Aspen from New York.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA1B]]</div></div><img src="images/JA1B.JPG" alt="John sits across from his father in his study, a serious look on his face."/>
You meet with your father in his estate in Aspen:
<<ctp "JAandJAdad">>
<<jadad>>John, your grandfather made his fortune in real estate.<</jadad>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandJAdad">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jadad>>We don’t take risks.<</jadad>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandJAdad">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>Yeah, but this is the future, Dad.<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandJAdad">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>If it flops, the government will protect us.<</ja>>
You think they’ll do that for people like Michael Thompson?
<</ctp>>
You hear his advice but you know theres money to be made in cannabis. Didn't grandpa have to take a risk at some point?
What are you going to do?
Do you play it safe and keep working in the family business?
Or do you become an early investor in the cannabis industry?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Real estate tradition|JA00S][$wealth +=30, $health +=10]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Invest in cannabis|JA00S][$wealth +=50]]</div></div><img src="images/JA2A.JPG" alt="John sits casually in front of a fireplace talking with a friend."/>
Cannabis is still illegal federally but in some states the medical sector is profitable.
You get a call from Dave, your friend from Cornell. You guys always talked about investing together, maybe now is the perfect time?
Dave flies into Aspen and you show him the beauties of Colorado. Before long business talks begin and Dave agrees: theres less risk for you guys.
<<ctp "JAandJAfriend">>
<<jafriend>>This new medical marijuana industry is risky…<</jafriend>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandJAfriend">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jafriend>>but let’s be real; we aren’t the ones getting arrested for this.<</jafriend>>
<</ctp>>
You know he is right, no matter how bad it feels. You know there's long been injustice surronding cannabis in different communities.
Dave leaves Aspen the next day. You still haven't given him your decision yet. You haven't decided yet yourself.
What do you do?
Play it safe in a new retail investment.
Or take a risk and invest in medical marijuana?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Real Estate|JA10S][$wealth +=20]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Medical Marijuana|JA10S][$wealth +=40, $sysdis +=5]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3A.JPG" alt="John now in his 30s having a discussion at an upscale bar."/>
It's 2014. The Colorado legislature passed, an amendment in 2012 legalizing recreational cannabis sales for the first time.
Big investors dominate from the start. They have the captial to open lots of dispensaries without worrying about making quick profits.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA3B]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3A.JPG" alt="John now in his 30s having a discussion at an upscale bar."/>
<<ctp "JA">>
<<ja>>"So they finally legalized it...<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JA">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>but the same people who got locked up for selling it can’t even open a dispensary now?<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JA">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>Wild.<</ja>>
<</ctp>>
Weed has been legal for a few weeks now and Dave is worried about the increased risk. The new market is hot, but who knows if it will stay that way.
He thinks you guys should shift to a safer business plan and franchise a fast food restaurant. You still see an opportunity to invest on a corporate scale into the cannabis industry. Time is running out if you want to get into cannabis early, what do you want to do?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Franchise|JA4A][$wealth +=10]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Invest in cannabis|JA3C][$wealth +=50]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3C.JPG" alt="John sits in his apartment reading a newspaper."/>
You've decided that you're committed to investing in the cannabis industry.
Your dad is displeased with your decision and urges you to reconsider. He thinks the risk is too great in a new industry.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA3D]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3C.JPG" alt="John sits in his apartment reading a newspaper."/>
<div class="notebox">
THE DENVER PILLAR
<hr>
<<type 60ms>>Black communities faced higher incarceration rates for cannabis, but now wealthy investors are swooping in.<</type>>
<hr>
</div>
Your dad knows now how committed you are to the cannabis industry and tries to form a compromise. He wants you to start small, maybe as a partial owner of one dispensary.
You still think there is a fortune to be made in the new market. You want to go all-in and start your own chain of dispensaries. You have the capital to open multiple stores and compete with local dispensaries' prices.
What will you do?
Go with your dad's advice?
Or stick with your gut and go all-in?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Small-scale|JA3E][$wealth +=30]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Go all-in|JA3F][$wealth +=50, $sysdis +=5]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3E.JPG" alt="John sitting at his kitchen counter with a serious expression."/>
<<ja>>This industry is blowing up. I’d be stupid not to get in… but I gotta be careful. Politics change fast.<</ja>>
Your dad is happy with your decision. At least now if this experiment fails, you can still fall back on the family's real estate company.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA4C]]</div></div><img src="images/JA3F.JPG" alt="John in his apartment having a conversation on a cordless phone."/>
You take your dad's advice into consideration, but you know in your gut this is worth the risk. You use most of the capital you have and use it to fund a chain of dispensaries.
<<ja>>Money’s about timing, and I’m ahead of the curve. Funny how something illegal yesterday makes you rich today—if you’re the right kind of person.<</ja>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA4C]]</div></div><img src="images/JA4A.JPG" alt="An older john in business casual attire at a window in a high-rise apartment."/>
You decide to listen to your dad's advice. After all, he has successfuly run a business for decades. Like he said, this option avoids risk. When your dad is ready to retire, you can take over.
Using your dad's real estate connections, you start buying buildings to turn them into Subway restaurants. The new stores quickly start making a profit. It's nothing compared to what your dad's business makes, but at least this is yours.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA4B]]</div></div><img src="images/denverpost.png" alt="the front page of the denver post"/>
News Report: exposé on social-equity barriers in cannabis.
<<ja>>They finally got their foot in the door, and the big guys still locked them out.<</ja>>
You exhale and think about how you never really needed to take risks. Your money worked for you. Not everyone had that luxury.
<<set $JAplayed to true>>
<<if $MTplayed>>
<<if $MTprison>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA5A]]</div></div>
<<else>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA5B]]</div></div>
<</if>>
<<else>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div>
<</if>><img src="images/JA3C.JPG" alt="John sits in his apartment reading a newspaper."/>
You see a report in the Denver Pillar:
<div class="notebox">
THE DENVER PILLAR
<hr>
<div class="center">Colorado’s Cannabis Boom:<br />from War on Drugs to Wall Street.</div>
<<type 60ms>>The industry is projected to exceed $10 billion, but Black entrepreneurs face hurdles entering the space.<</type>>
<hr>
</div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA4D]]</div></div><img src="images/JA4C.JPG" alt="John lounging on a boat in the middle of a lake surrounded by foothills."/>
You sit back on a large boat in the Chatfield Reservoir:
<<ctp "JA">>
<<ja>>Funny. Some guys sit in a cell for selling a gram of this stuff.<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JA">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>I built an empire off it…<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JA">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>The system worked for me. Hell, it was built for me.<</ja>>
(If things were fair, would he be where he is?)
<</ctp>>
Your dad retires when you are 36 and the real estate business is passed down to you. Your dispensary chain is one of the biggest in Colorado with stores in most counties. You have enough money to retire now. Hell, you have enough money that your children will never have to work...just how <strong>you</strong> started, in fact.
<<set $JAplayed to true>>
<<if $MTplayed is true>><div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA5B]]</div></div><<else>><div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><</if>><img src="images/JA3C.JPG" alt="John sits in his apartment reading a newspaper."/>
You read a news article about cannabis industry expansion. A name catches your eye: Michael Thompson.
“Wait, I know him. Used to buy weed from him. Got locked up in 2003. He’s still there.”
“Ten years for possession. I made ten million off the same thing.”
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><img src="images/JA5B.JPG" alt="An older John dressed for a casual evening at a business cocktail party."/>
Your dispensary chain is holding an event and members of the industry across Colorado are invited. You spot Michael Thompson at the event and go up to talk to him.
<<ctp "JAandMT">>
<<ja>>Michael? Damn, man, it’s been years.<</ja>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandMT">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Yeah, funny how we both ended up in the same business.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JAandMT">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<ja>>Yeah, well, from different starting points.<</ja>>
Michael doesn’t laugh.
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 1990s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 93-GetHighGetStupidGetAIDS' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931862&node=56003416&a=45407811&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JA1A]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2000s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: HugginTheBlock' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931863&node=56003417&a=78127473&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW2A]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2000s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: HugginTheBlock' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931863&node=56003417&a=78127473&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW2D]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2000s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 15-Achievements' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931859&node=56003413&a=204352334&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW3A]]</div></div><img src="images/JW1A.JPG" alt="Jamal is a young black man with short natural hair and neatly trimmed facial hair. He is dressed in a cap and gown for graduation."/>
You just graduated High School! You start to feel the weight of the decisions you'll have to make soon.
Do you go to college or get a job and make money for your family. You decide to talk to your grandma. She always has good advice.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Talk with grandma|JW1B]]</div></div><img src="images/JW1B.JPG" alt="Jamal sits across from his grandmother on the porch of their house."/>
You find her on the porch, same as always, rocking slow in the late afternoon light. The air smells like cut grass and something frying down the street. You sit beside her, not saying much at first—just listening to the creak of the rocker, the rustle of wind in the trees. She breaks the silence for you, knowing you're not the kind to get the ball rolling.
<<ctp "jwgmom">>
<<jwgmom>>They’re building another shopping center down the road. Said it’ll bring in business.<</jwgmom>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>That’s good, right?<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jwgmom>>Depends. Back when your granddaddy tried to open a grocery store, the bank wouldn't even let him through the door.<</jwgmom>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jwgmom>>Whole block got bought up by folks who had the right connections.<</jwgmom>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>That was the '60s. Things changed.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
She looks up at you, shaking her head.
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "jwgmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jwgmom>>Did they?<</jwgmom>>
<</ctp>>
The conversation continues like this for a while. As painful as it might be, you know she's preparing you for the real world. Still, the choice is yours to make.
Do you go to college and get a degree or start working right away to help the family out?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Get a Job|JW1C][$sysdis +=10, $wealth -=10]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Pursue higher education|JW1D][$sysdis +=5, $wealth +=10]]</div></div><img src="images/JW1C.JPG" alt="Jamal, a little older, with longer hair, is working at the counter of a smoke shop.">
You start work at the smoke shop that opened in the new shopping center. Selling pipes to rich college kids isn't the most fun but the paycheck helps your mom so its worth it.
After medical marijuana gets legalized in Colorado you get a job at new dispensary. You work hard but realize it doesnt matter, the boss will never see you how he sees your white co-workers.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW00S2]]</div></div><img src="images/JW1D.JPG" alt="Jamal seated in an office cubicle wearing a uniform polo shirt.">
You finish up your degree in finance and apply for jobs based in policy making. You know thats the real way a difference is gonna be made about poverty in your communities.
On top of that your student loan debt repayments start soon.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW00S]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2020s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: SaturdayNight' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931865&node=56003419&a=179077445&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW4A]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2A.JPG" alt="Jamal, a little older, seated in his office cubicle, a serious look on his face.">
You got the job! You get to help write policies for local small businesses now.
You quickly realize you're not gonna be able to make the difference that you thought.
The policies just aren't designed to help people in your community. It's an uphill battle to change them.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW2B]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2B.JPG" alt="Jamal in his office cubicle, an expression of disillusionment on his face.">
You stare at the numbers on the screen, clicking through loan approvals in 2008. At first, it’s just data—percentages, addresses, application notes. But patterns start to emerge. The names. The zip codes. The denials. You scroll faster, heat rising in your chest. It hits you how uneven the playing field really is—how getting an equity loan isn’t just about having a solid plan. It’s about who you are, and where you come from.
<<jw>>How come every time I push for an equity loan, it gets denied, but John’s expansion gets rubber-stamped?<</jw>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW2C]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2C.JPG" alt="Jamal in his office cubicle, a little older, looking very tired and disappointed.">
<<ctp "JW">>
<<jw>>I fought to get these loan programs expanded, but it’s the same old game.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>Wealthy applicants have the collateral, the connections, and the trust.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>Meanwhile, Black-owned businesses account for less than 3% of approvals.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>And here I am, fighting for scraps. What is the point of all this?<</jw>>
<</ctp>>
Given all that you're experiencing, do you think it's worth it to stay where you are and keep trying to change policies to help your community?
Or is this mess just a lost cause right now? You could try to open your own dispensary insteead.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Keep pushing for change|JW2E]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Open your own dispensary|JW10S]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2D.JPG" alt="Jamal in a green uniform polo working in a dispensary, a big smile on his face.">
You get a job at a medical dispensary after medical marijuana gets legalized. The owner only comes into the store between trips to different ski resorts.
You try to get a license for yourself to no avail. You soon learn that legalization doesnt mean a level playing field..
You're stuck at a decision point.
Do you keep working for others?
Or will you take the risk of getting a high-interest loan to start your own medical dispensary.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Keep working for others|JW2F]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Start your business|JW10S]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2E.JPG" alt="Jamal in his office cubicle, a little older, looking very tired and disappointed.">
<<jw>>If I leave now, nothing changes. Maybe I can fix this.<</jw>>
You push for stronger lending programs but most reforms end up watered down.
New leadership comes in. Priorities change...and fast. Its all about tax cuts now and helping the big corporations.
After years of hitting bureaucratic walls, you can't take it anymore and decide its time.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW10S]]</div></div><img src="images/JW2F.JPG" alt="Jamal working in the dispensary, looking at his payslip at the end of the day.">
<<jw>>The owner makes millions. I make minimum wage...<</jw>>
You stay strong and keep working hard for another couple of years. Pretty soon the discrepancies get to you. The owners don't produce anything. All of the value created in the business comes from the workers. Hell, the owner hardly does any work at all, but still somehow gets to take home all the profit.
Deep down you know, there's no future for you here. Maybe its time for a change?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW10S]]</div></div><img src="images/JW3A.JPG" alt="Jamal in his own dispensary, happy but tired at the work he had to do to get here.">
You decide to finally open the dispensary you have been dreaming about. Its near impossible to get a fair loan, even with all the work you did. You have to settle for interest payments that are higher then you wanted but in combination with your savings, you're able to open.
Things go more smoothly than you expected and business is going well after your first few months. Local media even comes and does a feature on the store and interviews you. The story gets released as "Black entrepreneur breaking barriers."
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW3B]]</div></div><img src="images/JW3B.JPG" alt="Jamal dressed casually, smiling for a TV camera.">
<<jw>>I did it. I beat the system. Didn’t I?<</jw>>
With the business doing well, corporate investors start to reach out, looking to invest.
It's tempting to take take their money. You could defnitely use it right now to help with the loans you've taken out. But at the same time, you know you'd lose some control of the business. Would it even be <strong>yours</strong> at that point?
Or would it be better to stay independent and enjoy the modest success you're having right now with the new business.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Investor buyout|JW3C]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Stay independent|JW3D]]</div></div><img src="images/JW3C.JPG" alt="An older Jamal in his dispensary, looking out the window across the street, seriously considering his options.">
You sell part of your business to investors. You can breathe again. The loans don't look as bad anymore. Only now you're not the only one making decisions.
<<jw>>It’s still my business, right?<</jw>>
You watch over the years as your brand expands into a local chain, but decisions are made without your input.
By 2020, corporate takeovers accelerate. The investors sell your company to a larger cannabis chain.
<<jw>>I built this from the ground up. And now it’s just another storefront to them.<</jw>>
The investors get tired of you pushing for business practices that help the community and the board pushes you out of the business with a severance package.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW5A]]</div></div><img src="images/JW3C.JPG" alt="An older Jamal in his dispensary, looking out the window across the street, seriously considering his options.">
<<jw>>This is mine. No way I’m giving it up.<</jw>>
No way you're gonna sell now, not after all this work you've put in.
After the initial success wears off, the store begins to struggle. The loan repayments start to catch up and the high interest makes it harder to pay down the principal.
Corporate dispensaries lower prices to drive competition out. They can afford not to make a profit now.
By 2020 you are barely breaking even at the dispensary. Something has to change.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW20S]]</div></div><img src="images/JW4A.JPG" alt="An older jamal in the back office of his dispensary, a troubled look on his face.">
The COVID-19 pandemic hits and soon business starts to slow down.
Corporate dispensaries have rich owners with deep pockets. They can easily get relief loans.
You unlock the door like you always do, even though the street’s been quiet for weeks. Another day, another uphill climb. The rent’s due, the bills haven’t stopped, and every order you fill feels like it might be the last. You’re doing everything right, but it still feels like you’re bleeding slow, and no one’s coming to stop it.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW4B]]</div></div><img src="images/JW4A.JPG" alt="An older jamal in the back office of his dispensary, a troubled look on his face.">
<<jw>>"I need the money, but I know this is a trap. They’d never pull this with a guy like John."<</jw>>
The terms of the relief loan aren't great, but you're almost out of money. You also don't know if you'd even get approved at this stage in the game.
...but there could be a few alternative opportunities to create revenue without taking out more loans.
With the pandemic, Colorado just allowed online ordering, pickup, and delivery for cannabis products...but the protocols are tight.
Which do you think is the better option right now?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Take on relief loans|JW6A]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Try alternative revenue streams|JW5B]]</div></div><img src="images/JW4B.JPG" alt="An older Jamal talking to a friend who is retiring.">
<<jw>>I've worked hard my whole life and this is how I am rewarded? I can't start over again. How am I going to help my mom?<</jw>>
You get invited to your old co-workers retirement party. He's 6 years younger than you and already retiring, but you still have a long road ahead.
<div class="storychoice"><div class="center">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><img src="images/gildedgreen.jpg" alt="the gilded green corporate dispensary across the street, all metal and glass storefront, logos and text covered in gold.">
Getting approved for online orders and delivery is hard and time consuming, but you do finally make it through the process. By the time you get approved, a new corporate dispensary opens across the street from your business, offering deals and discounts that you know aren't making them money.
<<ctp "JW">>
<<jw>>"I worked hard. Followed the rules.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>And I’m still one bad month away from losing everything.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "JW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>Tell me again how things are fair and equitable?<</jw>>
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]] </div></div><img src="images/JW4A.JPG" alt="An older jamal in the back office of his dispensary, a troubled look on his face.">
You refresh the page one more time, even though you already know what it’s going to say.
<div class="center"><strong>Application Denied.</strong></div>
The words blur for a second, but you blink them back into focus. You did everything right—filled out every form, submitted every document, hoped like hell.
But it wasn’t enough. Not for them. Not this time. Outside, the lights on the storefront flicker in the fading daylight. You know what comes next, even if you’re not ready to say it out loud.
[[Continue|JW5A]]<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 1990s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: Responsibility' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931864&node=56003418&a=85010946&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|JW1A]]</div></div><<set $sysdis to 50>>
<<set $legal to 30>>
<<set $wealth to 20>>
<<set $health to 70>>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Scene 2</h2><hr><h1>Jamal Washington</h1></div>
<img src="images/JW0A.JPG" alt="Jamal Washington as a young man.">
<div class="notebox">
!!! Bio Facts
<<type 60ms>><b>Year of Birth: </b>1978<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Place of Birth: </b>Ruby Hill, Denver, Colorado<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Race: </b>African-American<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Occupation: </b>Small Business Owner<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Education: </b>High School Graduate<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Income: </b>Low Income<</type>>
</div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[You start just after high school.|JW90S]]</div></div><<set $sysdis to 0>>
<<set $legal to 0>>
<<set $wealth to 90>>
<<set $health to 80>>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Scene 3</h2><hr><h1>John Anderson</h1></div>
<img src="images/JA0A.JPG" alt="John Anderson as a young man.">
<div class="notebox">
!!! Bio Facts
<<type 60ms>><b>Year of Birth: </b>1968<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Place of Birth: </b>Aspen, Colorado<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Race: </b>White<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Occupation: </b>Inherited Business<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Education: </b>Ivy-League Graduate<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Income: </b>Wealthy<</type>>
</div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Begin|JA90S]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2000s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 07-MyFriendsSmokeWeed' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931857&node=56003410&a=139731630&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT3A]]</div></div><img src="images/MT1A.JPG" alt="Michael Thompson is a black male with a sharp fade and goatee, wearing a black suit and white shirt, at his after-graduation party."/>
You finish high school in the early 1980s. After the party is over, it hits you that you really need to begin looking for work.
There are lots of factory jobs available but the pay isn't great and no one looks happy when they leave.
You could also try to open the food truck you have been dreaming of opening your whole life...but you don't have the money. You'd need a loan to start, and its well known that its hard to get loan.
Do you take a factory job or work to start your own business?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Factory|MT90S][$sysdis +=5, $wealth -=10]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Small Business|MT90S][$sysdis +=10, $wealth -=10]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 2020s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 10-Diner' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931858&node=56003412&a=184255142&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5A]]</div></div><img src="images/MT2A.JPG" alt="Michael in a denim jacket, standing outside the corner store with friends."/>
Many people in your neighborhood have been getting arrested for minor cannabis offenses. You see your brother, Malik, outside the corner store.
<<ctp "MTandMTbro">>
<<mt>>Stay in school, man.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTbro">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mtbro>>Yeah, yeah, I will…but Jason’s brother just got locked up for some weed. What’s the point?<</mtbro>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTbro">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
You shake your head, but you know Malik's got a point.
Just then, you overhear a news report on the radio...
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT2B]]</div></div><img src="images/radio.JPG" alt="an older radio with concentric circles to emphasize that sound is being produced."/>
You overhear a radio report:
<<ctp "radio">>
<<radio>>Under the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act,<</radio>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "radio">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<radio>>mandatory minimum sentences mean minor drug offenses could land you in prison for years.<</radio>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "radio">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<radio>>Critics argue this disproportionately impacts Black communities.<</radio>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "radio">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
After thinking for a minute, you shake your head again…
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "radio">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>I'm not selling, so I'm fine…right??<</mt>>
<</ctp>>
You could avoid cannabis entirely and stay away from users.
You could occasionally smoke.
You could avoid using it, but frequently associate with users and dealers.
What do you do?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Avoid cannabis use entirely|MT2C][$wealth -=5]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Casual use|MT2D][$legal +=10, $sysdis +=5,$MTprison to true]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Association with users|MT2E][$legal +=10, $sysdis +=5,$MTprison to true]]</div></div>You decide to avoid cannabis use entirely. You know its not worth the legal risk, but with so much cannabis use around you, the social consequences are hard to deal with.
<<mt>>“Man, I’m not risking my future over this…but damn, same thing John’s rich friends do all the time and nobody cares."<</mt>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT4A]]</div></div><img src="images/MT2D.JPG" alt="Michael accepting a joint from a friend outside the corner store."/>
As you talk with your brother outside the corner store, your friend passes you a joint.
<<ctp "MTandMTbro">>
<<mt>>What’s the worst that could happen? It’s just a little weed…cops got bigger problems, right?<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTbro">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mtbro>>You said this stuff was stupid.<</mtbro>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTbro">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>I don’t make the rules, man.<</mt>>
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Cops got bigger problems, right?|MT2E]]</div></div><img src="images/MT3A.JPG" alt="Michael in the glow of red and blue lights, and expression of fear on his face."/>
The cops show up and you know you are screwed. They caught you red handed with weed.
You're arrested and end up in the county jail. You can hear your mom's distress when you use your one phone call.
<<ctp "MTandMTmom">>
<<mt>>I don't know how this happened.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTmom">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mtmom>>Don't matter. I worked two jobs to keep you boys safe. Now…look at you.<</mtmom>>
<</ctp>>
It's too late for visitors now. You'll have to spend the night in jail before you can even see her.
How do you think this part will play out?
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[You have a good lawyer|MT20S]]</div></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[A case of wrong place, wrong time|MT00S]]</div></div><img src="images/MT3B.JPG" alt="An older white man in a judge's robe sitting in the courtroom, his finger in their air in admonishment, the US flag in the background."/>
The air is heavy in the courtroom.
You sit still, palms damp against your slacks, but the nerves feel distant—muted by something heavier. You've seen all this before, maybe not sitting in this seat, but living in this same system.
Behind you, your mother shifts quietly, holding it together for your sake. Malik hasn’t said a word since you walked in.
Your lawyer leans close and whispers something meant to comfort, but it barely lands.
You hear sharp footsteps and the door to the judge’s chamber clicks open.
<<ctp "MTandMTjudge">>
<<mtjudge>>Under federal law, I have no discretion here.<</mtjudge>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mtjudge>>The sentence is set at 10 years regardless of circumstances.<</mtjudge>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
Your mom stares blankly.
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
Your public defender doesn’t make eye contact.
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
You think to yourself...
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Ten years? Ten damn years? There's no way…<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandMTjudge">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>but I see the look on my lawyer’s face. This was decided before I even walked in.”<</mt>>
<</ctp>>
<<if $JWplayed is true>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT6A][$wealth -=50, $health -=40, $sysdis +=20]]</div></div>
<<else>><div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5F][$wealth -=50, $health -=40, $sysdis +=20]]</div></div>
<</if>><img src="images/MT4A.JPG" alt="Michael sitting at his kitchen table, papers strewn all over the place."/>
<<if $MTprison is true>>
After legalization in Colorado, social-equity business licenses open up to allow competition in a market that's already dominated by corporations.
Due to your criminal record, though, there is no way you'll get approved. Your only option right now is to keep working your same old low-wage job.
<<else>>
Cannabis legalization leads to new opportunities. Colorado establishes a social-equity business license program to get into a cannabis industry that has already been dominated by corporations and rich investors.
You can open you own dispensary and become a small business owner. This is the best chance you've had in a while. You know you have to take it.
<</if>>
<<if $MTprison is true>><div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5A]]</div></div><<else>><div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5B]]</div></div><</if>><img src="images/MT5A.JPG" alt="Michael at his factory job, dressed in a denim jacket, yellow vest, safety goggles, and a hard hat."/>
You continue working for low wages and keep struggling. Not only is your income low, but better opportunities just never seem to show up for you.
<<set $MTplayed to true>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><img src="images/MT5B.JPG" alt="An older Michael in a business suit standing on the sidewalk outside his dispensary."/>
Part of you never imagined this could happen. You're even more suprised that it happened to you.
After jumping through countless hoops, your application for the social-equity business license gets approved. In no time at all, you become the owner of a small cannabis business due your persistence and the state's social-equity programs.
<<if $JWplayed>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT6E]]</div></div>
<<else>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5C]]</div></div>
<</if>><img src="images/MT5C.JPG" alt="Michael standing on the sidewalk with a look of regret on his face."/>
<<mt>>“I made it, but how many others like me never got the chance?”<</mt>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5D]]</div></div><img src="images/MT5D.JPG" alt="Michael standing on the sidewalk, biting his lip."/>
<<mt>>“Malik wanted to start a business, too…until the system swallowed him whole.”<</mt>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5E]]</div></div><img src="images/MT5C.JPG" alt="Michael standing on the sidewalk with a look of regret on his face."/>
<<mt>>They said social equity would fix this, but if the system never broke us in the first place, we wouldn’t need ‘equity’ to begin with.”<</mt>>
<<set $MTplayed to true>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><img src="images/MT6B.JPG" alt="An older Michael sitting in a prison cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit."/>
<<ctp "MT">>
<<mt>>They legalized it.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MT">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Same thing that got me locked up…white kids are making millions off it now<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MT">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>If I’d been born in a different zip code…<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MT">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>If my skin were a little lighter…would I be at some investor’s table right now instead of here?”<</mt>>
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5G]]</div></div><img src="images/MT5G.JPG" alt="An older Michael in an orange jumpsuit, lying in an ambulance."/>
The years tick past on your prison sentence, slowly but surely. You know you're not getting out any time soon. Eventually you come to the realization that you're not getting any younger. Your chances for parole dry up just as fast as they come. Even the occasional visitor you used to see...well, that just doesn't happen as often as it used to.
Eventually you become to weak to carry on. You die in prison.
<<set $MTplayed to true>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div>You’ve been living in prison long enough that the days blur together. So when the guard says you’ve got a visitor, it cuts through the monotony like cold air. You follow the familiar path to the visiting room, trying not to feel anything. But when you step inside and see Jamal Washington waiting—older, but unmistakably him—something shifts. A piece of the past, walking back into your life.
<img src="images/MTcrossover1.JPG" alt="An older Michael in an orange jumpsuit, graying natural hair, his ear to a phone handset, talking to a visitor."/>
<<ctp "MTandJW">>
<<jw>>"Man. You remember when we used to talk about opening a shop together?<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandJW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Yeah, before they decided I didn’t deserve a second chance.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandJW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>They legalized it. You should be out.<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandJW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Should. But ain’t nobody rushing to undo what they did to us.<</mt>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT5F]]</div></div><img src="images/MT5B.JPG" alt="Michael standing outside his dispensary in a business suit, a serious expression on his face."/>
Your new dispensary has been running for a while with mild success. It's not an easy living but the business is staying afloat.
One day when you are working the counter, you get a visit from an old friend, Jamal Washington.
<<ctp "MTandJW">>
<<jw>>Jamal: Man, you really did it<</jw>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandJW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<mt>>Barely. They ain’t make it easy.<</mt>>
<<button "Next">><<ctpAdvance "MTandJW">><</button>>
<<ctpNext>>
<<jw>>Tell me about it…<</jw>>
(his own shop struggles across town, competing against big corporations.)
<</ctp>>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[The End|Character Select]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 1980s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 89-Snake' src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931860&node=56003414&a=205461904&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT1A]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Social Context</h2><hr><h1>The 1990s</h1></div>
<div class="center video"><iframe title='Embedded Media titled: 90-StraightUp' width="784" height="441" src="https://msudenver.yuja.com/V/Video?v=12931861&node=56003415&a=166080441&preload=false" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Continue|MT2A]]</div></div><<set $sysdis to 50>>
<<set $legal to 30>>
<<set $wealth to 20>>
<<set $health to 70>>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Scene 1</h2><hr><h1>Michael Thompson</h1></div>
<img src="images/MT0A.JPG" alt="Michael Thompson as a young man.">
<div class="notebox">
!!! Bio Facts
<<type 60ms>><b>Year of Birth: </b>1965<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Place of Birth: </b>Athmar Park, Denver, Colorado<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Race: </b>African-American<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Occupation: </b>Factory Worker<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Education: </b>High School Graduate<</type>>
<<type 60ms>><b>Income: </b>Low Income<</type>>
</div>
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[You start by graduating high school, so big choices are just ahead.|MT80S]]</div></div><div class="chapterHead"><h2>Introduction</h2><hr><h1>The War on Drugs</h1></div>
<img src="images/SKYLINE.JPG" alt="The Denver skyline with Rocky Mountains in the background.">
<div class="notebox">
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Overview</h2></div>
This activity gives you the opportunity to see small glimpses of life through the eyes of three very different people growing up in the same general area.
Play as all three characters, pause and reflect on what you've experienced, and remember that you're only seeing small scenes from their lives.
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Navigation</h2></div>
GENERAL
Mouse-clicking should be intuitive, with choices clearly labeled.
Use left arrow to go back. Right arrow goes forward if there is only one choice.
If a choice has a number after it, that number key on the keyboard will take you there.
SIDEBAR
The left sidebar can be toggled open or closed.
In the same browser on the same device, you can mark your place using the SAVES button and load them when you come back.
The RESTART button will reset everything, as if you had never looked at the stories.
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>About PSAs</h2></div>
Public service announcements (PSAs) will be shown to give context to the current decade within the activity. Remember, especially earlier on in each character's story, there was no internet. Everyone experienced the same writing, music, and video at the same time.
These announcements were created with government funding by private nonprofits who often had no understanding of the real market, consumption, effects, and consequences of drug use. Their intention was simply to scare both children and adults, framing the narrative about drugs, including cannabis, for decades.
<hr>
<div class="chapterHead"><h2>Note</h2></div>
This simulation includes themes of drugs and drug use, life and death, racism, and capitalism.
Viewer discretion is advised.
<div class="center"><div class="storychoice">[[Select a Character|Character Select]]</div></div><<link 'ⓘ CREDITS'>>
<<popup 'Credits' 'CREDITS' 'passages'>>
<</link>><<set $sysdis to 0>>
<<set $legal to 0>>
<<set $wealth to 0>>
<<set $health to 0>>
<<set $MTprison to false>>
<<set $MTplayed to false>>
<<set $JAplayed to false>>
<<set $JWplayed to false>>
<<character 'mtmom' 'Mom' 'images/MTmom.JPG'>>
<<character 'mtbro' 'Malik' 'images/MTbro.JPG'>>
<<character 'mtjudge' 'Judge' 'images/MTjudge.JPG'>>
<<character 'mt' 'Michael' 'images/MT.JPG'>>
<<character 'jw' 'Jamal' 'images/JW.JPG'>>
<<character 'ja' 'John' 'images/JA.JPG'>>
<<character 'jadad' 'Dad' 'images/JAdad.JPG'>>
<<character 'jwmom' 'Mom' 'images/JWmom.JPG'>>
<<character 'jwgmom' 'Grandmom' 'images/JWgmom.JPG'>>
<<character 'jafriend' 'Partner' 'images/JAfriend.JPG'>>
<<character 'radio' 'KGNU' 'images/radio.JPG'>>