Legal Cannabis Gains Support Industries

Cannabis Trade Show

This week marks a huge CannaCon trade show for people in the cannabis industry. Something that would have been unthinkable (and highly illegal) 25 years ago in America.  The shift in how legal cannabis is viewed and used is having a profound effect on many industries. Conferences are being held around the country, mainly in the Western U.S., revolving around the science of growing, processing and dispensing medical cannabis. (Source: Cannacon.org)

The hemp and cannabis industries can’t stand alone. There are a ton of other industries that are expanding to include cannabis as a customer. Exhibitors at this year’s CannaCon trade show in Seattle,WA encompass everything from water and lighting systems, gardening companies, tech and security, processing and extraction, laboratory testing, and even packaging. Businessmen and investors will also be attending looking for opportunities to invest in this growing industry. Stop by PBFY Booth #514 if you’re at the show!

Legal Cannabis is Changing Medicine

The legalization of cannabis means more than a bunch of happy stoners. Cannabis is increasingly being viewed as medicine and 20 states currently have legalized it for medicinal purposes. Eighty compounds known as cannabinoids provide the therapeutic effects of medical marijuana and are found only in the cannabis plant. This means that legalization gives patients access to these compounds, and they can now be prescribed by a doctor.

Historically, those who wanted to use cannabis for medical or recreational use could always find it on the black market. The quality and varieties have not always been consistent. Legalization gives patients more control over finding a steady supply of the variety of cannabis that works best for their particular medical condition. Dispensaries have tight controls and regulations which help them to maintain quality and consistency in their products.

Medical cannabis is becoming a more widely accepted alternative therapy for pain management, anxiety, glaucoma, cancer treatment side effects, and other disorders. Dispensaries are opening up at a rapid rate in towns and cities where legalization has been passed. There are research studies and testing currently being conducted for the best delivery systems for medical use. People are not just smoking the drug. They are taking it in pill form, tinctures, oils and edibles. In states with legal medical use, you are now seeing ads for dispensaries in newspapers, magazines and on T.V. and radio.  

Recreational Marijuana

Only four of the legal medical marijuana states have also legalized recreational use. State lawmakers are looking for the best ways to regulate and tax sales of legal marijuana for recreational use. The common understanding is that legalization will not put the black market out of business, and legal states will only be able to get a small piece of the recreational use pie in terms of fees and taxes.

Discussion

The public debate around the use of cannabis continues. The subject is being widely discussed by lawmakers and citizens alike. There are a lot of details that need to be ironed out regarding where it’s appropriate to grow and dispense, what should be legal and practical as regards exposure to children and young adults, and how fees and taxes for legal cannabis should be handled. Each of the 23 states that has legalized the use of medical or recreational cannabis is looking for the best way to manage the issue, reap the benefits and make medicine available to those who need it. Many of the states still considering cannabis illegal are citing the fact that the Federal Government still considers possession or sales of marijuana as a crime as their reason for not legalizing. However, the grassroots (no pun intended) movement to legalize cannabis throughout America grows stronger than ever. The conversation continues.