The Cannabis Revolution: High Times in Society
By Alana Stein
“The train has left the station!” — says everyone about the cannabis revolution. But why are they so excited? Where are we going? Where is this industry going? There is growing public support for the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes, but what does science say about the matter? We know that cannabis contains more than four hundred potentially bioactive components and we’re still unraveling all of its secrets.
Yes, the train has left the station. But we’ve known that for a while. Many believe it started on October 17, 2018 when Canada legalized recreational sales, but the United States kickstarted the movement two decades ago. California set the stage in 1996 — yes, 1996 — with Proposition 215 regarding the use of medical marijuana. At that point, Americans’ opinions were split on the efficacy and morality of the bill, but many knew it was only a matter of time until the opposing half caught up. For instance, Senator Diane Feinstein (CA) was at the forefront of the opposing team, despising the bill: “[it is written so poorly] you’ll be able to drive a truckload of marijuana through the holes in it. While it seems simple, the devil is in the details or, in this particular bill, the lack of details” (LA Times).
Fast forward to January 2019, not only have our northern neighbors legalized marijuana’s recreational use, but medical and recreational use is now legal in ten US states and Washington D.C. Following suit, Senator Feinstein, often referred to as “California’s last prohibitionist,” has also said she no longer opposes legal marijuana. Like I said, it was only a matter of time — but it takes a while.
So, what is there actually to be excited about now? What does the next chapter of marijuana hold for society?
Yes, the train has left the station. But we’ve known that for a while
Medical marijuana will continue to evolve as a less-addictive alternative to pain killers amidst a deadly opioid crisis. Additionally, it is a successful combatant to side effects suffered by cancer patients. Marijuana proved its merit and will continue to thrive in the medical world regardless of recreational legislation, or lack thereof.
When it comes to recreational use, we can go one of two directions:
Scenario one: It’s a doomed fad. The chase is so much better than the catch. The taboo nature of marijuana has permeated western culture for decades. Perhaps baby boomers and millennials want to #legalizeit so badly because they can’t (legally) have it now. We grew up loving it, craving it, needing it, and life would be nothing without it. But once we can have it and really understand it…will we still feel the same?
Marijuana as a civil disobedience is dying thanks to legalization. It no longer represents a “cool” culture or lifestyle, therefore becoming less attractive to younger generations, like Gen Z. The identity of a cannabis user is now fluid, not residing to just a lazy rebel, but also stretching all the way to health-conscious, wellness-loving moms.
What about new learnings that suggest marijuana is no longer as “safe” as we thought it was?
According to Russ Belville, a longtime cannabis reform activist and owner of a 420-friendly bed and breakfast, the rebrand hurt the future of the substance: “there’s an aspect of when pot was illegal, it was a forbidden fruit, rite-of-passage sort of thing… now that pot is legal, it’s mom’s Chardonnay, it’s dad’s cigar. It’s not cool anymore. It’s kind of lame to the kids.” If future generations don’t want it, will the trend live and die with the boomers and millennials?
Not only is marijuana’s image suffering, but the various means of consuming it are a focus of recent criticisms. Smoking marijuana is already a dying trend as health conscious consumers are searching for alternatives to inhalation. Similar to the almost-extinction of cigarettes and the now-scrutinized JUUL, marijuana’s smoking-based sales are plummeting as more money is being put into alternative consumption options. For example, Constellation Brands, known for making Corona and other alcoholic beverages, invested heavily in Canopy Growth of Canada, to create THC infused beverages among other alternative consumption options.
Canopy Growth’s CEO, Bruce Linton, believes the cannabis market is undervalued at $200 billion, and that we are just scratching the surface. But what about new learnings that suggest marijuana is no longer as “safe” as we thought it was? At the start of the new year, mental illness and violence surfaced as two outcomes of marijuana use. Cannabis researchers admit that public consumption of the drug has far outpaced our understanding of it, and that we “desperately need to catch up” to understand the true effects. Another parallel to cigarette use: the more we know, the less we want. As boomers and millennials, we learned from our parents about the effects of cigarettes. Are we smart enough to not fall into the same trap with marijuana?
The transition will parallel the end of prohibition: a decrease in crime, an increase in happiness, and a boost for the economy
Scenario two: It actually is a revolution. States, and eventually the government, will continue to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The transition will parallel the end of prohibition: a decrease in crime, an increase in happiness, and a boost for the economy.
When we are set free, the black market’s tentacles will cease to wrap around anything they can, and we will consume at our leisure. Entering the cannabis industry will become a survival of the fittest battlefield for businesses as quickly as you can say Cannabaceae, and booming industries will pop-up like weeds (no pun intended). But what will this mean for innovation?
We must think bigger, think higher (no pun intended) — about how to integrate cannabis into consumers’ lives
As is stands, we think of marijuana in silos. How legalization will affect beverages, beauty, food, medicine, and more — but not how it will affect consumers. We must pause to remember that Amazon doesn’t win because is masters the individual industries it serves. It wins because it masters the consumer. No one discusses how to seamlessly infuse this “revolutionary” item — cannabis — into consumers lives, but how each industry can capitalize on it with fad-like outputs: beverages, bath bombs, etc.
We cannot think in silos. We must think bigger, think higher (no pun intended) — about how to integrate cannabis into consumers’ lives. Companies like Canndescent, a high-end weed producer that “marries the mastery of cannabis cultivation with the canvas of consumers lives,” are on their way by enveloping cannabis in luxury, but this will not be enough. As learned in number one, the barrier to entry of our most prominent luxury-loving, treat-yo-self consumers — Gen Z — is too high for them to try it on their own. Canndescent must partner with luxury to be luxury, and this is where the largest opportunity lies.
If it’s the first option, I can’t wait to say “I told you so!” If it’s the second, I hope that we collectively take the bull by the horns to lead the train where it needs to go: a seamlessly integrated, consumer-centric space. As with any other type of work, we must not work in silos to be successful. We must innovate together to create a new normal — a normal that includes the Cannabis industry and all of the conditions that come with it.
Alana Stein is a Consultant at TLGG Consulting US.
