This was originally published by me on Medium in December 2018.
Corporations have immense power in the United States. Many would say they have much more power than the will of the people.
Corporations lobby politicians all the time, and they are constantly trying to gain extra leverage in the marketplace. They’ve probably been jockeying for positioning in the marijuana space for over a decade at this point.
According to a recent survey by Pew Research Center, 62% of Americans support full legalization (with white males supporting full legalization the most) and, according to Gallup’s October poll, two-thirds of Americans support legalization, including 59% of people over 55 and 53% of Republicans — groups that have been slow to change.
None of that is as important as how much money can be made for corporations though. Corporations see massive profit potential with legal marijuana. That fact is what will get marijuana legalized in the US.
Canada legalizing marijuana kickstarted the movement in North America and, now, companies will be looking to get a huge slice of the proverbial pie when they can tip the US politicians to legalizing marijuana in the States.
Marlboro placing a $1.8 Billion (USD) bet on marijuana and Budweiser investing $50 Million into marijuana-infused beverages are signals of the big things right around the corner.
And, today, Trump signed a law that ends the prohibition on hemp production! Progress is here. The tides have shifted.
I suspect a bill decriminalizing marijuana will hit the Presidents desk in 2019, like the one co-authored by Senators Gardner (R-CO) and Warren (D-MA), and Trump will sign that bill, finally ending our war on marijuana.
With the sweeping success of legal marijuana in states like the 2012 pioneers Washington and Colorado, we’re seeing more conservative states bend, if not buckle, to allow marijuana — Utah and Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018.
It might be time to invest in marijuana stocks or start preparing a business plan for a marijuana shop and/or bakery.