What's the future of the marijuana industry?

[zolace]

I'd say its legal in most states within the next 10 years. But who will profit most from this?

[Chef Ramsay]

The legalization movement will keep trending and we'll see medical mj everywhere w/i 5-7 years. You'll still have your hardline republicans that will keep their heels dug in but I see the party shaping more into what Rand Paul is looking for, at least on this particular issue. I bet the marijuana industry keeps rising exponentially as Bitcoin has and will continue to do. Cannabis does for the mind and soul what Bitcoin does for your finances. That said, I have no personal use for cannibas other than to potentially invest in future operations as it will be the cash crop.

[DarkForces]

The future of Marijuana in America is this: The government will regulate and tax it heavily, and we will end up paying 100 bucks an 1/8. Fucken bullshit, and its coming.

[koshgel]

It's growing rapidly and nationwide view on its legality is finally changing. I saw them discussing cannabis on the Dr. Oz show for godsakes. It's becoming accepted by the mainstream and will see legalization in a majority of the bigger states in the next 5-10 years.

Colorado is making a fortune off of the legalization. California is in desperate need of those funds.

Not only will it make our states money. It will take money out from under these murderous cartels.

[chopstick]

More states will continue to legalize, obviously. Public opinion is changing. The days of reefer madness, are over.

Not only does it have massive recreational potential that is both safer and less incapacitating than alcohol, but cannabis is also perhaps one of the most medicinal plants on the entire planet, period.

The industry will be huge - for both recreational, and medical purposes.

The cannabis industry and the bitcoin industry are similar in that they both have MASSIVE potential for growth, job creation, and investment opportunities.

Anyone who gets into either industry can stand to profit in a big way.

[chopstick]

The legalization movement will keep trending and we'll see medical mj everywhere w/i 5-7 years. You'll still have your hardline republicans that will keep their heels dug in but I see the party shaping more into what Rand Paul is looking for, at least on this particular issue. I bet the marijuana industry keeps rising exponentially as Bitcoin has and will continue to do. Cannabis does for the mind and soul what Bitcoin does for your finances. That said, I have no personal use for cannibas other than to potentially invest in future operations as it will be the cash crop.

I would just like to point out that your activity is 420 

lol

[redskins49]

More states will continue to legalize, obviously. Public opinion is changing. The days of reefer madness, are over.

Not only does it have massive recreational potential that is both safer and less incapacitating than alcohol, but cannabis is also perhaps one of the most medicinal plants on the entire planet, period.

I disagree with both of these statements. I think that states legalizing marijuana is only occurring because of the liberal mindset of the Obama administration and the administrations willingness to look the other way in states that make weed legal. Once a president with half a brain is elected, the federal drug laws will be enforced in these states again and other states will likely not pass similar laws.

Weed can be safer then alcohol however using weed often will lead to the use of "harder" more harmful drugs. Weed is considered to be a "gateway drug"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug_theory

[Bobsurplus]

The future is huge money for anyone in that game and doing it right.

[RobertDJ]

I'd say its legal in most states within the next 10 years. But who will profit most from this?

This trend is only occurring in very liberal states. I think once people see how bad of an idea this is and the problems they ultimately create the trend will eventually reverse itself.

[counter]

I'd say the sky is the limit and the future is whatever people can imagine.  Enough people wanted to see weed legal and it has begun to happen.  Years ago If you had said that was going to happen I'm not sure I would have 100% believed it.  I'm leaning towards hemp products becoming more used in the future and more concentrated and healthier ways to consume cannabis will be more popular in the future.

[chopstick]

More states will continue to legalize, obviously. Public opinion is changing. The days of reefer madness, are over.

Not only does it have massive recreational potential that is both safer and less incapacitating than alcohol, but cannabis is also perhaps one of the most medicinal plants on the entire planet, period.

I disagree with both of these statements. I think that states legalizing marijuana is only occurring because of the liberal mindset of the Obama administration and the administrations willingness to look the other way in states that make weed legal. Once a president with half a brain is elected, the federal drug laws will be enforced in these states again and other states will likely not pass similar laws.

Weed can be safer then alcohol however using weed often will lead to the use of "harder" more harmful drugs. Weed is considered to be a "gateway drug"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug_theory

I disagree with your prognosis. The laws are changing because people are finally waking up and realizing that the government has lied to them about the dangers of Weed.

Any president that is elected will be careful how they deal with the issue of weed becoming legal because to crack down on it entirely will create a lot of unpopularity for their government. You don't want to alienate 50% of americans, which is pretty close to the percentage of americans that now favor legalization.

I don't know what the exact numbers are now, but the majority of americans now favor less strict marijuana laws and at least medical pot programs. The polling has shown this.

The gateway drug theory is a massive joke. What you said makes no sense. Alcohol use may be far more harmful than cannabis (no shit, alcohol kills hundreds of thousands of people every year) but somehow using Cannabis is more likely to get you to want to do hard drugs? Nonsensical bullshit.

[chopstick]

I'd say its legal in most states within the next 10 years. But who will profit most from this?

This trend is only occurring in very liberal states. I think once people see how bad of an idea this is and the problems they ultimately create the trend will eventually reverse itself.

Except it creates no problems other than in the minds of soccer moms who are all brainwashed by that one simple phrase "But but think of the Children"!!!

The trend is clear - cannabis has massive potential in the recreational and medical industries. It is safer than alcohol or tobacco, and it's chemical profile has shown to have potential healing benefits for almost every ailment from cancer to diabetes to seizures to chronic pain... it has the potential to be a more effective painkiller than opiates for example, without the potential for overdose, chronic addiction and death.

Also for these reasons legal pot has a lot of enemies. It threatens many existing industries.

[cryptodevil]

This trend is only occurring in very liberal states. I think once people see how bad of an idea this is and the problems they ultimately create the trend will eventually reverse itself.

Because prohibition of alcohol was such a success, right? Recreational drug use is, has been, and always will be, how large numbers of the human species choose to alter their minds, for fun and, often, enlightenment. Problematic recreational drug use should be treated as a health issue, not a criminal one.

Education, not indoctrination. Because 'drugs are bad' is ignorant mantra, not useful information.

[niothor]

Weed can be safer then alcohol ....

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140204/fatal-car-crashes-involving-pot-use-have-tripled-in-us-study-finds

"Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana," said co-author Dr. Guohua Li, director of the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia. "If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

[cryptodevil]

the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

Define 'involved'.

Chronic users of marijuana will usually test positive even if they are not actually high, or impaired, at the time.

[niothor]

the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

Define 'involved'.

Chronic users of marijuana will usually test positive even if they are not actually high, or impaired, at the time.

So it's one of them:
-either 1 in every nine americans is a pot smoker
-pot smokers are far more likely to be involved in a fatal crash even when not high

[chopstick]

Weed can be safer then alcohol ....

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140204/fatal-car-crashes-involving-pot-use-have-tripled-in-us-study-finds

"Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana," said co-author Dr. Guohua Li, director of the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia. "If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

Oh niothor...

Anyone with any kind of experience in life knows this very simple, obvious truth.

I'll give you a hint - people who get stoned don't black out and drive their cars into other people. People who get stoned don't get belligerent and start fights. People who get stoned don't ever kill their livers and die of cirrhosis. People who get stoned don't pass out and then choke to death on their own vomit. Need I go on?

Alcohol is a poisonous substance that kills you if you take in too much of it. Cannabis is a healing herb without a single recorded overdose death..

Also, webmd is a terrible source.

There is another thing I would like to bring up that I forgot about. The hemp industry also has huge potential for explosive growth. Hemp does not contain any significant concentrations of any psychoactive substances, and yet it has dozens of industrial uses - it can be used to create clothing, paper, textiles, rope, biofuel, and the seeds are an extremely nutritious superfood (they contain all essential amino acids) and yet, despite hemp not containing any psychoactive substances, it was similarly banned with cannabis.

Legalizing weed brings in millions of $$$ of revenue in a state. They will not continue to ignore the dollar signs.

[niothor]

Weed can be safer then alcohol ....

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140204/fatal-car-crashes-involving-pot-use-have-tripled-in-us-study-finds

"Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana," said co-author Dr. Guohua Li, director of the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia. "If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

Oh niothor...

Anyone with any kind of experience in life knows this very simple, obvious truth.

I'll give you a hint - people who get stoned don't black out and drive their cars into other people. People who get stoned don't get belligerent and start fights. People who get stoned don't ever kill their livers and die of cirrhosis. People who get stoned don't pass out and then choke to death on their own vomit. Need I go on?

Also, webmd is a terrible source.

Please quote a source then to back up your own claims then...
As for what people do after smoking MJ , I had a friend who had a panic attack after smoking MJ and that scene was enough so I won't try weed ever.

[counter]

Weed can be safer then alcohol ....

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140204/fatal-car-crashes-involving-pot-use-have-tripled-in-us-study-finds

"Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana," said co-author Dr. Guohua Li, director of the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia. "If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

Define safer...

They use the fact that 1 out of 9 people that tested positive for marijuana was involved in a fatal crash.  Doesn't mean they caused the accident or had used marijuana very recently.  Then they say non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol related deaths.  They are basically lumping cannabis with other drugs like prescription drugs..  This article is more a propaganda piece to demonize cannabis to those who aren't aware of the facts.

[cryptodevil]

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140204/fatal-car-crashes-involving-pot-use-have-tripled-in-us-study-finds

"Currently, one of nine drivers involved in fatal crashes would test positive for marijuana,"

As I said, just because they would test positive for having used marijuana recently, regular users would test positive even if they hadn't had any for several days. Would you criticise someone for driving after having had three beers a week ago? It is also dishonest to use this statement to imply that 1 of 9 drivers who tested positive were responsible for the fatal crashes, when they could equally have been the innocent victims of a reckless driver, you know, the sort that drive drunk.


 

"If this trend continues, in five or six years non-alcohol drugs will overtake alcohol to become the most common substance involved in deaths related to impaired driving."

It is also dishonest to use this statement to imply that marijuana use will cause an increase in impaired driving incidents when, actually, this statement merely refers to non-alcohol drugs, which includes prescription drugs, AND, what is more, if the number of alcohol-related driving deaths is decreasing, then the number of impaired driving incident related to non-alcohol drugs would, of course, eventually outnumber the alcohol-related ones.

It is quite possible that decent drug-education, including that for ethanol, the world's number 1 drug of choice, will see the incidents of impaired driving reduce across the board as drugged-driving, like drunk-driving, becomes viewed as socially unacceptable. Unlike a generation ago when having a few 'brewskis' and driving home was perfectly fine.