https://northeastcannabisbusinessconference.com/2019/07/19/5-reasons-were-thankful-for-cannabis/
This Thursday, November 23, 2017, is Thanksgiving. Historically, Thanksgiving was a day to celebrate the year’s harvest and in later years, to celebrate the pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock and the subsequent founding of America. For our purposes, we will be referencing Thanksgiving Day as just that, a day for giving thanks.
This Thanksgiving, we are sharing five of the countless reasons we’re thankful for cannabis and for the community it creates.
- Boosted Revenue from Cannabis Sales Provide Continuous Improvement for the Economy
Not only has the revenue generated from legalized cannabis far surpassed expectations, but in Colorado alone, revenue has officially exceeded half a billion dollars. Colorado and Washington, the first two states to legalize adult-use cannabis, both generate more than $150 million in revenue annually.1 Not only does this mean better infrastructure and government programs throughout the state, but it also creates a higher volume of jobs.
Regardless of the sector, be it cultivation, infused products, or retail, emerging cannabis markets are constantly creating new opportunities for jobseekers across the nation. In addition to these areas of the industry, the cannabis market also allows for the budding of ancillary industries, such as lighting, soil, and irrigation. In fact, ancillary products and/or services are continuously the fastest growing area of the industry year after year. - Cannabis Retailers Have Created an Increase in Property Values Near Cannabis Retail Establishments
When talk of legalization began, many were fearful that owning a house near a new cannabis retail establishment would depreciate the value of their homes at an alarming rate. This is an understandable fear, of course, because a home is by far the largest purchase most people will ever make in their lifetime. But instead, home values rose; for example, in Colorado, the value of properties near cannabis retail stores have skyrocketed up to 8.4% over years passed. Similarly, in Desert Hot Springs, California, industrial land prices have increased exponentially. - Legalizing Cannabis Has Led to a Decrease in Violent Crime
It is commonly known that most commercial banks will not associate themselves with money generated from the sale of federally illicit substances (cannabis). This means that all transactions are dealt with in cash, leaving cannabis businesses, dispensaries in particular, incredibly susceptible to theft and violent crime.
Many were afraid that as more legal cannabis businesses popped up, crime rates would increase significantly. But the results were quite the opposite; although cannabis retailers are still vulnerable to robbery, violent crime rates have plummeted in legal states. Many attribute the decrease in crime rates to the demise of the underground, illegal market. - Cannabis Provides a Better Quality of Life
Millions of people nationwide self-medicate with cannabis. Consuming cannabis has been anecdotally known to treat symptoms of PTSD, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and many other horrific illnesses for which there are little to no alternative treatments. Additionally, cannabis is also known to ease day-to-day challenges, such as stress, anxiety, and insomnia. To these people, cannabis provides a life where they are free to be themselves and have fulfilling days, rather than sitting and suffering in pain.
When patients don’t have access to legal cannabis, they must either resort to purchasing it in dangerous conditions, or succumb to alternative, more dangerous and addictive treatments such as opioids, which are the cause of more deaths in the United States than car accidents.2
With cannabis slowly making its way towards full legality across the U.S., the stigma surrounding it is finally beginning to disappear. This means that people who are afraid of how cannabis is perceived, are finally starting to feel free to self-medicate without fear of judgement from others. This is an imperative step as cannabis provides a significantly higher quality of life to so many.
By legalizing cannabis on a federal level, we would be allowing for more research that would lead to scientifically proven results displaying the benefits of medical cannabis, as opposed to the anecdotal evidence we have now. - Cannabis Brings People Together
Directly or indirectly, cannabis has a way of bringing people closer together. As cannabis business owners, we have unique obstacles that only other cannabis business owners can fully comprehend. If you are a cannabis enthusiast, you might consume together as a form of breaking bread. If you self-medicate to combat symptoms of an illness, cannabis may be the only method at your disposal to leading a normal, healthy lifestyle. In any case, cannabis brings the community together to achieve one common goal.