New Jersey’s Recreational Cannabis Plan

Recreational cannabis has been making its way all across the United States.  From the Golden State of California to the Bay State of Massachusetts, recreational cannabis has become the talk of the town.  Many cities and towns have been drumming up their ordinances and procedures for rolling out this industry.  States like New York are even writing up bills to allow health insurances to cover medical cannabis.

As the recreational cannabis industry takes off, other non-legal states look to become more 4/20-friendly as well.  One such state that is doing that is New Jersey.

This year, New Jersey may vote whether to legalize cannabis.  New Jersey is one of two states looking to vote for recreational cannabis in their state.  Illinois is the other state voting as well.

New Jersey is nestled between Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and Connecticut.  Each of the three states already initiated their own medical cannabis programs.  Legalizing cannabis in New Jersey could send shock waves within the area.

Six years later and the legalization trail leads on.  More and more states look to legalize cannabis after seeing the widespread success happening around the nation.  Legal states have been profiting BILLIONS off of this industry, so it was only a matter of time for New Jersey to get in on the ‘Green Rush’ action.

More and more dominoes are falling each month.  Colorado and Washington knocked over the first of many after legalizing in 2012.  Each domino only brings us one step closer our goal – recreational use nationwide.  Legal cannabis in the ENTIRE country, just like Canada or Uruguay.

Decades of dreaming later and our lifelong dream is finally coming to a reality.  Recreational cannabis is spreading all across America.  There is no slowing down nor is there any telling what surprises may come next.

With that, here’s to hoping New Jersey takes the next steps in legalizing cannabis.  They may have brought us Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but legal cannabis should help spruce up their notorious reputation.

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When Big Tobacco Meets Cannabis

Many types of industries have been eyeing the cannabis industry these past few years.  The alcohol industry sees it as their biggest competitor, food and beverage companies utilize cannabis into their creative concoctions, and it’s been consumed in various entertaining venues.  That infamous ‘gold rush fever’ people felt back in the 19^th century has been making quite a comeback these days.  It’s no wonder that cannabis has already become the fastest growing industry in the 21^st century.

In fact, one of the most surprising industries that is turning towards the cannabis business is Big Tobacco.  The main star of this story is an infamous company known as Altria.

Altria is known for producing the largest number of production and marketing of tobacco, cigarettes, and other related products.  They are investing over $1.8 billion into a Canadian cannabis company known as Cronos Group.  Their negation helps Altria gain 45% in shares within the company.  In the future, Altria is looking to increase the number to 55%.

Tobacco users may be familiar with Philip Morris, a parent company of Altria.  Philip Morris was most known for manufacturing and promoting Marlboro cigarettes.  Those cigarette boxes may contain joints in the very near future.

Big Tobacco has suffered widespread PR nightmares during the 21^st century.  Not only are audiences smoking less cigarettes worldwide, but they have also been turning to vaporizers as the new alternative.  Audiences have become much more aware about the long-term negative effects of tobacco smoking over the past 30 years.  These PR nightmares have gotten so bad that Philip Morris dropped to 108th in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of largest United States corporations by total revenue.

The writing is on the wall – audiences are putting down cigarettes and puffing on cannabis joints (or e-cigs) instead.  Big Tobacco is looking up at the cannabis industry as a way to salvage themselves of their nightmares.  What used to be heavily demonized for ‘causing lung cancer’ is now being invested by an industry that has actually been causing lung cancer all those years.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Seriously though, this whole situation is so ironic.  Cannabis is on the rise while Big Tobacco falls even deeper into their own hole (which they made themselves).  Tobacco companies like Altria see the success within the cannabis industry, so its obvious that they will flock to it as well.

With that, we have quite an ironic dynamic team joining up this year.  Big Tobacco (Altria) and Big Cannabis (Cronos Group) are connecting together in the name of the growing cannabis industry.

We will definitely see more intriguing teams in 2019.

MA Recreational Shops PR Miracle – Two Weeks Later

Good afternoon.  At this point, you’re probably wondering what surprise I have in stores for today.  There has been very little discussion about cannabis this week.  That is why I saved the best news for last.

Last Friday was a vivid discussion of the various PR miracles surrounding both the medical and recreational aspects of the cannabis industry.  Now that recreational dispensaries have been open for more than a week, a whole new competition entered the game here in Massachusetts.  In just one day alone, two dispensaries earned a combined total of over $440,000.  Almost half a million dollars was made in just that one day.

Weeks later, the real question was asked – how much has been made in just one week?

Well folks, the answer was QUITE shocking to see.  Even I was taken aback by the ending the results.  The final results after just one week of sales?

Get ready for it — $2.2 million.  More than two million dollars was earned in just ONE week alone.

Just… WOW.  The number speaks for itself.  Both recreational dispensaries truly outdid themselves here in Massachusetts.  Over two million dollars…from both dispensaries combined… in just ONE week.

Remember that NONE of these dispensaries have hit Boston yet.  These two dispensaries are mere miles away from the city, yet they are already raking in millions of dollars in sales.

I knew that both dispensaries would make over a million in less than week; but this final figure is truly AMAZING.

It’s the PR miracle just keeps on giving even days later.  Massachusetts opened up its first recreational shops, making over $440,000 in that one day alone.  A week later and they have already made over two million dollars.  Recreational cannabis has already been making waves within the past two weeks.

That was just two weeks of PR buzz.  Just wait until 2019 when the REAL publicity starts hitting the media.  Next year will be very interesting for both the recreational and medical industry.

Pay close attention to these final figures – its just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come here in Massachusetts.  Two years since Question 4 passed and we are finally seeing some drastic results.

And with that, recreational cannabis shops have truly done wonders here in Massachusetts.  If there’s anything to take away from today, it is this —  Recreational cannabis is the PR miracle that just keeps on giving.

11/30 Cannabis Reflective Philosophy

Greetings, fellow readers!  So very much has happened within the past few weeks that has spilled onto this week.  As we move towards the final month of the year, it’s time to discuss it in the best way possible… reflective philosophy.

Medical Cannabis Week Philosophy

Medical Cannabis has had quite a week here in America.  New York is pushing strategies to include medical cannabis as part of their health care coverage.  The University of British Columbia is initiating their first study of cannabis’s effect on the opioid epidemic.  But one of the biggest PR miracles that is still shining on is the opening of recreational dispensaries here in Massachusetts.

In just one day alone, over $440,000 was made by the two dispensaries combined.  Think about the basic math in this scenario — $440,000, made within just one day of sales.  Almost half a million dollars of sales of cannabis products on just that ONE day.  Edibles, flowers, tinctures, concentrates, topicals.  Hash, wax, flower, shatter, the whole nine yards.  All types of cannabis products sold for almost half a million dollars on November 20^th.

You don’t need to compute some math or search the latest article to know that over a million dollars was made in LESS than a week.  All you need is that final result and your mind can clearly pinpoints the foreshadowing through that number.  Let the numbers speak for themselves.  Words will just get jumbled around the background of this beautiful ending for this long-awaited arrival.  It’s such a winning number that you can barely wrap your head around what has happened.

That’s when you just know… that was it.  Recreational cannabis has its biggest PR miracle that is growing faster than ever.  Hard work and a little patience helped lift this new aspect of the cannabis culture off the ground.  Only ten days have gone by, yet the future becomes clearer than ever.

Then there is the other outcome you have to wonder about – the medical cannabis industry.  This is when you have to ask those big questions filled with complex answers.  What does the future truly hold for the medical cannabis industry?  Could there be hidden strategies that could keep this industry trending further?  If there were ever still a trend, what would it possibly look like?  Is there still something medical cannabis provides that recreational doesn’t?

As the years go on, those questions become harder to answer.  With the wind starting to blow towards the recreational market, competition among businesses will be very interesting.  Strategies will become more advanced.

At this point, there is very little data to ponder about within the next few days.  The holidays are starting very soon, so we must take time to celebrate this last month.

If there were anything to remember for today, it’s this – 2019 is looking to be MORE and MORE eventful for the cannabis industry.  Especially around Massachusetts.

Canada’s Crafty Cannabis Study

New York and Massachusetts have been peddling further into the cannabis industry these days.  Massachusetts is reeling in from the PR miracle of opening two dispensaries (which already made over $1,000,000 in less than a week!) and New York senators are passing a bill to have health care coverage for medical cannabis.  Both states are seeing the wide range of benefits cannabis has for their citizens.  Things in the east coast are really starting to pick up now over this past week.

Along with all of this exciting buzz happening in America, its upstairs neighbor Canada has been celebrating its own miracles as well.  Cannabis is legal in Canada (as in, EVERYWHERE in Canada), various universities started allowing students to smoke on campus, and the very first 4/20 video game lounge opened up in British Columbia (more on that here).  Canadian citizens all across the nation have been reaping the benefits of being able to consume cannabis from both medical and recreational dispensaries.  In the land of Tim Horton’s and poutine, Canada’s cannabis community has become much greener this year.

With all of these events happening, British Columbia has become much more of a 4/20 hot spot these days.  But its not just the students that have more freedom to use cannabis.  Cannabis is now being utilized for scientific research.

University of British Columbia’s first Canopy Growth Professor of Cannabis Science Dr. M-J Milloy will be leading a scientific research on how to fight British Columbia’s opioid crises.  BC’s opioid crises was declared a public health emergency back in 2016, yet a record number of people are dying of overdoses.  This research looks to reduce the opioid epidemic all across the nation.

The opioid epidemic was mentioned not to long ago during the discussion about New York’s plan for providing health care coverage on medical cannabis.  Canada is one of many countries seeking alternative solutions to fighting this health PR nightmare.  Opioid use has been on the rise every year, prompting many people to unorthodox ideas like cannabis.

All throughout the decades, we heavily demonized cannabis for its supposed idea that it would get us hooked onto harder drugs like methamphetamine or heroin.  In an ironic twist of events, cannabis is acting as a secret substitute to detox our bodies from such illicit substances.

On a simpler scale, the basic idea is to consume cannabis in order to minimize the damages from withdrawing heroin.  But in a scientific sense, cannabis acts as an EXIT drug where the cannabinoids flush out many toxins that are damaging our physical, mental, and emotional state.  Cannabis, the very same plant demonized for its urges towards harder drugs, is now becoming this healing plant that helps rejuvenate the human body of all poisonous chemicals.

That is why you are seeing New York looking to pass bills to include medical cannabis as part of their health coverage and Canada creating the first study on cannabis in UBC.  All roads lead back to the growing opioid epidemic many nations are facing today; and that public health crises have been costing MILLIONS, especially for countries like Canada and the United States.

And with that, cannabis will hold the key answer to our growing opioid epidemic nations are facing today.  What used to be demonized for getting users started on illicit drugs like heroin is now preventing such painful symptoms from occurring.  Many nations will continue to see cannabis as an alternative strategy over time.  Hopefully it won’t take another spike in opioid use to know that we have this gigantic health PR nightmare on our hands.