Maybe You Should Not Judge Cannabis Before You Learn More About It

don't judge weed

Changing norms in society after 2020 will cause many people to question their past beliefs

We are living in a new world as the COVID-19 apocalypse shows signs of easing and as people begin to come out of their quarantines for vaccinations, the world is a different place. First and foremost, the marijuana legalization world looks totally different when this all began around February of 2019. At that time, we have a Republican president, an anti-pot Attorney general, and a Republican controlled Senate blocking any real attempt at Federal cannabis legalization.

Fast-forward to today and we have the state of New York announcing the legalization of recreational cannabis and fast-tracking the bill to the governor’s desk for approval. We have a Democratic president, House, and Senate, and while full legalization is not imminent at the Federal level, the outlook is much, much better than just one year ago.

While Federal laws remain unchanged, 40 states will soon have some form of medical or recreational cannabis program. Over 80% of Americans will have access to buy marijuana either as a medical treatment or recreational item once the state of New York approves recreational cannabis. How 40 states are selling and taxing a Schedule 1 drug to its citizens while it remains Federally illegal is a story for another post, but I digress.

Massive changes have also taken place in the financial world as bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and blockchain are all gaining worldwide acceptance as a new form digital currency and assets. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are now traded and sold across the sports and entertainment landscapes. How long will it be before cannabis is traded on the Forex market like currencies, or on the CBOT like other agriculture crops such as corn, wheat, and cattle futures?

We are waking up to a world where cannabis is not a dirty word, and you are not buying weed from your kid’s high school connection. Over 4,000 dispensaries in North America now check IDs and sell marijuana, a schedule 1 controlled substance on the CSA, to anyone over 21 or with a medical marijuana card. Can you guess what the top two reasons medical professionals grant medical marijuana cards to people are? Anxiety and chronic pain top the list, followed by problems with sleeping and such things as PTSD and stress disorders. Do you think anxiety and stress went during COVID and that now, just maybe, the world tried cannabis over the past year to ease their anxiety and stress and realized the once dirty, illegal, plant is actually a healthy natural alternation to alcohol and prescription drugs?

One of the silver linings of the global pandemic has been the great leap forward of the marijuana legalization movement. Once huge step was dispensaries and marijuana being classified as an “essential item” during the yearlong crisis, earning the status next to toilet paper, food, and alcohol. Dispensaries where given leniency and new avenues to process orders for curbside pickup, and delivery restrictions were lifted or altered in many areas. The gateway to access marijuana was greatly opened during the pandemic and the world rushed in. Many countries, states, cities, and towns no desperate for job creation and tax revenue to make up for the massive loses in their coffers are turning toward cannabis legalization to created new jobs, tax revenue, and to bring people back to a sense of normalcy.

Before COVID, things such as bitcoin, digital assets, cannabis, and even online trading were looked at with a bit of scorn and swept away. Throw in a Reddit stock trading revolution, digital video clips now selling for millions, cannabis legalization in 40 of 50 states, and we are looking a new “turning” as some people call it. A world that may be scary to some if you are not up to date on the latest crypto lingo or pot strains, but one that will create a new flow of information, a new backbone of accountability with blockchain, and a new sense of peace and relaxation with cannabis.

While you may not be old enough to use cannabis, or young enough to want to learn about these new digital assets and landscapes, we can all agree on smoking a joint, relaxing around our NFT portfolio of pictures and videos, and seeing how the new world post-COVID shapes up.