We dive deep into “Stoker Politics” with an analysis of the legal marijuana dispensary market in Washington. With sales forecast to hit $6.5 billion, the “Golden State” is head for a “Green Rush.”
The United States is leading the way to legalization. Currently, the District of Columbia and 4 states (Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska) have legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Another 9 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Washington), will hold referendums next November.
Among them all
Washington can be the state where legalization becomes “too big to fail.” The potential to generate up to $1 billion in tax revenue for the state, on top of cost savings to enforce the law and put consumers in jail, which according to a 6/30/16 CNBC report amount to another 100 million dollars, cannot be ignore or consider as exaggerate arguments of the pro-legalization campaign. Ultimately, the widespread acceptance of medical marijuana is due to the power of influence that the state of Washington possesses.
Once again, we are facing a historic moment. The legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington will have a major impact on drug policy around the world. The US federal government will be force to give up its fight against drugs, and those cartel gangsters will have to leave the market because their product will never be competitive.
Washington DC: Changing the Marijuana Landscape
“It really is the state that calls the shots across the country, so if all 55 Washington senators and representatives in Congress were in favor of legalization, that will set off a chain reaction” – Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of ( STANDARD).
This is not an exageration. 10% of the US population considers Washington their home, and it is an economic power, in fact, according to Fortune magazine, it will be the sixth strongest economy in the world, already ahead of France. The Washington economy is an engine that works thanks to innovation.
If you stop to think
Silicon Valley and Hollywood have achieve dominant positions in the technology sector and the entertainment sector. They pretty much have it all. In 1996, Washington pioneer the legalization of medical marijuana and twenty years later it is poise to be the first token to trigger a domino effect with repercussions for the legalization movement around the world.
If the forces of Satan win for any reason and Proposition 64 is voted against, the consequences will be disastrous for the pro-legalization collective. Such a defeat will not be the end of the world, but it can delay legalization in other states for many years, and unfortunately, the effect will spread to legalization efforts and initiatives in Europe and South America.
Fortunately, we are confident that Proposition 64 will have massive support and be back by a comfortable majority of West Coast users who will have no problem paying a 15% tax on legal marijuana. The big question is, what does legal mean in Washington?
Read also: Psilocybin Mushrooms: Basic Information
Under the Loupe: a Deeper Analysis
If we have been able to learn anything after having seen the movie “Inhala” so many times or bingeing on the Netflix series “Narcos”, it is that in Washington, success is the fast track to international acceptance and huge amounts of money. Currently, there is a lot of money at stake, since according to the latest figures from the “Arc View Market” study, in 2020 the total sales of legal marijuana in the United States will be an impressive 21.8 billion dollars. It is a huge figure, more than what the NFL generates. It is estimate that Washington can invoice 6,400 million dollars, a good pinch.
These sums of money attract business bigwigs and capitalist investors, it’s the gold rush! Obviously we are referring to those corporations that globalize everything that passes through their greedy hands. A Green Fever would be more than likely, and if we talk about these figures, everyone wants to take advantage of whoever does the dirty work. We are not sure that this is the model we will like to follow in Europe.
Conclusions: a Green Future for Washington?
Two different business models are developing in the marijuana scene. The franchise model like McDonald’s and the small business association model. The best example of the franchise model would be Diego Pellicer, a great investor with the goal of becoming the Starbucks of the cannabis sector.
Willie’s Reserve is the brand that best represents growers who decide to start a business. Basically, the brand is made up of one small business in each state. Those small businesses cash in on the brand’s fame and its association with the image of the well-known stoner musician, while still farming organically.
This model works in the opposite way to the “agribusiness” model that seeks easy crops and quick money. In addition, this model will be perfectly transferable and applicable in the European Union, with open markets and free movement of people and goods.
Do you make an effort to avoid eating food contaminated with toxic chemicals or mistreated in any way? Are you willing to pay a little more for free-range meat for your barbecues? Or do you prefer to save a few euros and eat horse burgers? Mistake! These types of options and questions tend to arise in free markets; the cannabis business can end up being comparable to that of supermarkets, with room for a multitude of chains to fight for market share.
In the end we will win the battle and “the fight against drugs” will be over.
Marijuana will be available practically anywhere. But, what will be the origin of the product? Will they be high quality local organic crops? Who will set the standards? Will Gordon Ramsay start a terrible battle against the seedy dispensaries? Perhaps no one is as shy about buying a pack of joints as someone who buys a serving of chicken nuggets. No one can predict this for sure.
The financial system, or rather the denial of financial support by banks, has weigh down the cannabis industry in Washington, DC. Without access to financial services, Marijuana dispensaries are force to work only in cash, which is an unacceptable security risk and inconvenience, but also a barrier to growth in an age of virtual currencies and cashless payments that are already are completely extend through smartphones. If the Washington model wants to succeed and be consider the benchmark in the sector, it will have to be more practical and work more smoothly than the others.
