Six Predictions For The Marijuana Industry In 2017

[Robrites]

This year saw big election wins for marijuana in several states. In addition, Colorado crossed the $1 billion mark for annual marijuana sales. Now a new year is almost here and a new presidential administration for the cannabis industry to navigate. It's time to look ahead and see what's in store for the cannabis industry in 2017.
The two biggest areas of focus for the upcoming year are California and Jeff Sessions. With California's recreational marijuana market in the building phase, many in the industry will be watching for progress throughout the year. Another big center of attention will be the appointment of Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General. This will keep the industry on heightened alert for any changes in law enforcement. Aside from those two topics, here are some of the industry’s biggest predictions for the 2017.

1. Los Angeles Will Become The Marijuana Capital

Move over Denver, Adam Bierman Chief Executive Officer of cannabis investment firm MedMen Capital believes that the City of Angels will steal the spotlight from the Mile High City. Bierman said that by some estimates, Los Angeles's medical marijuana market alone is already close to $1 billion, easily overshadowing Colorado’s entire market. The city is expected to pass an ordinance in 2017 that will clear the path for a proper licensing program and open up the recreational market. Bierman said that capital is flowing into the area for local ventures as investors begin to smell money in the emerging market.

1. A Sports League Will Green Light Marijuana

Bierman believes that in 2017 a major sports league will approve the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Many professional athletes have turned to using cannabis to treat pain and head injuries and are rejecting prescribed opiates. With medical marijuana legal in 29 states, the players are pushing to be treated just like other patients.

1. A Primetime Network Show With A Marijuana Theme

With many polls showing that most Americans approve of legalizing marijuana, it won't be long before a major network will use marijuana as a backdrop. It's been over a decade since Showtime had a hit with Weeds. That series focused on a suburban mom that sold pot to make ends meet. It was considered ground breaking at the time with its taboo topic. Now HBO has High Maintenance and MTV's got Mary + Jane. Adam Scott from Parks and Recreation got a green light from NBC to develop a show called Buds about a dispensary in Denver. There isn't any timeline yet as to when the comedy could hit the air waves.

1. An Increase In Interest For Synthetic CBD

With the Hemp Industries Association and the DEA battling over the legality of cannabis extracts like cannabinoids or CBD, there is an expectation for increased interest in synthetic cannabinoids. Seth Yakatan, the chief executive officer of biotech company Kalytera, said, “With AG Sessions and the DEA's clarification that plant derived CBD isn't legal federally, there will likely be interest in synthetic forms of CBD, which is what Kalytera has been testing the efficacy of for a few years.” Aside from the debate over whether CBD is legal or not, Yakatan is right that synthetic products do not have the legal limitations of other products. However, the synthetic products are not believed to be as effective as the natural products according to some patients. Fear over legal issues could create more demand for the synthetics.

1. The Growth of Craft Marijuana

Sasha Kadey, Chief Marketing Officer of vaporizer distributor Greenlane, said he expects that as market supplies grow, prices will fall, causing a commoditizing effect. “This is leading to premiumization," he said. "Much like the alcohol industry experienced during its maturation, with producers now seeking to differentiate with premium packaging, brand building, so called “seed to sale” storytelling, and other value adds.” Other growers will stress their organic features, while some will push celebrity endorsements. It will be the year of the craft bud.
6. Recycling Marijuana Failures
The Cannabis Business Alliance is hoping to work with lawmakers to create options for marijuana that fails pesticide testing. Currently marijuana producers have to destroy crops that fail testing. The CBA is working towards a new rule to allow for these harvests to be turned into solvent-based concentrates that would be considered safe.


Forbes

 

[aridbud]

Sounds a bit far fetching, but anything is possible. Just remember how many years it took for a quarter of the USA to decide on medical cannabis.

Changes are slow.

 

[HazyBulldog]

La, really? Not Oakland where all the biggest players are? With the city council behind them? Oakland is closer to the big outdoor grows also....... Not sure on that one, but very possible indeed.

Sport teams already do this, just on the hush, so yea, very possible.

Primetime show with cannabis theme, who cares.

Increase intrest in CBD..... Maybe in stocks, but that shit will go bye bye come full legalization IMO. Fail on this one in the long run, maybe in 2017. They just made CBD a schedule one drug also right?

craft stuff is going to be huge in 2017. Its the year of branding and making something out of your company. 2018 is when all this is fully legal in cali, but the moves are being made right now.


Interesting article, I liked it.

 

[mojave green]

if all the stars align my way, i will be the proud owner of an off-grid greenhouse in 2017! that's all i will need. my own personal nirvana!

 

[~star~crash~]

if all the stars align my way, i will be the proud owner of an off-grid greenhouse in 2017! that's all i will need. my own personal nirvana!

that's all anybody needs!

 

[_tessarecting]

We got snow expected to fall on the first here

 

[FireIn.TheSky]

Marijuana tv shows usually flop. There has been many and they never seem to last, like the Harborside reality show, or that show about the cali weed rush.

Vice has Weediquette which is ok as it explores a variety of topics but most of them get boring fast. Theres only so many "med users" you can watch go buy weed or shady growers you can watch grow it.

Unless you are a MJ grower the topic is probably pretty boring, it's like watching the grass grow.

I see mtv has the show about to female weed dealers I never watched it, it looks lame.

I don't think mj will take over all aspects of society like that.

Mj is nothing new, people have been smoking tons of it for decades they just weren't doing it publicly. It is no new fad, I think if you wanted to smoke weed you were doing it all along.

As far as professional sports go whoopty doo, MJ is the least of their probpems. How many sports stars get arrested for illegal guns, crack, coke, domestic abuse, and even murder, they're all felons let them have their weed

 

[armedoldhippy]

Sounds a bit far fetching, but anything is possible. Just remember how many years it took for a quarter of the USA to decide on medical cannabis.

Changes are slow.

yup, things change slowly. but, just as a glacier creeps along, you do not want to be at the waters edge when a huge iceberg calves from it into the sea. how many of the states that have mediweed have approved it in the last 5 years? how many that are rec legal have done so? i think we are standing at the beach watching the wall over our heads. well, not OUR heads, the feds heads... sic 'em, glacier! like others have mentioned, i doubt LA will be the core. i agree, one or more pro leagues will probably toss in the towel before long. too much negative publicity for them when a superstar gets suspended for treating themselves with something that the whole damn world knows is less harmful than the big pharma products...

 

[MJPassion]

Had a white Christmas & am going to have a white New Year as well.
Let it snow,
Let it snow,
Let it snow...

Interesting predictions...

 

[cryptop]

In response to yours,

1. LA will most likely proclaim itself to be the capital of the industry, however that won't actually be true. Las Vegas will probably try it as well, spending a lot on advertising and tours of grow rooms/etc. San Francisco will proclaim itself as the king of gimmicky vaporizers/cannabis startups, and quality all around CA will fall after 2017.

2. Do you have a tip on that or something lol? I'd love to know if so, one of my dreams is to have cannabis brands endorsed by sports stars. The MLB tolerates it (in the major leagues only) so does the NBA to an extent, while the NFL, NHL, MLS, etc have a lot of work to do (as far as I know).

3. Vice, MTV, CNBC, and probably more already have cannabis shows on national tv. I'm surprised there hasn't been a shitty low brow "Big Bang Theory" type show about dispensaries released yet though, I'll be expecting it in 2017.

4. I agree on that.

5. I think people will buy cannabis that is BRANDED as organic, high class, etc--however, how that oversight is implemented will be questionable. Lots of companies will bribe testing labs so pesticide saturated flower will be sold, made into CO2 oil, etc...

6. That is hilariously sad to see they're trying to allow incompetence like that... but no doubt there will be laws made to cater to newb incompetent growers who have put millions into facilities they have no idea how to run.

My predictions:

1. The biggest barrier for "red" states had to legalizing in the past few years, is that the only examples of legalization were CO, WA, CA, etc--states that at the beginning, had largely unregulated systems (in their mind) and that made them uneasy. With NY, FL, IL, PA, and more recently making extremely bad and over regulated medical programs, I'll expect a lot of southern prohibitionist states to legalize+implement overly bureaucratic systems such as these. However after 2017, this attitude will become more liberal.

2. California will savor the last year of full 215. While Prop 64 will allow for SOME more freedoms, patients will realize many of their best producers are leaving.

3. In many states, the call for decriminalization will be stronger than the call for medical/rec legalization.

4. Colorado's market will drop. We see articles everyday about how they have $1billion or so in sales in a year, and how that will exponentially grow.. but as California, Nevada, Mass, and Maine have legalized-a lot of the Colorado cannabis tourism will go down. Couple this will the increased black market enforcement for people shipping out of state+black market growers, and CO will drop down in sales, and after steadily rise in the long term.

5. The first NASDAQ public company to own a vertically integrated business will emerge, and multiple more will shortly follow.

6. In my most optimistic prediction--In this post (and others) I've referenced a lot of big money investors who have built million dollar grow warehouses, how they have mismanaged them and pushed out many a pound of poison product to both med and rec consumers. On top of that, their operating procedures are VERY inefficient (some have costs per pound of $1500)... Remember years ago when CO+WA first legalized, and we all freaked out about the possibility of Pharma and Tobacco coming in and monopolizing the industry? Lots of us thought the only way to make a living would be to sell the "picks and shovels" (ancillary products)... well, I predict the opposite will come true. They will soon see how they can shove hundreds of millions of $ into growops, but they're still incompetent. They may acquire+own many of the soil companies, greenhouse manufacturers, etc, but we will have many chances to shape this industry if we push hard enough. But for this to truly happen, we must pay homage and respect to those who have passed in the name of prohibition. I have faith

 

[aridbud]

3. In many states, the call for decriminalization will be stronger than the call for medical/rec legalization. Let's hope so!

4. Colorado's market will drop. We see articles everyday about how they have $1billion or so in sales in a year, and how that will exponentially grow.. but as California, Nevada, Mass, and Maine have legalized-a lot of the Colorado cannabis tourism will go down. Couple this will the increased black market enforcement for people shipping out of state+black market growers, and CO will drop down in sales, and after steadily rise in the long term. It's like casinos....build it and they will come! However, I do see prices fluctuating. Its all about supply and demand.

5. The first NASDAQ public company to own a vertically integrated business will emerge, and multiple more will shortly follow. That'd be great! Enough companies have already benefitted from cannabis production.

 

[rolandomota]

northern cali might produce more now but southern cali has more people los angeles will sell a lot more than any other place so production is going to go way up in socal

 

[Bongstar420]

Branding is what fat cat corporate Merica loves...or am I mistaken?

Also, "T[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]hat'd be great! Enough companies have already benefitted from cannabis production."

Ya..lets pull the ladder up just like the baby boomers. That will show those peons.
How about we not let these fat cats steal profits that could go to new businesses? Is the American Dream really just about trying to become rich enough to financially dominate the peons?


Besides, we need competition to thin out the Chaff. Oregon has a good thing going with a canopy license at 625sqft. That will allow the highly skilled people to enter the market and put undeserving market participants to bed..
[/FONT]

 

[doublejj]

No, Trump will crush recreational marijuana & severely restrict medical marijuana.....

 

[armedoldhippy]

nope, no snow here. it was 75 degrees yesterday, over 50 degrees out there right now at 4 am. no medical nor recreationally legal weed either...

 

[SMS65]

There is, or will be, a marijuana ETF:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/B999E688-F488-11E6-A1E3-E53AAA0E34E8