cultural cannabiz predictions 🔮✨

a hybrid edition full of #HighHopes & Cultural Cannabiz

When I think about the intersection of mainstream culture and cannabis (the literal inspiration for my dispensary’s name, Mary and Main)….it takes me to a place of gratitude and #HighHopes. We have come a long way since the Reefer Madness days, but we still have a long way to go. DISCLAIMER: This isn’t a full history lesson, but you should be able to learn a little something you may not have known before….

Let’s go back to the early 20th century where Jazz music became a cultural force during the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz was seen as a symbol of black pride and creativity - yet embraced by people of all races. It actually helped to break down racial barriers and create a shared cultural experience that, much like the 21st century’s hip hop and r&b, has served as an outlet for black artists to express themselves as well as raise awareness on important issues including racism, poverty, and police brutality.

Even though it was an outlet of expression for our communities and a means to connect with others, the Government had a different plan. The public use of cannabis by prominent jazz musicians was used as a means of targeting the black community because it perpetuated racial stereotypes and fears about drug use. During the early years of drug prohibition, cannabis was portrayed as a drug that was primarily used by Mexican immigrants and African Americans. The association of cannabis with black jazz musicians reinforced these stereotypes and helped to fuel the movement to criminalize the drug.

Jazz legend, Louis Armstrong smoking a joint

The Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937, making it illegal to possess or use cannabis without paying a tax. This paved the way for more aggressive drug prohibition efforts like the Controlled Substances Act, which came after Nixon officially declared a “war on drugs” and officially made cannabis a Schedule 1 drug next to heroin and meth. We all know what happened next, harsh penalties for cannabis possession and sales which led to lasting and devastating effects on these communities.

I’m going to skip over the awful history of discrimination and oppression that followed for black and brown communities (a story for a different day) and fast forward to what’s going on in canna-culture now, along with my #HighHopes for the future.

Normalized Cannabis Culture

Over the past several years, canna culture has gone from taboo —> trendy. Let me go through a short timeline of the past 10 years or so…

In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, setting off a wave of change in the cannabis industry. Now - with over 20 states (+DC) that have legalized adult use (aka recreational) sales and even more that have some type of medical sales, federal legalization is imminent, and everyone in the industry is attempting the plant their flag and establish themselves before the flood gates open. Legalization has had a significant impact on pop culture, with a number of musicians and celebrities speaking out in favor of legalization and cannabis becoming a more common topic in music, movies, and TV shows.

I was ft. on Samantha Bee’s show in 2018. Thats me in the grey😊

You see the usual suspects officially get into the space (Snoop, B-Real, Wiz Khalifa, Berner, Seth Rogan) and dominate. A slew of less obvious celebs (Bella Thorne, Drake, PARTY NEXT DOOR) have tried their hand and haven’t been as successful….point is, mainstream cannabis culture has officially re-entered the chat!

Prediction Time💡: Rih has managed to monetize every single vertical of her life, if this trend continues…you know cannabis is next. A Rihanna x Monogram collab would be one of the biggest mainstream crossovers to date and would really move the needle into officially eradicating the stigma around cannabis for good. Who else do you predict will get into the space? Let me know in the comments👇🏽

Growers Stepping into the Limelight

Back in the California Prop 215 days when patients could grow their own cannabis and bring it to dispensaries to be sold, consumers felt a genuine connection to the person growing their medicine. In fact, one of our most beloved cannabis enthusiasts, Berner, got his start in the industry because of his unique ability to source that ⛽️. He ended up hooking up with a geneticist/cultivator named Jigga (not to be confused with the great philosopher Shawn Carter), who bread what we now know as the original Cookies strain- and the rest is history. Most cannaisseurs (a cannabis connoisseur…get it?) know that story- but to the masses….I am sure you thought that Berner “invented” Cookies. Don’t get me wrong, Berner built the community around the brand and earned his platform for sure - but no - he wasn’t and isn’t the grower himself.

My #HighHope here is that growers become more like influencers. It’s time for the person behind the curtain to become the stars of the show again! Cannabis users want to understand who is growing their flower and the process that they are doing it. With so many mass cannabis growers out here producing what the culture calls “corporate mids” (not mad at them…it’s a part of the typical evolution of any industry of this scale) - it would be nice for the true cultivators & pheno hunters to come from behind the curtain - showcase their skills and highlight the true compassion and talent it takes to bring us the medicine we love so dearly. The true cannaisseurs still love and appreciate your craft 😊 and not to mention, building a brand around your expertly sourced and grown cannabis will allow you to keep a premium price point as the industry continues to experience price compression (I plan to go into detail about this in one of our next newsletters - def drop a comment if you want to understand this more and how you can prepare your business for this inevitable reality).

Price Compression illuminated from Headset Report linked above

More Acceptance of Cannabis on Social

Most of you probably found me from my Instagram profile, unfortunately IG (or Tik Tok…or really even YT) is in no way supportive of canna content. In fact, most of my canna-friends can tell you about the many times their accounts have been shadow banned or full on deleted because of posting content that included cannabis in some way, even if it had nothing to do with the sale of it. Hell, I got dinged for a story I had on IG about THIS newsletter!

IG playing games with me

Good news is, things are moving in the right direction. Twitter just recently announced that they would allow for licensed cannabis brands to run ads on their platform. This is HUGE for the industry which typically cannot utilize paid digital advertising channels. My #HighHope here is that Twitter’s move (and subsequent income stream that will come with it) will ignite a trend with the other social platforms.

I know you may be thinking….well if they don’t want you, then start your own. And many cannaprenuers have! But as you can imagine, it’s not as easy as it looks to build and as federal legalization is introduced….

Prediction 💡: social media is going to throw their full support behind cannabis and start highlighting canna-influencers instead of kicking them off their platforms….our day to shine is coming 🙏🏽

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This industry is evolving at high speed and I do not want you to be left behind! If this was interesting to you and you are ready to learn more about how you can be a part of this industry from a business prospective, I will be hosting a virtual masterclass in May that is designed to start your journey from cannaprenuer hopeful to creating your own seat at the table.

Sign up here to be the first to hear when I drop Legally Licensed, the Masterclass.

Talk to you all soon!❤️

-HW