Change Could Be Coming to Cannabis and Convenience Stores

Many people believe that there is a chance for cannabis to finally become truly legal at the federal level. The means that it will no longer be considered a scheduled drug and it will be able to be regulated by the federal government. While this might not seem like a big deal to some, it should make those who are in the cannabis industry right now nervous.

Why should they be nervous? Wouldn’t full legalization be great? It means that the dispensaries that are the only places where the drugs can be bought right now would eventually be out of business. Convenience stores are already salivating at the chance to sell cannabis products just like they already sell tobacco products. In fact, the National Association of Convenience Stores, a lobbying group, is already looking at ways to sell packaged cannabis.

Convenience stores are looking to get involved in this because their sales of cigarettes have been dropping for a number of years as more and more people stop smoking or never pick up the habit in the first place. They know that there is a huge market in cannabis, and they want to get in on that action. Since they already have experience IDing people and carrying other products like alcohol and tobacco, they believe that it would be easy to integrate.

This could end up spelling disaster for companies operating in states where cannabis is legal. It will affect not only the dispensaries but also the companies that spent millions of dollars to get a single-state operation up and running. Those who are involved in the cannabis industry at any level will want to pay close attention to the potential de-scheduling of the drug. While there are some benefits, there could be some drawbacks, as well.

Resource: Sean McCaffery