Legalized marijuana has brought a lot of changes to the twenty-two states have offer it. From increased tax revenues, to less drug crime, to more creative pot products, the changes are endless. Other issues were not great, such as the lack of trained employees and lack of marijuana payment solutions. However, while these changes were (mostly) foreseen, the rise of grassroots unions was not. As great as unions are for organizing fair working environments and wages, there are issues that are bound to arise when it comes to talks of unionization of marijuana workers.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) has committed substantial resources to organizing cannabis employees, but issues arise because the federal government still considered marijuana, in any form, an illegal substance. This is further complicated by the fact that federal law usually trumps state and local law in courts. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (NLRA), according to federal law, can override any state laws that conflict with its provisions. As of the writing of this article the NLRB has not challenged these grassroots unions, but legislative pressure could change that. There are multiple ways that these unions could organize their workers without federal input. For instance, they could organize as public-sector employees with their collective bargaining rights controlled by the state. This makes more sense than a federal union approach, since less than half of the fifty states have legalized it in some form.
While employment is typically the easy part, the impeding unionization of growers, harvesters, processors, and distributors can lead to big problems if you are not familiar with the unionization. Merchants should research before setting out to open a marijuana shop. Even those wishing to operate medicinal marijuana dispensaries need to know these issues, because their employees will also be affected. Unionization is great, but sometimes workers are not willing to work under what they may perceive as “strict” conditions. Regulation of this industry is something that keeps marijuana payment solution companies and lenders from helping out their neighborhood merchants, and unionization can help lend a hand to showing it is a legit and profitable industry.
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It has been 20 years since Californians approved Proposition 215, the medical marijuana policy that allows for growth and distribution of the drug to designated patients. Since then, the growth and distribution of medical marijuana has been controlled by local entities. But it was only last year that the state approved the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, a group of bills that attempts to regulate medical marijuana on a state level. The act seeks to control the cultivation, manufacturing and licensing of medical marijuana, but maintains local government’s sovereignty over marijuana businesses, cultivation, and delivery. But an erroneous deadline in the bill allows local governments to ban medical pot cultivation, dispensaries, and mobile delivery. This has made many patients who have depended on the drug for treatment nervous.
Vermont Governor, Peter Shumlin, called for the state to legalize marijuana through the legislative process, and not the ballot box. In his State address, the governor said that over 80,000 Vermonters reported using marijuana in 2015. This he claims is only making illegal drug dealers money that the state would use for the citizens. Gov. Shumlin suggested a move to begin step by step marijuana legislation to harness marijuana dollars.
Illinois medical marijuana dispensaries made over $801,000 in medical cannabis sales since last November. According to the Associated Press, the retail price of medical cannabis is about $14 to $15 per gram. In addition, Illinois earned approximately $57,000 in taxes from medical marijuana. The state has 16 licensed dispensaries, but only 8 are actively taking patients. Thus far about 3,600 patients have been approved for treatment for the program. There should be an influx of patients and profits as more dispensaries open. Joseph Wright, dispensaries director expects 20 to 25 dispensaries to be open by the end of the year.
This week, New York has become another U.S. state to allow the use of medical marijuana. Eight dispensaries have opened so far, each supplying a variety of tinctures, vapors, concentrates and other forms of the drug. How many patients will acquire services from the dispensaries is still unknown. Last Thursday, New York’s Department of Health stated that 51 patients have been approved to receive services. New York is a late comer to the medical marijuana arena, joining states like Montana and California, which legalized medical medicine in 1996.
Many are declaring 2016 the year of the “Green Rush”. There is no year leading up to this one that has offered as many promises for marijuana legalization. At the moment, 14 states have the potential to legalize MMJ, adult-use cannabis or possibly both. This positive change is due to other pioneering marijuana markets and the growing support for cannabis in general.
In October 2015, The Missouri Times reported the results of an informal online poll conducted by the St. Louis Business Journal. In this poll, an overwhelming 85% of respondents said “yes”, with only 13% answering “no”. These results came as a surprise for many, since the Business Journal’s readership – both in print and online – is considered to be more conservative.
According to recent reports, the price of marijuana is dropping significantly. When the retail industry kicked off in July of 2014, the average price for marijuana was $25 to $30 a gram, according to The Daily News in Longview. As of now, the price for a gram of marijuana has fallen to $8 – or lower.
With more states heading into the legalized marijuana realm, trends are likely to change. Even if more states were not legalizing this valuable herb, trends would change for those in this ever-changing world. New consumers and new locales mean that different things will be in demand – as well as different types of technology. Below are a few prospective trends to watch for in 2016.
California was one of the first states to embrace medical marijuana, and they have led to many other states following suit. However, since its legalization in the state, regulations have changed numerous times, making the industry hard for merchants to comprehend, and leaving customers scrambling to figure it out. Below you will learn a few things about the