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- Cannabis & The South
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Most people who live outside of The South have a negative view of what The South is. The history is complicated.
This is the land of cotton, the slaves and their descendants that worked those fields and the people who decided to secede to uphold that system. It is also the home of the blues and jazz, some of the most hauntingly beautiful landscapes in the country and the birthplace of more than a handful of our nation’s greatest writers in Faulkner, Twain, Harper Lee, Truman Capote and Zora Neale Hurston. The richness of the land is brought to bear in dishes from gumbo to barbecue to fried chicken and beans & greens. Where would we be without all of this?
The South is also the last stronghold of cannabis prohibition in the US. South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas have little to no allowance for the use of medical cannabis, let alone recreational.
Alabama is changing that. I’m sure most of you have heard of the growing pains of the industry there of late. Some have been quick to blame this on the political climate in the state but let me remind you the same thing happened in Massachusetts back in 2015 and continues to plague the burgeoning market in New York.
This is par for the course. The only difference here is the potential upside. Alabama is to the South what Massachusetts was to the Northeast eight years ago - an island in a sea of prohibition. A golden opportunity for those willing to put in the time, take the risk, and realize the potential of The South.
POUND SAND
This week I spoke to Chey Garrigan, Chief Executive Director of the Alabama Cannabis Industry Association. We had a great conversation about the challenges of standing up a brand new program in a new state and the opportunities. Here’s a little of what she had to say -
People don’t realize but Alabama was one of the first states in the nation to allow for the use of medical cannabis (CBD) with Carly’s Law in 2014. At that point patient inquires were around 40,000; we expect over 250,000 patients once the program is in full swing. Unfortunately the program is not moving as fast as we would like it to. There are a lot of patients who could have benefited from this that are no longer here.
Amen Chey. We will get there.
OTHER NEWS
Speaking of getting there the inaugural Alabama Medical Cannabis Conference is taking place on Oct 13-14 in beautiful downtown Birmingham. If you plan on attending, which you should, use the promo code “SeaofGreen710” and get 15% off.
I’ll be talking -come by and see me. I’ll buy you a beer.
Finally, I am very proud to present the latest from SOW Consulting- The Sea Of Green podcast. Real talk from real people. These are the stories from people that have lived the life, endured the struggle and continue to battle for what they know is right… and some laughs. I mean c’mon, it is weed.
Listen, like and subscribe
“Architects cannot teach nature anything”
Thanks for reading
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