The legal marijuana industry has faced its fair share of legal hurdles. Even the path to legalization is still a rocky road for many states and some, more than others, are facing some heightened legislative pushback. However, with legalization growing in popularity, you might be curious as to how the legal marijuana industry functions. That’s why industry pioneers such as McAllister Garfield exist — not only to facilitate the growth of the industry but to educate the public at large.
Legal differences in sales
While the products themselves don’t often differ greatly in quality, some large distinctions exist between medical and recreational marijuana. Naturally, unless you’ve received a doctor’s prescription, you’re not eligible to purchase medical marijuana. To this effect, some states have seen medical marijuana being legalized much sooner than recreational cannabis products. For some states, such as Ohio, there’s a greater pushback against recreational marijuana and, instead, the state has legalized medical marijuana as prescribed by a select few practitioners eligible to write a script.
For other states, including California and Colorado, recreational marijuana is much more widely accepted. In fact, when Colorado passed its initial statewide amendments, Denver alone saw a dozen recreational-approved shops open. That number has since grown greatly, and it’s now a lucrative business for the state. However, legal stipulations allow individual cities and counties to restrict the sale of marijuana, even if it has been legalized statewide.
As a result, McAllister Garfield knows these businesses are closely monitored for legal compliance. Licenses have to be renewed with great frequency, shops are visited by state representatives, and these stores are particular about how many patrons are allowed in any business at a given time. This is because entrance points are kept locked down and under surveillance by security guards who also handle ID checkpoints.
Addressing the industry’s legal needs
Because the nationwide legalization is still in its infancy, it’s more difficult to address the various unique industry needs. This is partially because these needs tend to shift more frequently than those of other industries and partially because it’s proven difficult to set one nationwide standard because these products aren’t nationally accepted. Legal marijuana entrepreneur should retain legal counsel. McAllister Garfield has a presence in several states and is known to represent not only growers, dispensaries, and laboratories, but also ancillary businesses in the industry that may also be affected by marijuana law particularities.
This means McAllister Garfield not only protects the larger players in the legal marijuana sphere but also helps vendors, marketers and social media companies, lenders, investors, and consultants. They play a large role in covering all aspects of marijuana business to ensure legality on a consistent, holistic basis. Plus, they know that it’s incredibly important for core and ancillary businesses to maintain strict compliance with local regulations and restrictions. If these aren’t closely followed, the parties involved can face severe consequences. These consequences also have detrimental effects on the industry as a whole because they often serve to harm the public perception of legal marijuana.
If you’re a member of the legal marijuana industry and are preparing to ensure that your business is airtight from a law-and-order perspective, contact a firm such as McAllister Garfield today to learn more about their services as well as what the industry’s future could look like with greater entrepreneurial growth and economic feedback. Don’t let your business enter the public eye without making sure you’ve buttoned up every single legal concern before you ever file for a license.
