People high-ly approve of the marijuana industry

Blackjack Collective dispensary
Photo by Doren Malik

The recreational marijuana industry is being welcomed with open arms

Since being made legal in January 2017, the recreational marijuana industry has boomed in Las Vegas.

Recreational marijuana is legal for people over the age of 21 all over the country. Currently, 11 states have passed legal recreational marijuana use laws. Citizens have used marijuana in many different ways for hundreds of years, but making it legal really changed the game. In the first year of legalized recreational marijuana, Nevada sold $425 million in products and netted nearly $70 million in tax revenue.

"I love to help people," said Valentina Spatola, events and promotions coordinator for Curaleaf Nevada. "Cannabis has a stigma that I hope changes with more education."

Consumers who buy marijuana from sellers outside of dispensaries may not be getting all of the information they may want regarding the product being purchased.

"There isn't enough education," Spatola said. "By purchasing through a dispensary, you know the product you're getting is safe, not harmful to your body, and state regulated."

Dispensaries and their parent companies put on various events to help spread industry and product knowledge to customers and the general public. Some of these events serve as educational classes, such as Budtender Fight Club. Some of the events help raise money for charity, including car washes, house parties or other things that will "help the city." The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is a non-profit company that spreads knowledge about the industry to help get it legalized across the country.

Vendor teaching a consumer at the Bizarre Bazaar Event
Photo by Curaleaf

"With the knowledge and education, we can collectively group together to make a change and decriminalize cannabis on a federal level," Spatola said. "Teaching and explaining the health benefits and explaining how this natural plant works is how we can get people to change their views on cannabis."

When consumers go to the dispensaries, the employees are happy to provide more information to the customers and answer any questions they may have when coming into the building. These employees study the different kinds of terpenes, the effects, the duration of the effects, and specific strains to be used for specific ailments or reasons.

Even with the in-store assistance, dispensary employees also do recommend that marijuana users do some research on their own to gain more knowledge. Their main websites used are Leafly.com and Weedmaps.com.

Nevada is doing all it can to help expand their recreational marijuana laws. The Nevada government recently passed a law that will remove marijuana from pre-employment drug testing, unless the job deals with security, construction, or the job has dangerous or harmful working conditions. This was a major step for the industry and Nevada. It's showing that more citizens, more specifically government officials, are becoming open minded and understanding about marijuana.

"It does have more benefits than what people realize," said Hope Paez, administrative assistant at Blackjack Collective Dispensary. "I grew up thinking it was a plant and it helps people. I didn't get taught that it was harmful and a drug and it's bad for you."

Many benefits have been found through THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) products. These products can help with anxiety, eating disorders and sleep disorders, among other medical issues. They also come in all different forms as well. When the general public hears about marijuana, they immediately think of smoking. These different forms include edibles, THC infused drinks and THC pills.Many other products exist for people who don't want to smoke marijuana.

CBD products, something the general public tends to misunderstand due to a lack of education, don't always have THC (marijuana) infused in them. Some products can have THC, but not all do. CBD is mainly used to help with medical issues without getting the consumer "high." This is mostly used to help calm the body. This can also come in many different forms, mostly in oil or pill form.

UKU showing off their vape pens at Bizarre Bazaar event
Photo by Curaleaf

Paez said that she sees a small trend when it comes to the different age groups and the products they purchase. In her store, Blackjack Collective, there tends to be more people aged 45 and older than other age groups. That group, she said, leans more towards the pre-rolls, or premade marijuana joints, they can buy. The early to mid 20s crowd leans more towards the vape pens so they can walk around in public while smoking, even though it's still illegal to smoke in public.

Within the next fight to 10 years, the public is looking at the marijuana industry to make giant leaps. One of those hoping leaps is within the medical field.

"I'm hoping the medical field will be more open to natural and holistic remedies," Spatola said. "I also hope to see more veterans being able to get prescribed cannabis."

Another route that is hoped to be seen in the cannabis industry is in the social environment. Paez said that marijuana will start being brought into the food service industry.

"Definitely there will be lounges," she said. "You'll see restaurants that have cannabis made into their food. You'll probably see drinks, like bars that will have liquor mixed with it at some point."

#marijuana #weed #curaleaf #lasvegas #cannabis