Until recently, cannabis was listed as an illegal drug in just about every country across the Western world.
But after decades of dedicated activism on the part of healthcare professionals and consumer rights advocates, things have started to change for the best.
In the past decade, countries around the world have opted to decriminalize cannabis, while Uruguay and Canada have moved to all-out legalization. Dozens of states across the U.S. have chosen to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, and many have taken the further step of making it legal for recreational use as well.
Unsurprisingly, a thriving cannabis production industry has sprung up to meet all of this newly legal demand. If you are interested in learning more about how this industry functions, here are two things you may not know about modern cannabis production.
The Cannabis Industry is Still Highly Regulated
Just because cannabis is legal now doesn’t mean it’s restriction-free for production and use. Countries like Canada have developed a strict regulatory framework to help ensure that profits from the sale of cannabis and products derived from cannabis do not end up in the pockets of criminals, and that minors do not have access to cannabis products.
This means that cannabis production remains highly regulated, even in countries where it is completely legal for medicinal or recreational use. Before you decide to open a cannabis production business — or even start cultivating a few plants for personal use — make sure to check out the laws in your jurisdiction to ensure you are operating within the bounds of the law!
Cannabis Production is High-Tech
To stay compliant with government regulations in countries like Canada, producers need to track each cannabis plant from seed to sale. This means harvesting and keeping track of huge amounts of data, which poses a significant logistical barrier to entry for any budding cannabis producer.
To meet these seed-to-sale requirements, many producers are turning to high tech solutions like digital platforms designed to make data gathering, storage, and retrieval easy.
Seed-to-sale platforms often use barcodes and wireless scanners to track the movement of each plant, and store information about planting, growth, and harvesting so that reports can be compiled easily and quickly. You can click here to read more about seed-to-sale platforms that are making cannabis production easier and safer.
Cannabis legalization and decriminalization are broadly viewed as being a progressive measure, insofar as it cuts into the profits of criminal organizations, ensures that consumers can legally purchase the cannabis products they want, and patients suffering from chronic pain have access to safe pain relief solutions.
A new legal approach to cannabis has required a new framework for producers, and cannabis remains a controlled substance in countries like Canada.
While there are certainly profits to be made in the cannabis industry, it is important to make sure that before you formulate a business plan for entering this industry, you are prepared for your production to be compliant with your country or state’s laws and regulations.
