Page 20 - Griffin Gazette Q4 2017

Retail Trend?

By John Johnston, Retail Education Manager It’s coming.
It’s coming. Whether you want it to or not, it won’t be denied. Our
industry is bracing for the next big trend: cannabis.
The lure of money (lots of it) and government control (property, Whether you
sales and/or use taxes) of its impending development will remain
a hot topic for years to come. How quickly cannabis is embraced want it to arrive
by the public and whether it’ll become as readily available as
buying a soda is anyone’s guess. The only remaining choice in
the matter is whether or not you’ll stock and sell the products or not, it won’t
your customer will soon demand. And there will be demand, as
evidenced by sales in already-approved states.
be denied. Our

A Troubled Past
Since the 1930s, cannabis has been identified as a curse on society. It was advertised industry is
as something that would turn your mind and soul zombie-like. The American propaganda
related to marijuana use. Cannabis was also associated with the famous public service TV bracing itself
film Reefer Madness was produced in 1936 and it revolved around hopeless insanity, as it
ad from the late 1980s showing eggs frying in a pan as a metaphor for your brain on drugs,
created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (Twohey, 2000). for the next big
In contrast, if we knew nothing about cannabis until five years ago, most of what we’d be
trend, cannabis.
hearing is that it’s a miracle drug for those in medical need.

20 | Griffin Gazette 2017