Bearish markets and high interest rates often cause private investors to turn away from anything resembling a risky investment. Yet, now is a very apt time to take another look at the cannabis opportunity in the U.S. Quite a lot has changed since our previous U.S. cannabis survey from 2020. Recreational cannabis is now legal in a few more states, including New Jersey and New York, the latter of which has even launched a social equity program that aims to help communities affected by the War on Drugs. Despite the market downturn, the sector is growing — legal sales of marijuana and related products are slated to rise about 32% from 2021 to top $33 billion this year and reach $52 billion by 2026, according to MJBiz. But cannabis startups still have a long way to go before they can begin to truly thrive in the country. The biggest roadblock is cannabis’ illegal status at the federal level, which makes things even more difficult and fragmented than in Europe.
05/24/2022 20:00:00