What Will Happen in the U.S. Marijuana Industry in 2017?

There are dozens of speculations and expectations for the U.S.’s blossoming marijuana industry in 2017. Many believe that Trump will come in and turn everything upside down; however, several reliable sources note that he’s unlikely to meddle in it – at least not in the medical marijuana industry. Here are a few predictions for the industry in 2017:

Loosening of Marijuana Restrictions for Professional Sports

Professional sports players, even in states where medical marijuana is legal, are prohibited from using medical marijuana. Sports players often suffer concussions and painful injuries, and are pumped with prescription drugs (opioids). Players are fighting for professional sports leagues to loosen their rules and allow the use of medical marijuana to treat injuries, chronic concussion side effects and other long-term issues associated with injuries sustained during training and in games.

Primetime Marijuana-Themed TV Shows

Several networks already have marijuana-themed television shows. MTV has Mary + Jane, VICELAND has Weediquette. Some cable movie channels also have marijuana themed-shows. NBC is likely to have a show themed around a Denver dispensary entitled Buds.

Synthetic CBD Interest Increase

Since the DEA wanted to be sneaky and add CBD oil and marijuana extracts as Schedule I substances, an increased interest in synthetic CBD products is expected. Synthetic products aren’t expected to work as well as natural CBD products though.

There are companies that have been working behind the scenes for a couple of years developing synthetic CBD products. Testing of those products still needs to produce favorable results.

Craft Marijuana Products

The alcohol industry has craft beer and high-end spirits, so why not have craft marijuana products too? Brands are expected to start carrying exclusive products, creating their own exclusive strains and becoming destinations to visit for one specific product.

Buttoning it up

These all sound like great predictions for the New Year, but how many of these are actually going to come to fruition? We won’t know until we see how the new markets shape up and what, if anything, president-elect Trump is going to mess with. 2017 will, however, be another exciting year for the marijuana industry.

Photo: viceland.com