For years we have watched as technological advancements improved countless industries and countless lives. From digital media to air conditioners, there have been improvements to goods and services since the 1930s that are too numerous to list.
The cannabis consumers market, on the other hand, has seen very little improvement. In fact, in about 80 years, the only advancement in that area was the invention of the bong. This, of course, was due to the prohibition of cannabis. There was no need for advancements since competition was restricted and no one in the business had any interest in drawing attention to what they were doing.
Because of this, the vast majority of products in the cannabis industry are less than 10 years old, many less than 5. This explosion of innovation is no coincidence; it coincides exactly with the lessening of restrictions on marijuana nationwide, whether for medical or adult use. With the massive increase in competition has come the corresponding increase in innovation and advancements.
Things are moving so fast that – even though marijuana delivery via passenger vehicle is relatively new – regulators in California have already banned delivery via things like self-driving cars and drones.
But one thing regulators in the Golden State seem to be welcoming of is e-commerce and the aforementioned delivery of cannabis by passenger vehicle. Interestingly enough, as the rise of the Internet will turn out to be the final nail in the coffin of prohibition, it also will be the hub of the future legal marijuana industry. Apps, websites and professional delivery will one day be the way most people get cannabis; sure, going into a store and talking with someone and buying marijuana will be the favorite way for most for the near future, but many of those locations will give way to automated kiosks.
Although it’s not a perfect analogy, a good way to look at it is to compare the future marijuana industry to the movie-rental industry in 2009, when Netflix still did most of their business by delivering physical discs to customers. You could still go to a Blockbuster (retail store) if you wanted, but less people were doing that every year. Most preferred to have their DVDs delivered to their home; Redbox would be the kiosk I mentioned above.
When the legal cannabis market is unleashed and fully integrated with the world of the Internet, it could produce an economic revolution that has rarely been seen on this planet.
