Baby boomers are getting high in increasing numbers, reflecting growing acceptance of marijuana as treatment for various medical conditions, according to a study published recently in the journal Addiction.

The findings reveal overall use among the 50-and-older study group increased “significantly” from 2006 to 2013. Marijuana users peaked between ages 50 to 64, then declined among the 65-and-over crowd.

Men used marijuana more frequently than women, the study showed, but marital status and educational levels were not major factors in determining users.

It turns out that cannabis businesses are just like any other business – at least when you consider that their sales peak around the holiday season, with the most profitable days being the same as most retailers. According to data collected by the cannabis delivery company Eaze, marijuana deliveries seem to jump quite a bit around the holidays.

This year they reported that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving saw a 71% increase when compared to the yearly average for a Wednesday – and since the beginning of the recreational market, many dispensary owners and industry workers have dubbed the day before Thanksgiving “Green Wednesday”.

As we look back at 2016, pro-legalization enthusiasts, as well as hopeful investors, have every reason to smile at the progress that's been made with marijuana.

For reasons that really should not require a great deal of explanation right now, tens of thousands of people all across California are wondering how the state’s new cannabis industry will look. It’s not to say that the legal marijuana industries of numerous other states aren’t important, it’s simply that they pale in comparison to that of CA. In terms of size, power, influence and value, this is one state-wide cannabis industry that the entire world is going to be watching.

So of course, it’s natural to question exactly how things will look a little further down the line, along with how the industry will integrate with others.

The Campaign Trail

You could call it the year of the cannabis consumer: retailers finally focus on UX, celebrities cater to enthusiasts, media outlets clamor for attention and a more refined world of edibles and concentrates has emerged.

Marijuana-related businesses often have trouble getting access to banking services, even in states where cannabis has been legalised. US Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to change that.

Elizabeth Warren and several other US Senators have asked the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to stop punishing banks that do business with cannabis-related businesses in states where these have been legalized.

In a letter to the agency, the Senators wrote: "Most banks and credit unions have either closed accounts or simply refused to offer services to indirect and ancillary businesses that service the marijuana industry. A large number of professionals have been unable to access the financial system because they are doing business with marijuana growers and dispensaries."

Just over half the states in the union (and the District of Columbia) now have some form of decriminalized cannabis. But for medical marijuana patients living in a state not yet on that list, getting the medicine they need often means crossing state lines in violation of federal law. That’s exactly what one GOP lawmaker did to treat his cancer — and he says he’d do it again.

In 2014, CNN found at least 100 families in Colorado who had essentially “fled” there in order to ensure a regular supply of medical marijuana for a sick family member.

The November election caused shock throughout the nation, but there was an underlying story that was not shocking at all. As expected, seven more states legalized marijuana in some form. In 2017, 60 percent of Americans will have legal access to medical marijuana, and 20 percent will also reside in areas where recreational marijuana is legal.

Given this new reality, I am renewing my call for Congress to remove its outdated and harmful federal prohibition on marijuana.

Every Congress since 2013, I have introduced legislation that removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and leaves the decision to legalize up to the states, where it belongs. I plan to reintroduce the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act in the next Congress.

The world cannabis industry is dramatically growing in such a various countries like The Netherlands, Canada, Uruguay, Israel or a huge part of United States of America (22 states to be exact). In these countries it is allowed to sell marijuana legally, but in some of them there are still many unnecessary restrictions which restrict the further development of the marijuana industry. For example, in some states it’s still impossible to fully profit from health, economic and social benefits provided by cannabis business. Let’s take a good look at particular countries and draw proper conclusions.
 

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