- Evan Orth
Fate of Medical Marijuana in the Face of Conservative Politics

It is no great stretch of the imagination to
say that Colorado possesses one of—if not
the—most advanced cannabis markets in
the world. With total sales in the Mile High
State reaching $1.3 billion in 2016, there is
very little to shake a stick at when it comes
to this burgeoning industry’s ability to generate
revenue.
With a yearly revenue number that contains
nine zeroes, the federal government is officially
interested, as well as the twenty-nine
states that have various medical programs
and the eight with recreational programs
currently running or soon to come.
While no small deviance from federal law,
the threat of federal interaction from the
Trump Administration seems to loom most
heavily on Coloradans who enjoy the benefits
of a well-established system.
Although Trump has been somewhat outspoken
on his support for medical cannabis,
the ominous words of Press Secretary
Sean Spicer foreseeing “greater enforcement”
of recreational systems have rung
through the minds of many people in the
industry.
Suffice it to say, there are mixed feelings
from those employed, employing and
those simply enjoying. From conversations
I’ve had personally, the sentiments seem to
range anywhere from “we have nothing to
worry about” or “we will adapt” to “I’m
happy I can grow my own” or “rec is
screwed, so get your med card.”
Although Gov. Hickenlooper is widely derided
for one reason or another, perhaps
for being outspoken against cannabis, he
recently stated: “This isn’t the time to pull
back on this experiment.”
And for once, I concur.
But the future of medical marijuana
seems to be in flux. Provided a crackdown
on the recreational market occurs
and the cannabis industry presses the
legislative red button to convert their
stocks to medical, what will that mean
for medical cannabis?
Will the cataclysmic flooding of the
market mean a boost in the number of cards
issued? Or will the absurdly bolstered
supply outweigh the demand of medical
consumers? Unfortunately, there’s no
way to know for certain.
The most poignant question remains
whether such a switch would lead to a
strengthened medical program, allowing
most people access to their cannabis.
I would like to think that a hypothetical
cessation of the recreational program
would lead to a loosening of restrictions
to getting one’s medical card. Not so
much as to make a medical card available
to all everyone who wants it, but
enough so that the businesses don’t collapse
from having to short sell their inventories
of medical-only cannabis to a
slowly expanding market.
With so much of the legal climate changing
both at the federal and state level, I
cannot help but raise my eyebrows and
watch with removed concern as we of
the cannabis industry continue to
commit federal crimes by simply coming
to work.