01/31/2026
Today’s question is: What Kind of Cannabis Industry Do We Want?
I ask this as the operator of a small, family-owned, craft cannabis company. Those who follow the industry know that it’s been moving towards consolidation for years, and small-scale legacy brands like ours are becoming increasingly rare. Some frame this consolidation as inevitable, but it’s actually the direct result of policy choices made by legislators and agencies.
The thriving craft beer industry in Oregon is a pefect example of how policy choices shape industries. Decades ago American beer was dominated by massive, low-quality brands with little differentiation. Regulatory structures were then developed to support the stability of craft breweries along with nationwide brands, and it’s providing sustained economic and social benefit to Oregonians. Craft breweries are allowed to participate in higher-margin channels like taprooms in order to develop and stabilize before full exposure to multinational competition. They also have compliance requirements scaled to operational size.
Conversely, cannabis policy requires full compliance immediately regardless of scale and provides no temporary higher-margin sales channels to support stability. These market conditions advantage well-capitalized speculation, but not consumer accountability. If we want innovative business tied to our local communities to survive, we must press our legislators and agencies to enact policies which support craft cannabis.
Information and inspiration from https://www.marijuanamoment.net/the-promise-of-craft-cannabis-has-not-been-realized-due-to-policy-decisions-favoring-big-companies-op-ed/
You can learn more at SiskiyouSungrown.com, SiskiyouSungrownCBD.com, or our YouTube channel, The Feel Better Show.
