// EDITOR ’ S NOTE

RECREATIONAL CANNABIS SALEs have finally started in Connecticut . After lagging behind our New England neighbors for several years now , my home state finally has operational dispensaries . The number of people driving across state lines into Massachusetts to purchase pot legally should drop off dramatically . But at what cost ? This is always the question I come back to when covering cannabis ( see our story on the subject on page 18 ). And I do support legalization . Writing here as someone who covered politics before alcohol , why shouldn ’ t states make tax dollars on a controllable substance that ’ s being bought and sold anyways ?

But how controllable is cannabis ? That remains the biggest issue . We still do not have a scientifically proven method for measuring marijuana DUIs . The amount of THC detectable in your system has as a lot to do with your regular consumption habits . If you are a routine consumer , you can have elevated THC levels in your system , even when stone sober . Hardly a reliable way to measure the intoxication of somebody behind the wheel .

Also : Despite laws to the contrary , I still see legal cannabis packaging that ’ s colorful , or depicts some kind of candy or snack . Keeping children away from these products remains imperative . I would like to see packaging that looks less like treats for kids .

And then there is the money problem . In states without cannabis-friendly credit unions , marijuana businesses must operate entirely in cash . This includes payroll , altogether making for monetary headaches with a huge risk for robberies .

The SAFE Banking Act proposed in the U . S . Congress could solve the cash challenge . And broader federal legalization could help create safety standards implementable nationwide . But when will Washington D . C . take these steps ? Pose that question to most folks in the cannabis industry , and they foresee impactful federal legislation as years out , rather than imminent .

In the meantime , we are left with an imperfect system , where companies cannot even transport their own products across state lines . The industry is growing fast , but in an environment burdened by too many unknowns , handicaps and risk factors . For legal cannabis to flourish safely and effectively in this country — which one day it will — proper federal legalization is needed . •

Beverage Group Vice President Jeremy Nedelka Tel : 763-383-4413 email : jnedelka @ epgacceleration . com

Editor , Off-Premise Kyle Swartz Tel : 763-383-4447 email : kswartz @ epgacceleration . com

Editor , On-Premise Melissa Dowling Tel : 763-383-4442 email : mdowling @ epgacceleration . com

Associate Editor Jamie Stafford 763-383-4485 jstafford @ epgacceleration . com

Contributing Editors Thomas Henry Strenk

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4 Beverage Wholesaler • Spring 2023