RECREATIONAL CANNABIS SALES have 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 22 ). 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 regular consumer , you can have elevated THC levels in your system , even if you are stone sober . Hardly a reliable way to measure the intoxication of somebody behind the wheel of a vehicle .

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 jnedelka @ epgacceleration . com

OFF-PREMISE EDITOR KYLE SWARTZ Tel : 763-383-4447 kswartz @ epgacceleration . com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAMIE STAFFORD 763-383-4485 Jstafford @ epgacceleration . com

ASSOCIATE MANAGING ART DIRECTOR NICOLE SIEWERT

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS MELISSA DOWLING , MELISSA SHERWIN

SR REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS MARK MARCON Tel : 763-383-4456 mmarcon @ epgacceleration . com

NATIONAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR DEBBIE RITTENBERG Tel : 763-383-4455 drittenberg @ epgacceleration . com

SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER , DATA & INSIGHTS MARINA VELEZ Tel : 763-383-4453 email : mvelez @ epgacceleration . com

REPRINTS For more information on e-prints or reprints from StateWays magazine , visit https :// https :// epgacceleration . com / engagement / and contact us today or email us at info @ epgacceleration .

LIST RENTAL KRIS GRAUER Tel : 203-822-7933 kgrauer @ npsmediagroup . com

StateWays is published by Beverage Information Group , a division of EPG Brand Acceleration

BRAND ACCELERATION

KYLE SWARTZ , EDITOR , OFF-PREMISE

EDITORIAL OFFICES & EXECUTIVE OFFICES 10405 Sixth Ave . N ., Suite 210 , Minneapolis , MN 55441 Tel : 763-383-4400 | Fax : 763-383-4499

4 StateWays | www . stateways . com | Spring 2023