In The Nitty GRITty Of The Cannabis Industry

The following point has surely been made before by others in our line of work (including me), but does anyone else need a pep talk this week?  Slugging it out in the cannabis industry month after month truly requires GRIT and I’m finding I have to dig deep to excavate mine.  Admittedly, “GRIT” is an over-used buzzword for entrepreneurs of all sorts, but if you work in any capacity in Cannabis, having the ability to keep trucking, despite seemingly endless roadblocks, is truly a non-negotiable character necessity.  I grit my teeth every time some cog in the stream of commerce takes another jab at making it more challenging to do business.  Most recently it was USPS’ decision to add limits to shipping vapes.  One state after another is choosing to ban the sale of Delta-8.  Meanwhile, even in 2021, there are too many elected officials, particularly at the federal level, who have their heads in the sand when it comes to legalization, which an overwhelming majority of the American people want for medical and recreational use.  The result is a patchwork of regulations that make banking, advertising and interstate commerce in general incredibly cumbersome.  Are you still reading this downer of a blunt minute? 

Here’s the inspirational part.  The truth is that I DO have grit, and anyone who succeeds in cannabis must have it, too.  Hell, even a 1 year old who is learning to walk will trip, fall, get up and try again a hundred times before they succeed but as adults, too many of us lose this mindset of not giving up.  NOT learning to walk is simply NOT an option for the 1 year olds, and failure has never been a choice for me.  The cast of characters who work in the industry is varied, no doubt, but when I meet someone else who is in Cannabis, I instantly know there is an understanding between us, not only the camaraderie of being in the marijuana biz but more particularly, the commonality of grit in one form or another.  Grit may manifest in a less obvious way in the stereotypical pothead running a dispensary, but the way she can always stay calm under pressure IS a form of grit!  Grit shows up too in geeks like me who are motivated by challenges and competition. 

I, for one, am ready for whatever the next wrench may be that regulators will try to throw in my operation.  I’m armed head to toe with 2,000 grit sandpaper to polish and perfect all those rough patches we haven’t even hit yet; my tool of choice tends to be technology.  Once the general population becomes aware that people who work in Cannabis actually are NOT just a bunch of stoners but rather smart, tough, and frankly brave entrepreneurs taking on a still-developing trade, I believe Cannabis will end up a strong, sophisticated and respected space to work, no doubt in part due to our ability to navigate around the countless stumbling blocks that were in our path on the way. 

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