NPR Segment on Medical Pot a Business Buzzkill

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National Public Radio aired a 4-minute segment on Tuesday covering recent developments in the medical marijuana industry.

It’s good to see the mainstream media take the sector seriously. In fact, on the same day this story aired, medical marijuana was a more popular topic on the Los Angeles Times website than Prince William and Kate’s LA visit!

If you don’t have time to listen to the whole NPR segment, here are the highlights:

– Opinion polls show that a growing number of Americans support the idea of medical marijuana

– The federal government seems to be moving in the opposite direction. In the past few weeks, it has: reported that pot use is the highest it’s been in eight years, ruled that weed has no accepted medical use, and warned dispensaries and related businesses that they could face prosecution even if they operate in states that have legalized medical cannabis.

– It’s unclear how the government will treat the thousands of dispensaries across the country that operate on a relatively small scale.

– Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, thinks the government is employing scare tactics to control the industry, which could have repercussions in states that are trying to regulate it effectively.

– Colorado has more than 800 medical marijuana dispensaries (not sure where they got this stat, as the actual number is in the  700s)

– Colorado has roughly 1,000 vendors, services and suppliers serving the industry (also not sure where they got this stat, our research indicates the number is no more than 500.)