Starting a cannabis business in the US takes a lot of planning, effort, and patience.

However, it’s doable if you choose the best US state for such a business.

According to some of the most recent statistics, the cannabis industry is among the fastest-growing industries globally.

Therefore, it’s a perfect time to start this type of business.

Cannabis state laws are becoming increasingly lenient, while the demand for recreational and medical cannabis has never been higher.

The best way to see just how great a cannabis business can be, take a look at the Toronto Cannabis Dispensary. 

If you want to start your cannabis dispensary, here are the ten best US states for such a business.

Starting a cannabis business in the US takes a lot of planning, effort, and patience.

However, it’s doable if you choose the best US state for such a business.

According to some of the most recent statistics, the cannabis industry is among the fastest-growing industries globally.

Therefore, it’s a perfect time to start this type of business.

The Oregon secondary market for cannabis licenses and businesses remains lively. We have been helping industry buy and sell these businesses since 2016. This post is mostly about pricing for retail plays, which is still an evolving standard, but a standard nonetheless.

First, some context.

The means of commercially producing, selling, and profiting from cannabis are, so far, incredibly concentrated in the hands of white business owners.

Introduction to social equity

Let’s get one thing straight — the world needs cannabis. Even as far back as 485 BC (just about 1,500 years ago), Greek historian Herodotus described the pot- smoking rituals of ancient Scythians.

In China, archaeologists uncovered evidence of cannabis use dating back 2,500 years. When considered in this light, cannabis is a human right — and a sacred one at that.

What does all of this have to do with social equity in the cannabis industry here and now?

People who say that the U.S. is a republic and not a democracy apparently haven’t heard of ballot measures. Every year, some states1 allow citizens to bypass their elected representatives and weigh in directly on an issue — bringing policy to the forefront of the campaign in a way it often is not in candidate elections.

The record wildfires that have blanketed the West Coast in smoke and ash also have blocked out essential sunlight and set back the growth of outdoor marijuana plants by weeks, leaving growers with less-than-ideal options for when to harvest their plants.

Cannabis growers in California, Oregon and Washington state are contemplating two choices in the face of wildfires that have burned more than 5 million acres:

Measure 110 would reduce all drug possession arrests to misdemeanors and cause all drug convictions to drop by 91%.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have put their weight behind a measure to decriminalize all drugs in Oregon. The couple contributed $500,000 to the campaign, which would also earmark a significant amount of state cannabis tax revenue toward substance abuse treatment.

Measure 110, the ballot item in question, aims to change the narrative around drug use in the state. Instead of treating drug users as criminals, campaign organizers believe substance abuse should be treated as a public health issue.

The timeline of cannabis in America is certainly a tumultuous one. From being spiritually and ritualistically used by Native Americans, to being vilified and criminalized by early 1900’s government officials leading to a 75 year prohibition, to an explosive “war on drugs” that had a choke hold on American culture for over two decades, marijuana and its users have been on a seriously wild ride.

October usually heralds the harvest of outdoor cannabis plants, affectionately known as “Croptober.” But this fall, something more serious is in the air: smoke from the wildfires that are ravaging California and Oregon.

Fires are clustered in Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle” and a pair of Oregon counties, areas that are among the nation’s most important for cannabis production. Even if crops aren’t destroyed in the more than 5 million acres of wildfires, massive amounts of smoke and ash will take a toll. Darkened skies can stunt the plants’ growth, said Jill Ellsworth, chief executive officer of Denver-based Willow Industries, which cleans marijuana flower for mold in California and other states.